Kevin Miranda
Prof. Harris
Engl 393
6/3/09
Everyday and Environmental Science
Metaphors
Abstract
The following document explains what a metaphor is and why it is used in fields such as Environmental Science (ES). Three examples of everyday or commonly used metaphors are presented to give a better understanding of how a metaphor is used. Also three examples of ES metaphors are given to show how helpful metaphors are to explain a complex idea or concept that maybe difficult for some people to understand.
Metaphors
Definition
A metaphor is used to connect two or more objects without the using “like”or “as”. There are three main types of metaphors; a dead, extended and mixed metaphor. A dead metaphor takes a physical action to better understand the meaning of a subject. The phrase “to grasp a concept” is one example of a dead metaphor which people may unknowingly use everyday. An extended metaphor, which is commonly used in poetry, takes several subsidiaries subjects to set up a principal subject.Short stories, such as "Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy" by Tim O'Brien, fables and fairy tales are often extended metaphors. A mixed metaphor starts with one action phrase and is followed by a second phrase that is not in agreement with the first. An example of this type of metaphor is “He stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horns”. These types of metaphors are used everyday and also in fields such as Environmental Science (Wikipedia.com).
Everyday Metaphors
One example of an everyday metaphor is the phrase “to kick the bucket” (said what). This phrase references death and is used to describe when an animal or a person dies. Example: “John kicked the bucket” refers to John dying. Another everyday metaphor is “Blanket of snow” (saidwhat) and is used during the winter season to describe an amount of snowfall. This metaphor would be used in a sentence in the following format:“A blanket of snow covered the ground”. A third use of an everyday metaphor is the phrase; “Love is a lemon” (said what).Lemons can be categorized as tasting either sweet or bitter. This metaphor is used to describe heartbreak in relation to the taste of a lemon. For one person the breakup could be sweet while for others it maybe bitter to deal with.
Environmental Science
Definition
Environmental Science is the fusion of a varitey of disciplines to understand different components of the natural enviornment. Physics, chemistry and biology are used by scienists to help manage the environment and to teach other how to do the same. Each of these fields utilizes complex vocabulary that may be unfimiliar to the average person. When attempting to explain a concept a scienist may use a metaphor to help give a more relatable understanding of the subject.
Environmental Metaphors
“The earth is a fried egg” (metaphorproject) is one example of a metaphor used in environmental science. It is unknown exactly when this metaphor was first introduced but the date is estamiated to be around the same time as the discovery of global warming. Scientists use this metaphor to explain the how global warming affects the earth. The egg white represents the earth’s atmosphere while the earth’s core is represented by the yellow yolk.As an egg cooks in a pan the egg white starts to heat up first. Then when the temperature of the egg rises the yolk begins to cook.People are more familiar with how an egg cooks on a pan than they may be with the actual scientific explaination of how global warming affects the earth.
When referencing the beginning of a peroid of time or start of an event, a phrase simliar to “Since the dawn of civilization” is used at the beginning of the story (knowinggramming.com). The term“Dawn” is used by scientists and the common person to discribe a time of day. Since the first reference of time was used in a story, or some other form, people have been using words such as “Dawn” to represent the beginning of an event. This metaphor may have started out as a common metaphor but was later adopted by scientists to describe events that have occurred in the world. The average person and scientist would interpret this metaphor in the following manor, “Since the beginning of civilization”
A third example of a metaphor used in environmental science is “A hail of bullets” (knowinggramming.com). For hundreds of years people had found ways of comparing hail with other objects, and with the invention of the bullet people have found an additional metaphor. This phrase uses the image of hail falling to describe the intensity of an event. People are familiar with how intense a hail storm can be and the damage that could be caused which helps a person relate to the intensity of the event that’s occuring.
Conclusion
When attempting to convey a concept or idea to a person the use of metahpors can be extremely helpful. Not everyone is familiar with the technicalvocabulary used in environmental science, however using people’s life experiences, the scientists would be able to inform people of the idea that is being explained. This concept is becoming extremely important in today’s world, as scientists began to make important discoveries that the average person should be informed of.
Work Cited
Casnig, John D. 1997-2008. A Language of Metaphors. Kingston, Ontario, Canada: June 1, 2009
Environmental Science. June 1, 2009
Metaphors. June 1, 2009
Metaphors. June 1, 2009
Time Magazine. April 9, 2009 .The Manhattan Project. June 1, 2009
Audience Analysis
This paper is intented for anyone with or with a common knowledge of metaphors and evinromental science. The information provided is helpful for students of all levels, who would like to read about how metaphors are unknowling used everday and also in professional fields, such as enviormental science, to educate other people. This document will be aviable online for easy access and can me used as a reference in other works.
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