1. { Figurative Language and Symbolism When a cigar is more than just a cigar

2.  Literal: Words taken in their most basic sense without symbolism, figure, or allegory. Words do not deviate from a strictly assigned meaning  E.g. The cat sat on a mat  Figurative: Language that goes beyond the literal usage. Language that is symbolic or evocative, often asking us to understand more abstract ideas by comparing them to more literal or concrete ideas.  E.g. Metaphor, Simile, Symbolism Literal vs. Figurative

3. Construction of Metaphor = Abstract Idea (Love, beauty, death) Concrete object

4.  Metaphor: The comparison of two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”  Simile: The comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.”  Love is like a red, red rose. Metaphor and Simile

5.  According to Lakoff and Johnson, “our concepts structure what we perceive... and how we relate to other people. Our conceptual system thus plays a central role in defining our everyday realities. If we are right to suggest that our conceptual system is largely metaphorical, then…what we do every day is very much a matter of metaphor” (3). Lakoff and Johnson, Metaphors We Live By

6.  Most of our concepts are abstract ideas such as time, emotion, communication, and time.  We define these abstract ideas by comparing them to concrete things such as space, motion, and objects.  Examples:  Time is understood as money  Happiness is up, depression is down  Life is a journey  Love is a journey Lakoff and Johnson, Metaphors We Live By

7.  Tenor: The (abstract) idea or concept being described through the metaphor.  Vehicle: The (more concrete) image that helps the reader to better understand the more abstract idea.  E.g. Love is a red rose Tenor and Vehicle

8.  Read for the literal meaning, and then think about the symbolic or metaphorical meaning  Be open to multiple symbolic meanings and layers of meaning. Reading Strategies

9. Symbolism in Literature

10.  Metaphors shape our understanding of the world.  Examples: Metaphors used in war   “Metaphors can kill, as I wrote in my original Metaphor and War paper in 1991 on the eve of the Gulf War. Why can metaphors kill? Because metaphors in language are reflections of metaphorical thought that structures reasoning, and thus our actions, both in everyday life and in politics. In politics, they are rarely isolated. They usually come as part of a coherent system of concepts -- usually a moral system” (Lakoff)Metaphor and War Why does this matter?

11.  Metaphorical: War is politics pursued by other means. Politics is business  Also, the State is a Person (with enemies, friends, neighbors)  OR War is a contest or game (with winners and losers.)  Metaphors and outdated language disguise pain  “The Red Badge of Courage” (Stephen Crane)  The blood of young men is the “red/Sweet wine of youth” (R. Brooke)  Real: Injury, pain, dismemberment, destruction, death. Metaphors and War