The Magic of Metaphor

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The Magic of Metaphor

• Presented by
• Pat Daly and Jan Golden
• Story Circle Network Conference
• February 3, 2008

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Workshop Format

• Three components
• Learn
• Origin and meaning of metaphor
• Parts of a metaphor
• Examples of uses of metaphor
• Practice
• Two writing exercises
• Share after each exercise

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Workshop Goals

• Understand the meaning and uses of metaphor
• How to develop metaphor lists
• Ways to use metaphor in circles or on your own
• Experience the MAGIC!

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Word Origin or Etymology

• From the Greek, meta, implying a change and
• Pherein, meaning to bear or carry over,
  transport or transfer
• We transfer meaning from one object to another

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What is a Metaphor?

• Metaphor consists in giving one thing a name
  that belongs to something else. Aristotle
• A comparison made by speaking of one thing in
  terms of another
• Often an unlikely or seemingly unrelated
  comparison

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Parts of a Metaphor

• Two parts subject and comparison
• In the simplest format
• A is B
• One thing is the same as another
• The meaning of the first is transferred to the
  second
• An effective metaphor is equal on both sides of
  the equation

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Metaphor Examples

• My life is a circus
• My job is a nightmare
• Attending the Story Circle conference is a dream
  come true
• Life is a yo-yo its a series of ups and downs
• I say love, it is a flower in you its only
  seed. Bette Midler, The Rose

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Simile Differs from Metaphor

• A simile states that A is like B
• Think similar or similarity
• A metaphor states that A is B Metaphor You are
  my sunshine.
• Simile Your eyes are like the sun.
• Metaphor uses is and simile uses is like

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Simile Examples

• Values are like fingerprints. Nobodys are the
  same, but you leavem all over everything you
  do. Elvis Presley
• Your teeth are like stars, they come out at
  night.
• A day without orange juice is like a day without
  sunshine. FL Citrus Commission

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Why Use Metaphor?

• To enliven ordinary language
• To create vivid sight and sound images
• Metaphor conjures up something not present in
  order to elicit deeper meaning

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• A great song is like salad dressing you need
  just the right amount of sweet, sour and salt to
  get it right, and when you do you only notice the
  balance of flavors, not the ingredients.
• Edge, a member of the band U2

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• A great song is like salad dressing (S) you
  need just the right amount of sweet (M) and salt
  (M) to get it right, and when you do you only
  notice the balance of flavors (M), not the
  ingredients (M).

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Sensory Metaphors

• Temperature (touch)
• Frozen with fear
• Texture (touch)
• His silken lies went unheard
• Light (sight)
• A rainbow of flavors

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Sensory Metaphors

• Taste (and mouth)
• End on a sour note
• Smell
• That man reeks of infidelity!
• Sound (hearing)
• She thundered into the room

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Exercise two

• Death as sleep
• Music as food
• Life is a dance
• Television, the drug of the nation

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The End!

• Metaphors be with you!