Circular Reasoning

Mixed Metaphor Bingo

Coveting the Metaphor

I just finished reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, and one of the many things that impressed me about this author is the way she sees symbol and metaphor so readily in her life. In everyday occurrences, chance encounters, and commonplace objects she sees a deeper level of meaning, and this way of seeing translates into more beautiful and profound life experiences. It certainly enriches her writing.

I want this connection to symbol and metaphor in my own life.

Additionally, she says that "we need forms and images" to relate to the Divine. "Symbol and image," she explains, "create a universal spiritual language. It's the language that the soul understands." However, she warns that we should be careful about the type of images we use to represent the Divine. Why? Because the images we use to relate to God influence not only how we see God but also how we perceive ourselves and how we choose to live our lives: "These symbols or images shape our worldview, our ethical system, and our social practice--how we live and how we relate to each other."

Tracking the Metaphor

In a new project at Stanford University, researchers are teaching computers to analyze texts from “Plato to Pynchon” for metaphors. Their goal is to build a vast searchable database that will trace historic patterns of word usage.

“As a tool, it provides a really powerful way of thinking about a lot of literature at once,” explains Brad Pasanek, an English professor who is collaborating on the project. Digitized libraries and new methods of data-mining have combined to create a new discipline called “Digital Humanities,” which is an “intersection of computing and the study of languages, history, philosophy, and religion."

Panasek got the idea for developing this new tool when he was flipping through his well-used copy of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and noticed the highlighted and color-coded key phrases: “Through the tangled tale of Elizabeth, Darcy, and Wickham, ‘marking words that occurred again and again, I realized that you could see these motifs appear in an explosion of color, then disappear.’” The computer replaces the colored marker, he explains.

That Jane Austen. She just keeps popping up everywhere.

Breaking News: Scientists Validate the Metaphor

I read the other day about a recent scientific experiment. The scientists chose a group of people, secretly divided them into thirds, put them in a room, and instructed them to mingle. One third was “in the know,” one third was a control group, and those of the last third were the subjects of the experiment.

The “in the know” group had been instructed to treat the control group normally but to stare down, ignore, snub, and generally be rude to the subjects of the experiment.

Afterwards, both the control group and the subjects were interviewed about their experience. Among other questions, they were asked to estimate the temperature of the room. Those who were treated rudely consistently rated the room as colder than the control group.

From this, the scientists concluded that metaphors like “an icy stare” and “the cold shoulder” corresponded to actual physiological reactions, and were therefore valid.

My reaction to this newsworthy achievement? Boy, I could have saved them a lot of time and money.