Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Why Metaphors Help Us Communicate

Metaphors are helpful in communication because they help us paint mental pictures. Comparisons in the forms of similes are especially good for this. Jeremy ran as fast as a cheetah. The dog was as still as a statue. Both these examples give emphasis to the action of the person/animal. Jeremy’s running is emphasized and the dog’s stillness is emphasized. Even though it is not possible that Jeremy could actually run as fast as a cheetah and that the dog could stay as still as a statue for an extended amount of time, it wouldn’t paint the same picture in your mind if I said that Jeremy ran really fast and the dog was really still. 

Sabrina

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