COMM 662 - Metaphor Criticism PDF

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Lecture notes - Alaoui ...

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A. Pop Quiz a. What are the two parts of a metaphor? i. Subject and object ii. Tenor and vehicle iii. Target and source iv. ANSWER: ALL OF THE ABOVE b. Which philosopher established metaphor as an embellishment? i. Hobbes ii. Plato iii. Locke iv. Aristotle v. ANSWER: ARISTOTLE c. How many steps are there in the process of using metaphor as criticism? i. Two ii. Three iii. Four iv. Five v. ANSWER: FOUR d. True or False: Cicero said metaphors must be used only to provide clarity i. True ii. False iii. ANSWER: TRUE e. True or False: Metaphors cannot be used as a means of constituting reality i. True ii. False iii. ANSWER: FALSE f. According to the text, how is metaphor used in argumentation? i. Structure of the metaphor argues by asking audiences to accept associated characteristics of the metaphor and therefore accept the argument a metaphor offers ii. Metaphors only offer supporting material by clarifying terms that are difficult for the audience to understand iii. Metaphors do not provide argumentation iv. None of the above v. ANSWER: A B. Metaphor a. Definition: a nonliteral comparison in which a word or phrase from one domain of experience is applied to another domain b. Tenor = target domain c. Vehicle = source domain d. Ex. “Her eyes were glistening jewels” i. Tenor - eyes ii. Vehicle - glistening jewels

C. Metaphor as Decoration a. Aristotle: first to treat metaphor as decoration or ornamentation b. Cicero: agreed, metaphors not necessary c. Hobbes: frustrates communication because it can deceive D. Limit metaphors a. Aristotle: if used they cannot be too grand or ridiculous b. Cicero: limit use to only providing clarity E. Metaphor as means of constituting reality a. We experience reality by the language we use to describe it b. Structuring principle c. Selection of a metaphor affects our perception of reality d. Using different metaphors to describe the same thing changes the way we understand it e. Ex. How does changing “life is a destination” to “life is a journey” affect your perception of life? F. Metaphor as argumentation a. Metaphors relate the characteristics of a vehicle with those of a tenor b. They then ask the audience to accept those associated characteristics and, if they do, they must also accept the argument that the metaphor offers G. Four steps of using metaphor as criticism a. Step 1: Select an artifact i. Find one that contains surface metaphors b. Step 2: Analyze i. Context ii. Isolate metaphors iii. Sort metaphors iv. Discover explanation c. Step 3: Formulate research question i. What is the significance to rhetorical theory? d. Step 4: Write the essay i. Introduction ii. Description of artifact iii. Description of method - metaphor analysis iv. Report of findings v. Contribution analysis makes to rhetorical theory H. Examples: a. “Audiences, Metaphors, and the Persian Gulf War” i. Invention ii. Bates uses an appeal to authority as his main source of logic 1. Uses other rhetoricians’ and other people’s as basis for criticism 2. Ex. Assertions of strategies Bush used, four things President must do to successfully persuade international opinion, AND analysis of metaphor

3. Indicates lack of original invention Metaphor is most prominent trope analyzed 1. Initial idea of metaphor is main source of invention 2. Metaphor is essential to rhetorical invention 3. “Metaphor is not a simple substitution of one term for another but a way of creating a powerful perceptual link between two things” iv. Main topics set up by Bates → Sections of Criticism 1. The importance of audience 2. The mass-mediated public speeches 3. Metaphor cluster analysis 4. The adoption of these metaphors 5. Conclusion 6. (Sections of Criticism) a. “The importance of multiple audiences” b. “Bush’s speeches as representative anecdote” c. “Metaphor as an analytic paradigm” d. “Analysis and interpretation” of metaphor clusters e. “Speaking the president’s language” f. “Conclusion” 7. Organization v. Style 1. Formal though not academically 2. Uses other theories to support himself 3. Clear organization 4. But it seems to be a product of inexperience because language is not complex b. “Making the Familiar Foreign” by Ryan Blum i. Introduction 1. audience/context/author 2. Organization 3. thesis ii. Metaphor Methodology 1. Categories of tenor 2. Categories of vehicle iii. Aristotelian Critique 1. Invention a. Ethos b. Pathos c. Logos 2. Organization 3. Style iv. Conclusion 1. Why is this artifact appropriate for metaphor criticism? iii.

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2. What is the benefit of analyzing it using metaphor criticism? 3. What does this example teach us about metaphor criticism? c. Artitectural Metaphor as Subversion: The Portland Building by Marla Kanengieter-Wildeson i. Invention 1. Ethos/pathos/logos 2. Audience 3. Examples ii. Organization 1. Appropriate 2. Example iii. Style 1. Appropriate 2. Example iv. Why is metaphor criticism important for this artifact? How does it help us understand it? Other artifacts to use metaphor criticism on a. Barrack Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Address - “What is Required: The Price and Promise of Citizenship” i. Uses metaphors to describe the conditions of the nation and of America’s heritage. Unpacking and understanding these metaphors allows us to see how the President views the nation and the national condition b. John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Clarity” i. Main and most remembered metaphor is “city upon a hill.” UNderstanding it allows us to understand the importance of Puritan behavior in the new world and the magnitude by which the pilgrims were viewed...