source:

https://aeon.co/essays/how-to-build-a-metaphor-to-change-people-s-minds

Erard’s essay on what it is like to create metaphors as a job is a truly interesting piece and many aspects of it sparked my interest. One section that caught my eye was when Erard wrote, ” At a conceptual level, life is a journey, and arguments are wars: you take sides, there can be only one winner, evidence is a weapon”. This short phrase not only is packed full of metaphor, but is also a very accurate sentence. Arguments are wars, and although Erard says there can only be one winner, does anyone ever really win? Are these “weapons” he speaks of, the harsh words used in the war like arguments? As someone who comes from a family who argues like its a sport, for the sake of proving they are right, I can attest to the fact that no one ever wins, theyre just satisfied with the aftermath. Another quote that stuck with me was the metaphorical phrase: ” There was a problem: people values the orchid and looked down on the dandelion”. With this phrase, it is meant to articulate how some children do well, while others not so much. He writes,” the culture said they should value the rare, beautiful thing, not the sturdy weed”. This speaks values for how society works nowadays. Metaphorical speaking seems intimidating, I cant even imadgine how Erard could possibly do it as a job.