Metaphors are a type of figurative language. They are “comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in another way.” Metaphors are ways to describe them. We often use them to make a point or make something appear more interesting or entertaining. As teachers, we can use metaphors when teaching our students information to help them understand or relate to the topic that may seem particularly difficult for them to grasp. We can also use metaphors as part of our language arts curriculum to help students with creative writing, poetry, and novel studies. In addition, metaphors can be used as part of our history curriculum to help with comprehension or content material.
Metaphors are often used when referring to history in general. History is often compared to a river, a tree, or even a road. In fact, a Chinese Proverb uses the metaphor, “to forget one’s ancestors is to be a book without a source, a tree without a root, when referring to history.” As immigrants assimilated into American culture, the United States was often compared to a “melting pot.” Often times, people in authority positions have used metaphors in their writings and speeches to help people fully comprehend the meaning of their messages. For example: John F. Kennedy said, “There’s an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.” Gerald Ford stated, “Truth is the glue that holds governments together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.” John Adams said, “People and nations are forged in the fires of diversity.” “A leader is a dealer in hope,” commented Napoleon Bonaparte. “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere,” said Nelson Mandela. Martin Luther King, Jr., used metaphors in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to create drama while highlighting some key issues. Two of those metaphors include: “great beacon of light of hope” and “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”
Metaphors are also used in literature, poetry, and writing to enhance material for their readers. An unknown author wrote, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page,” which is a great metaphor referring to the wealth of knowledge and adventure available through literature. Rudyard Kipling concurred by writing, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” William Shakespeare uses metaphors in his writings. In his “Sonnet 18” he compares love to summer, and in Romeo and Juliet love is being compared to the sun.
Everyone has used metaphors at one point or another, whether it is in their writing, reading, speaking, or even in their educational classwork. There are many popular metaphors that may seem quite familiar. Some examples include: “It’s raining cats and dogs; he has a heart of gold; and, the noise is music to my ears.” In EDM 310, we have been exposed to many metaphors that are there to help and guide us as future educators. In the class blog page, Dr. Strange compared EDM 310 to riding a bike which reminds us that in order to be successful, we will need to continue to get back on the “bike.” Over the course of the semester, Dr. Strange has assigned us items to watch or read and post to our blog what we learned. In doing so, we were able to take what we learned with us as our journey as educators grows. In addition to Tom Johnson’s post comparing pencils to computers, we watched Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture,” which contained many metaphors. Mr. Pausch compared Tigger and Eyeore to how you live your life, and brick walls to the barriers in life. In the video, “Do You Teach or Do You Educate,” brick walls were compared to teach while blooming flowers were compared to educate. These along with some of the other blog post requirements used metaphors in a creative way to effectively drive home important points. I think that the use of metaphors throughout different areas in life is an effective tool for everyone to use.
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