Using the methods of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in Metaphors We Live By, I’m doing the following analysis to expose the metaphors that might slip through the unconscious as we read something as basic as the opinion page in the newspaper, in this case, my local newspaper, the Monterey County Weekly. Granted, I specifically chose a piece that makes it easy to see the metaphors, as this is the first of this type of analysis that I am posting here.
Why expose the metaphors (note, the metaphor I just used is PROSE IS A CLOTHED BODY)? Because, by and large, we don’t know that we’re using them. We did not learn them explicitly; we picked them up by imitating how others used language. They structure our language (text, speech) just below the level of consciousness. Mr. Greider, as a seasoned writer, might be more aware of using them than most people, but I chose his opinion piece because I could readily imagine people at a party or sitting around the kitchen table talking this way.
After I analyze his piece for the implicit metaphors, I will rewrite it using different metaphors, just to show that it is possible. To inspire, not to say “these are better.” No. The point is to BE CREATIVE. Get out of the clichés. In order to transform language (which is what this blog is about), we have to know how we are using language in the first place (and how it is using us). Continue reading
