Metaphor

A metaphor is used to help us understand the unknown. We use things that we already know in comparison to the unknown to get a better understanding. An example of a metaphor is "Space is the ocean, vast and unexplored". This is a metaphor because it is describing the unknown with something more known. There are many kinds of metaphors, theres a simile, personification, anthropomorphism, hyperbole, parable, fable, and analogy. A simile is often used as a metaphor, comparing two unlike things to get a better understanding. An example of a simile is "John eats like a pig". It is a simile because it is comparing a person to how an animal eats to describe his eating habits to a pig. Personification is another form of metaphor being used to give objects or animals human qualities in order to give them a more better understanding. An example of personification is "The sun peeked happily from behind a cloud". It is a personification because the sun was given a human characteristic to describe its radiance. Another way to use a metaphor is anthropomorphism, it uses human forms or qualities to an entity that is not human. Specifically it describes Gods or Goddesses in human form and possessing human characteristics such as, love, hatred, or jealousy. An example of anthropomorphism is "Zues was a jealous god". This is anthropomorphism because it has given a thing that is not human, in this case a God, the human quality of jealousy. A hyperbole is used as an exaggeration or overstatement, such as "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse". This is a hyperbole because it uses an exaggeration to describe one's hunger. A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more lessons of self improvement using human characters. An example of a parable is "after Jim's and Sarah's long perilous journey, they learned how to trust and the true worth of companionship". This is a parable because it shows what the human characters went through to learn an important lesson in life. Another example of a metaphor is a fable. Although similar to a parable, a fable uses non human characters such as animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized to illustrate a moral lesson. An example of a fable is the "Hare and the Tortoise", the animals were used to illustrate that slow and steady wins the race. This an example of a fable because the animals are used to teach that it is better to approach life at a slow and steady pace instead of running ahead of yourself. Analogy is another form of a metaphor. This is the comparision of two pairs which have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair. An analogy is "Living is to dying as birth is to death". This is an analogy because it compares living to dying which is in the same relationship of the life cycle, as to comparing death to birth which is also in the same relationship in the life cycle.

Looking at poetry is a good way to understand metaphors. In the poem "Peace" the type of metaphor being used is Personification. In lines 1-3 "The wind is now a roaring, smashing monster of destruction". The wind is being described as a roaring, smashing monster of destruction, to give a better understanding of how powerful and destructive it is. It was given the quality of a smashing monster to better describe the damage it did on the area. In the poem "Joy" the type of metaphor being used is Personification. In lines 6-9 "Amidst the frozen white, a tiny tip of green, first blade of grass, the messenger of spring". The grass is being described as a blade that cut threw the frozen snow, it was a sign that winter was coming to an end and spring was approaching. In "The Gastronomic Gym" the type of metaphor being used is personification. In lines 1-5 "Pasta twirling and spinning, peas do vertical jumps mashed potatoes swimming. Meat doing bench press and pumps. Food has begun to exercise". The food are given the ability to do physical exercise to describe the process of being digested. In "The Lion in Love" the type of metaphor being used is a Fable. In this fable the lesson that is being taught is, "Love can tame the wildest". The lion is being used to represent the king of the beast, or the wildest in nature. He falls in love with a young beautiful maiden and asks her parents for her hand in marriage. The parents deny him at first adding that he has to relinquish his dangerous claws and teeth. The lion was so madly in love he trimmed his claws and took out his teeth without hesitation. The lion's actions for his love defines "Love can tame the wildest". Emily Dickinson was a poet born on, December 10, 1830. She didn't achieve fame until after she died on, May 15, 1886. In her poem "I took my power in my hand"  in lines 7-8 she uses the metaphor "Was it Goliath was too large, Or only I too small". This metaphor explains that she does not know what stopped her from conquering her problem (Goliath), was it that her problem was to big for her to handle by herself, or was it that she was too small to approach the problem. In her poem "Success is counted sweetest" in lines 1-4 shes uses the metaphor "Success is counted sweetest By those who ne'er succeed. To comprehend a nectar Requires sorest need". In this metaphor success is being compared to sweetness. It explains how having success can be the sweetest thing to a person that never succeeded. It says in order to comprehend the value of success it has to be needed desperately. E e cummings is a poet that made a poem differently from most standard forms. His creation is called "l(a" these are all letters and punctuation. It differs from most poems because it is presented in a manner to visualize a falling leaf. It is a metaphor because it is comparing loneliness to a leaf that is falling from a tree. The leaf was once part of a whole, but became separated, and was by itself all alone. If presented in a normal manner it would appear like this "loneliness (a leaf falls)".

Metaphors are a part of your daily life in ways you wouldn't recognize. Metaphors are in music, TV shows, and even in our daily conversations! The way metaphors could be applied is limitless! Metaphors could be used as a guideline to life, could be used as a motivation to achieve greatness, and even be used to help others in need of advice. A metaphor I apply to my life is "A Mountain Climb - Life consists of hierarchies.  We are always climbing the corporate ladder". It symbolizes that I am constantly on the way to greater and better things.

Linear Text

Technology has made a new form of linear writing called Hypertext. When written on paper, text is linear. Digital text is different. Digital is more flexible, it can be virtually anywhere. With technology growing digital text will change all forms of writing. It can even change the way we learn information.

In the video I watched it says we are the web, the people control what is being uploaded worldwide. With writing evolving we are able to create sources of information and show it to the entire globe. By using HTML we can create programs to publish all kinds of info by video, text, or sound. The people can create Blog sites that the individual himself can have complete freedom to upload whatever his heart desires. By using HTML we can constantly change the content on his site whenever he wants. Digital text can do better. Form and content can be separated. XML was designed just for that. Title does not define the form. It defines the content and virtually all other elements in the document. So the data can be exported, free of formatting constraints. With form and content separated, users don't need to know complicated codes to upload content to the web. With XML it facilitates automated data exchange, two sites can "mash" data together. A perfect example of this is Flickr Maps. I am able to see the world without actually exploring it, or know where I am going when planning my next vacation in another country. Who will organize all this data? We will. I will. With this in mind we have to rethink some things. We have to rethink copyright, with newer and more sophisticated technology being created daily people need to get the respect for their accomplishments. Rethinking authorship by knowing that as technology gets more advanced fewer people will take this occupation solely due to the fact that books will now be read on paper, but on screens. Rethink identity in a way that technology will change the way we read by replacing papers with a screen, or reading the newspaper will change to learning the information on my iphone. Rethink ethics by changing the way we learn information from written text on paper, to learning everything from digital text on a computer. Rethink aesthetics by appreciating the beauty of technology and how it can take different shapes and deliver what we need from it. Rethink rhetoric by influential speeches being delivered in completely different ways and possibly to an even larger audience than ever before. Rethink governance in a way that with technology the government can be able to have more of hold on the people through multiple ways, or be able to reach people in danger in a more quicker and effective manner. Rethink privacy in a way that with the worldwide web anything uploaded will be seen throughout the world to all kinds of audiences. Rethink commerce in a way that with technology having an increase in demand every time something newer and better is created, we have to find better and faster ways to deliver the products in a broader scale so everyone can enjoy.

In the article I read educators are trying to change the way we educate the youth. With ideas of using leading 21st-century learning methods and tools, while combining it with the best of traditional classroom learning. Educators argue that this new and improved way of learning can’t be established due to the fact that today’s school system has rigid schedules, inflexible facilities, and fixed boundaries between grades. If we are to use the new 21st-century education, then we have to change the schools physical appearance by creating more flexible learning spaces that can be rearranged to fit different class sizes and subjects, to even changing the units of time than the typical 50-minute class period.

In order to give myself a better understanding on how technology has grown over the years, I decided to interview my grandpa who is 60 years old. I asked him how he had to rethink the way he gets things done, and how he had to learn with the more advanced technology. I brought up the topic Banking and the first thing he told me was "it got easier". I learned that compared to today's banks, making transactions was a big hassle. Everything major had to be done in check, no credit card, no online site. He had to physically go to the bank and handle the paper work there. Today's banks transactions could be as easy as visiting the website. I asked about how the government changed, he said "the government is a lot stricter". With technology so simple compared to today's, the government wasn't able to "check' on the people's daily web use. The government wasn't able to be more involved with the public's interest as to compared to now, the government is able to view anybodies web history. I asked about business and he responded "it's never been better". Despite today's economy he made clear points on how business grew. Businesses weren't able to reach a broader range of consumers compared to today. With the help of today's technology, businesses across the globe are able to promote their product and successfully sell their product. Their are more advertisements in TV, radio, web, and on the streets thanks to the advancement in technology.

In the video it shows how primitive technology was. It shows how mostly everything was rethought. From workout machines to bikes, from TV's to cameras. Everything has changed to a more advanced and sohpisticated form. An exapmle of how technology was rethought is how video games changed from being a simple black and white pixel "pong" game, to changing into a complex interactional colored picture video. With the advancements made in technology it is possible to listen to your favorite songs where ever you go instead of being home playing your song on a record player.