Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host,
Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my students and
I bring you content that's informative, positive,
fun and uplifting. This podcast is created and
produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok. Hello everyone and
welcome back. I'm Highlight and I'll be the host
for this episode. We're exploring something that
sits right at the intersection of creativity
and logic, metaphors. We usually think of them
as just poetry, but they are actually powerful
tools that shape how we think and understand.
To help talk about this today, I'm joined by
co -hosts Josiah and Proud, and we have invited
Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason to be our teacher guests.
But before we jump into segment one, let's hear
our quote of the day and get our headline news.
Our quote of the day comes from brilliant Leora
Hill, who once said, metaphors don't just describe
the world, they rearrange the way our minds see
it. Now, let's unpack that for a second. Hale
is telling us that language isn't just a neutral
tool. When we use a metaphor like calling a challenge
a climb or a battle, we aren't just being poetic.
We are actually changing our psychological approach
to that situation. If it's a climb, we look for
a path. If it's a battle, we look for an enemy.
This is so relevant to our discussion today because
the way we label our experiences dictates how
we solve our problems. It's about the power of
perspectives. And as we dive into our main topic,
I want us all to think about the metaphors that
we're using to describe our own lives. And that's
our quote of the day. Now on to some headline
news. Thank you for our quote of the day. Our
first headline comes from the New York Atlantic
Herald Review. A new cognitive linguistics report
released by the Columbia Center for Language
and Mind reveals that metaphors may influence
public behavior more powerfully than direct factual
statements. According to this study, people were
nearly 40 % more likely to support social initiatives
when they were framed through metaphorical language,
such as describing economic recovery as a garden
that needs tending rather than a process that
requires regulation. Lead researcher Dr. Sharina
Volkov says that findings highlight the urgent
need for policymakers to understand how figurative
language can subtly steer public interpretation,
often without conscious awareness. Our next headline
comes from Nairobi, published by the Global Education
Tribune. Kenyan educators are reporting measurable
improvements in student comprehension after the
Ministry of Education introduced a national metaphor
integration program for secondary schools. The
initiative trains teachers to use metaphors to
explain complex scientific and mathematical concepts.
An early result shows a 22 % increase in topic
retention among Form 3 students. Program director
Moses Okelo notes that metaphors help bridge
linguistic, cultural, and conceptual gaps, allowing
students to connect abstract ideas to everyday
experience. Our last headline comes from Berlin,
covered by the European Creative Industries Journal.
German tech company VerbaTech has unveiled Metaforge,
an AI -powered writing companion designed to
generate context -appropriate metaphors for journalists,
authors, and marketing teams. The tool analyzes
tones, audience, and subject matter before creating
original figurative expressions, already earning
attention from major European publishers experimenting
with metaphor -driven storytelling. The company's
CEO, Andrew Rittner, said the goal is not to
replace human creativity, but to help writers
build fresher, more emotionally resonant language
in an age of information overload. Thank you
for that quote and the headlines. We are now
looking at the power of metaphors, how they shape
our thinking, our communication, and even our
culture. Let's get started. Welcome to the show,
Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason. Before we jump in, could
you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about
what you do here at ICS? Why, yes, of course,
proud I can. My name is Mr. Ben, and I teach
high school English language arts, specifically
the classes of American Literature and AP Literature.
A few small facts about myself. I'm married to
Mrs. Asia. She teaches K4, K5 specials. My father
-in -law is the legendary Jason, Mr. Jason Weimer.
And my mother -in -law is the incredible Mrs.
Donnie Weimer. This is actually my second time
on the show. I'm happy to be here with you guys.
Thank you very much for that introduction, Mr.
Ben. Yes, I'm Mr. Jason, and usually I'm on the
other side of the table. And Mr. Ben is my son
-in -law, so it is fun being on the mic again
with him. I teach marketing, entrepreneurship,
business, and two other technology classes here
at ICS and help lead this podcast class. So,
yeah, thanks for having me as a guest. So to
start, we should probably set a baseline, Mr.
Ben. In the literal sense, what is a technical
definition of a metaphor? I'm glad you asked,
Proud. Let me tell you. A technical definition
of a metaphor is a figure of speech in which
a word or phrase is applied to an object or action.
to which it is not literally applicable. Now,
I'm sure you guys were all following that, so
let me give you another one. A metaphor is an
implied comparison between two unrelated things,
generally succinct. Mr. Jason, definitions are
one thing, but metaphors really live in the real
world. Do you have a metaphor that comes to mind,
maybe one that you have heard or used before?
Yeah, I kind of like the one that goes like this.
I had to kind of think of different metaphors
that I've used before or have heard other people
use. And I thought this one was good. Laughter
is the best medicine. Have you heard that before?
So now the cool part of metaphors is that in
a way they can help create word pictures in our
minds or maybe even take us back to a time or
place where this was true in our own experience.
So if you're feeling down, sad, tired, or even
sick, sometimes just laughing will help you feel
better. Or it might even help in your recovery.
And Mr. Ben, how about you? What's one that sticks
with you? Yeah, I think for me it's something
similar. It's stuff that... has more meaning
or impact for me. So one of the things that comes
to mind is thinking about faith -based metaphors.
So as a Christian, there's a lot of those that
are found inside the Bible. So for example, you
hear things like, Jesus Christ is referred to
as the bread of life, or the living vine, and
we are the branches, the living water that you
can come and drink from so that you don't thirst
anymore. So those I think are really, really
good examples of how a metaphor can capture an
idea that's difficult to describe with words
or maybe even impossible to fully describe with
words but then it draws a picture from that picture
you can really gather more meaning from it so
yeah those were a few that stood out to me those
are great examples from your perspective as teachers
how does a metaphor actually help a student understand
a complex idea better than a regular explanation
OK, this is a good question, and I've got to
put this in the context of maybe this class,
the marketing class. So in marketing, if you
have to explain something, you you are likely
to lose your audience's attention if you have
to explain it in great detail. Right. So there's
even a funny word that has developed for this
called mansplaining. Maybe you've heard of this.
Obviously you have. So, of course, this can be
applied to women as well. But men do this quite
well, right? Mansplain things. But if I were
to teach my students how to communicate the value
of something, like if we were talking to a customer,
without having to explain all the small technical
details and so forth, I might suggest they try
to use a metaphor. I would say something like,
a metaphor is the elevator pitch of an idea.
This may help them understand that their marketing
approach needs to be straightforward, simple,
and short. If you can't communicate the value
of your product or service in that short time
period, you'll probably lose the attention of
your intended audience. And let's just stop mansplaining
things, right? Yeah, I like that. And I think
it actually shows an interesting point, which
is that the whole deal behind metaphor is...
is to convey something in a quicker period of
time, like Mr. Jason was saying. So you guys
have probably heard the expression that a picture
is worth a thousand words. And the idea behind
that is that you're trying to evoke different
ideas or pictures or characteristics that surround
something and put it together into a point that
the reader can understand more easily. So, for
example, taking it into the world of literature,
let's say you want to talk about a character
who's like... man, this character is cold. This
character is somebody who's mean. They're trying
to get out there and get people. You could describe
these things. You could say they're ruthless,
they're emotionless, or whatever. Or you could
just say, he was a shark among minnows. Boom.
Right there you have this picture that evokes
this image of what a shark is like amongst the
innocent or the naive. And that's kind of the
point of it. It's meant to create that picture,
be vivid, descriptive, rather than requiring
a whole paragraph like the one that I just gave
you. So this next question is for both of you.
Thinking about your classes, have you ever seen
a student having a light bulb moment because
of a specific metaphor? What was the concept
they were struggling with? Yeah, so I can't say
that I've had a moment where I saw a student
who was like, oh my goodness, that metaphor just
completely illuminated some kind of concept or
idea. I wish I want to see that. That sounds
amazing. So for me, it's more like I've seen
them start to recognize metaphors inside their
writing and their reading. And then point those
out to good effect. In fact, when I was reading
this question, I was like, oh, this whole, the
question itself is a metaphor moment. If you're
having like some sort of epiphany about an idea
or concept, it's a light bulb turning on. So
I think you start to recognize those more in
different places. And that's one of the cool
highlights of being in the classroom with metaphors.
I guess I can talk about one of my classes. I
teach a technology class where I teach general.
technology concepts. And one of those, I talk
a lot about hardware, computer hardware. In this
class, I have my students design a poster where
they're supposed to put all of the internal components
of a computer on the poster. And I tell the students
that this poster is intended for elementary age
kids. and that when they write the descriptions
on the poster of these different components,
they have to speak so an elementary child or
like an elementary age student can understand.
And some of these internal components of a computer
are very technical. For example, RAM, random
access memory, CPU, right? What does CPU mean?
Central processing unit, okay? See, these are
hard to remember, right? And so we can't expect
a third or second grader to be like, hey, that's
a central processing unit. So I tell them to
write things that are simple, connected to something
that we already know. So, for example, CPU, we
would say, is the brain of the computer. We all
know what the brain does, and so does a child,
right? It's the thinking part. And so explaining
this and then having students recreate or create
their own metaphors or connect that really helps
in the classroom. Earlier I shared a news story
about how calling an economic recovery a garden
makes people more supportive than calling it
a regulation process. Do you think that we can
trick our own brains into being more successful
by choosing better metaphors for our schoolwork?
I don't know if I would call it tricking our
brains necessarily. Maybe I would say that we
are providing our brains a shortcut around a
more complex thinking process that may not be
fun or or even might be difficult to understand.
So we all seek clarity, and if we are honest
with ourselves, we also seek the path of least
resistance, right? So if I connect schoolwork
to a path, and a path usually takes us somewhere,
metaphors can be our guide markers along the
way. So schoolwork is taking us to a destination,
which I hope is knowledge and ultimately wisdom
on how to use that knowledge. So hopefully that
kind of helps. What do you think, Mr. Ben? Yeah,
no, I think that's exactly it. I think the whole
point of, like, if you're going to use metaphors
to make something easier that's more complicated,
then do it in a way that makes it fun. So if
you want to use it for homework, call it like
a battle. Call it a, you know, a survival route.
You're climbing a mountain. You're finishing
a race. And the whole point behind that is to
make it something that's fun, right? So it's
also like... not just easier and understanding
like Mr. Jason was saying, but also like a way,
how can you sustain your interest in it? And
people tend to be a lot more drawn to stories
and like things or somebody is overcoming something
and there's some kind of a reward at the end
of it than it is to undergo a regulation process
or write a paper. That's not as exciting, right?
Even as an English teacher. But if you're turning
it into some kind of struggle with some kind
of reward, use a metaphor for that, right? Why
not, right? You're going to cross the ocean.
At the other end, you're going to find the buried
treasure of a successful paper. Wow. And make
the buried treasure. Like, I don't know. Go shopping.
Get something fun. Get a treat. So this next
question is for you, Mr. Ben, since you teach
L .A. language arts. So we read a lot of metaphors
in books. So can you explain to us why authors
use metaphor in storytellings? That is an awesome
question. And I could talk for a long time about
that, but I'll try not to. OK, so. So I appreciate
this from a dual lens. And actually, Mr. Jason,
I think, well, maybe has something to offer this
too. So on one hand, in reading literature, I
notice how so many authors use metaphors to make
points or ideas. But then also from a perspective
of writing, using those metaphors to like paint
a picture is also something powerful. So on either
side, whether you're reading or writing, it's
this idea of like, why do people get invested
in a story? Why do they get invested in a book
or a movie or a game? It's because they're entering
into another world. There's something in there
that's like pulling them in and having them be
invested in the outcome of it. And metaphors
are a huge part of that because for a book, you
don't have the advantage of audio and video.
You have words. When you're reading those words,
like for some of you that have really gotten
into a fiction book. you start to almost feel
like you're seeing a movie in your head. At least
that's how I am. If I get into a story, I'm just
like, oh my goodness, I'm sitting down for hours
and I'm going to watch this movie basically.
And a huge part of that is because the author
gives you the cues to like paint the picture
in your mind of what's happening. And metaphors
are a huge part of that. So if a lot of times
the author is trying to show a setting or an
event or a conflict, it's too big sometimes to
just put into a paragraph. You have to have like,
okay, I'm going to pack it into this metaphor.
to demonstrate something that's harder to explain,
like I talked about earlier. So I think it's
really this idea about conveying meaning in a
way that is inherently interesting. And man,
stories without that would basically be like
a news article. It's not the same thing. So yeah,
anything to add, Mr. Jason? As an author, like
describing something, you really have to put
that meaning into the language. The meaning's
already in the language. You just have to use
the language properly. So like Mr. Ben was saying,
we don't have the ability to film something.
And we don't have special effects in our writing,
right? So it's just words. So we have to be very
descriptive and very creative of how we use those
words. And yeah, if it's a good story, it'll
pull us in, right? And if it pulls you in, you
feel like you're part of it. And you want to
see what's next, what's going to happen next
to those heroes or villains, right? So, especially
if it's fiction. Even some non -fiction books
that I've read, they're very much focused on
telling the story of something or someone. And
even if it's a history book, which I actually
enjoy reading history books, but the history
books are describing stories and the people in
those stories. And that's what pulls us in and
the language becomes very descriptive. And they
can say less things using metaphors than if they
were to describe it through a big, long process.
So that's that's what I could add. All right.
Thank you. Before our break, we have one last
question. Is there ever a danger to metaphors?
Can a bad metaphor actually make it harder for
us to understand the truth? Yeah, I like this
question and I'll go first on this one. I do
believe there is a danger on how a metaphor can
can frame reality. For example, I'm going to
go back to a business example because I've actually
heard this a lot. So because I teach business
classes, sometimes I hear this this word war
or war is a metaphor when they talk about business.
And the idea of like crushing your competition
or capturing territory. Right. Even within the
like a sales department. I've even heard this
one used before. and pass jobs, I'm going to
kill the competition. What can we do to kill
the competition? Well, we stop looking for what
we call win -win situations when we start using
language like that over and over and over. And
within the context of working with other people
or within an organization, it actually builds
a culture of, in this type of example, could
be a negative culture of always looking to get
above or beyond someone else and putting them
down. OK, so win win situation teaches how to
develop partnerships and how to collaborate for
the benefit of many. Where that war metaphor
in business is like, no, I'm in it for myself
and I'm going to destroy anybody in my path.
And so metaphors can frame reality in a certain
way and potentially even become damaging to us
personally, our culture. If you're in an organization,
it could hurt your organizational culture and
it could actually put people within your organization
against each other as well. So we have to be
careful because metaphors are very powerful.
And if we continue to repeat them and use them
over and over, we start to believe them and we
start to act it out. So what do you think, Mr.
Venn? Yeah, no, I think that's real. And that's
something that carries the idea of like... theme
and vision and how you're using descriptive language
to carry that forward. And you can use it responsibly
or you can use it not so responsibly, like the
ways that you were saying. One other thing that
came to mind for me that's maybe a little bit
more granular is when you just think about how
you use metaphors in daily language. So let's
say, for example, I want to compliment someone.
Josiah, I'm going to use you as an example here.
Let's say I want to compliment Josiah, and I
want to talk about how strong Josiah is, durable.
He's able to survive in harsh environments, resilient,
adaptable. But all that I say to someone when
I'm talking to them about Josiah is, you know,
Josiah, that guy's a cactus. And that's all that
I say. Now, I had an idea in my head with that
metaphor, but what people think when they hear
that is usually... He's kind of a prickly, irritable,
frustrating sort of guy to be around. So the
point is with that, I don't think that's usually
that's not what happens. But if you are going
to use descriptive language, especially in your
relationships and with people, be careful about
context or maybe explain some of the metaphors,
because what's obvious to you is not always so
obvious to somebody else. And metaphors carry
power. That is a fascinating point to end on,
Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason. The idea that a metaphor
can be a double edged sword. Hopefully you caught
that metaphor. Double edged sword. Yeah. Anyway,
we're going to take a quick break. And when we
come back, we'll talk more about the power of
metaphors with Mr. Jason and Mr. Ben. Stick around,
guys. We've spent the first half of our show
talking about how metaphors can rewire our brains.
But as we think about reframing our lives, I
want to remind you to hold space for the power
of patience. You see, we live in a world of instant
results, but personal growth, it isn't a straight
line on a graph. It's a journey. It's a winding
mountain path where you might lose sight of the
peak for a while. Or if we use a different metaphor,
think of your growth as a massive construction
project. Some days are spent digging deep into
the dirt to lay a foundation. It might not look
like much is happening from the outside, but
that foundation is what allows the skyscraper
to eventually stand tall. Don't judge your process
by the speed of others. Their construction site
has a different blueprint than yours. Instead,
focus on the small, consistent steps you take
every day to build the life you imagine. Be kind
to yourself when the weather gets rough and celebrate
those tiny, quiet shifts in your perspective.
The metaphor for your growth is yours alone to
write. You are the architect. Welcome back. We've
spent the first half of the show looking at how
metaphors work in the classroom and in the news.
For this final segment, Josiah and Proud have
put together a metaphor speed round. They've
gathered some of the most famous metaphors we
use in daily life, and they want to get our guests,
Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason, to take on what they actually
reveal about our culture. Josiah, kick us off.
We use metaphors so often that we often forget
how weird they actually are. We'd love to hear
your thoughts about why humans rely so heavily
on metaphors rather than just saying what they
mean. I think really it boils down to this idea
that we've been sharing in our last segment that
metaphors convey meaning better than extended
explanations do. I don't think this means there's
no space for those extended explanations, but
you'll notice in like most academic or research
papers, for example, you don't see a whole lot
of metaphors because that's not what they're
there for. But often metaphors fill the gap and
they give you a beautiful, multifaceted, thought
-provoking way to share an idea. Yeah, let me
add that. whole to that concept of sharing an
idea so metaphors work because they connect new
information to old information okay so when we
learn something brand new that sound like mansplaining
sorry about that so yeah metaphors connect uh
new information back to old information when
we learn something brand new our brains don't
always know where to put it And I feel like this
all the time. By linking a new idea to something
we already understand, we make that learning
process much faster. So this makes information
easier to remember because the brain doesn't
have to work as hard to make sense of it. You
can call a metaphor a linker. Is that a real
word? I'm not sure, but it is now. Okay. So building
on that, metaphors often reflect what a society
values. Do you think our metaphors are changing
as we spend more time online and less time offline?
I would say yes, definitely. Being kind of on
the older area of this continuum of age in this
room, our language is always changing to match
the tools we use every day. In the past, people
used metaphors about farming or nature because
that's what they saw or that's what they did
on a daily basis. I feel like today we spend
so much time on devices that we naturally use
terms to describe our lives. We talk about rebooting
our energy or downloading information. This happens
because our brains look for the quickest way
to explain a feeling. And right now, the digital
world is our most common point of reference.
What do you think, Mr. Ben? Yeah, and I think
that the digital world is definitely impacting
how things are coming forth in metaphors. I mean,
you just look at Gen Z slang, and that's like
90 % metaphors. I'm locked in cooking. No cap.
Whatever you want to come up with. It's not 100
% there, but it is for sure. It's still a dominant
part of culture. In fact, I would argue that
a lot of slang tends towards these kinds of metaphors
because they're new, they're unexpected, and
they're something that everybody can pick up
really quickly. So, yeah, it's coming. It's happening.
And I do think that literature in social media
online space differs from that you find in literature.
It's usually a little less serious. But it does...
indicate the times and the cultures and the age
groups so all right next we're going to test
your metaphor interpretation skills we're going
to see if mr ben is a real la teacher so mr jason
we'll start with you and give him a little bit
of time what does the metaphor they're a walking
disaster actually imply about a person i hope
no one has said this about me but i think this
metaphor they're a walking disaster It gives
me a picture of a person who struggles with just
about everything and leaves a literal pile of
destruction everywhere they go. It's definitely
not a compliment. So unless you need that person
to do something that's destructive that you don't
want to do, then I don't feel like it's a great
compliment. This next one is for Mr. Ben. So
I've always been curious about this one because
we hear it sometimes in business type situations.
Time is money. What do you think about this?
What do I think? I think that it equates time
to a commodity. So if you think about money,
it's valuable, it's limited. Time is valuable
and limited. And so by comparing the two to each
other, you talk about how time is precious and
matters how you spend it. All right, one for
both of you. What do you guys think about Love
is a Battlefield? Basically, it means I think
that a relationship is defined by conflict. If
you think about a battlefield, there's usually
conflict that's happening somewhere on that battlefield.
And there's lots of stuff on that battlefield
that could be potentially harmful to either party,
like hidden mines, artillery pieces in different
areas. The infantry running. I mean, there's
lots of like word pictures you get. But I think
this metaphor suggests that the people in that
relationship are constantly struggling for control
or dealing with a lot of like drama, possibly.
Instead of the relationship being a safe place,
which it should be, the metaphor makes me think
that I need to avoid the landmines that are all
over the battlefield because I don't want to
get hurt. Right. So this is definitely not the
type of relationship I feel like we should be
in necessarily. But I don't want to mansplain
here as well. So I'll leave it at that. All right.
I like that. I came away with that conclusion
as well, but I actually saw something positive
to it. So I saw two sides. One side is kind of
what Mr. Jason was saying. It's scary. It's dangerous.
You can die in it. It's kind of the harrowing
side of love. But then I also think of a battlefield
as. places where bravery and courage and hope
can really come forward because they're dark,
scary places. So I see also it potentially being
used as like a resilient side of love. So for
me, it's maybe one of those that's double -sided.
It depends on the context that you're using it
in. So this next one is like some metaphors that
I've never heard before is life is a sitcom.
What does this metaphor mean? And you guys can
both answer this question. I can start with this
one. So when I heard this, this is not one that
I've used normally or run across that much. But
it brought to my mind the multiple meanings again.
One is that, oh, you can find the funny side
of life, the way things are random and kind of
sweet, and generally they end happily. But then
I was like, well, it also almost carries this
sort of cynical sense to it, which is like, well,
nothing has meaning. It's all a joke. There's
no purpose, really. It's all a cycle on repeat.
So, yeah, it's another one of those that's kind
of dual sided, which again shows context matters
with metaphors. I think this life is a sitcom.
I think it could define your life as a series
of short, entertaining episodes rather than kind
of a long, serious, connected story. If you watch
sitcoms or series, sometimes they don't connect
you from one episode to another. It's some it's
kind of like this 30 minute snapshot of these
people's lives. And usually at the end of the
30 minutes, there's a resolution or something
that positive happens, even if there's drama
inside. So, yeah, I think our lives could look
like that at some points. But we're kind of missing
out on that idea that our lives are connected
and they're not. It's not this short little episode
that everything is happy and ends in a happy
way necessarily. But on the other hand, there
are funny moments we need to laugh at and kind
of embrace those and also just be okay with things
not being resolved in a short amount of time.
So hopefully that kind of maybe answers that
metaphor. Here's one that students may feel during
finals week. My memory is Swiss cheese. What
does this mean? Because we know that people don't
actually have cheese heads. Swiss cheese, I don't
necessarily like Swiss cheese that much because
I don't mind the holes in Swiss cheese, but I
think it smells and it's pretty tangy in its
taste. But when you think about Swiss cheese
or you just look at Swiss cheese, it's got holes
in it, right? So there's gaps or spaces. And
I feel like this metaphor is just telling us
you could prepare and try to memorize things
as much as possible, but at some point it's full.
Your brain is full and you're just going to have...
holes. You're going to have places where you
forget. And for students in finals, this is a
long time ago for me, but I remember studying
for tests and I would study hours and hours,
but now I went to take a test or an exam and
I, and I would be sitting there. I'm like, I
know I studied this, but I cannot remember it.
And you guys have probably been to that point.
Right. And so, yeah, I feel like that metaphor
kind of connects that and symbolizes that. So
what do you think, Ben? Yeah, same. I didn't
have anything to add. Swiss cheese has holes.
Mind has holes. Memory has holes. End of story.
So this one more thing we'd like to ask you both.
We know that there's a difference between a metaphor
and a simile. Could you describe what the difference
is? And here's our example. My brother is a pig
at the dinner table versus my brother eats like
a pig at the dinner table. Do you actually think
there's the same meaning or there's a difference
between it? And what could the differences be?
Well, only one of those could be taken literally,
so that's one difference between the two of them.
But let's assume that we do want to say that
there's not an actual pig at the dinner table.
Then this turns into just a different approach
to comparison. I'll give a shout out to Miss
Jess here. because she left a little bit of feedback
on some of our content here. And she said that
simile versus a metaphor is the idea of equating
versus comparing. So a metaphor equates two things
together. They are the same or similar in some
way. And a simile is just saying, it's like that.
It's gentler. My brother's not an actual pig.
He's like a pig. It softens the blow. Josiah's
not a cactus. He's like a cactus. So it's that
sort of idea of like, they're still describing,
but it's just a slightly more roundabout way
of doing it. But ultimately it gets the same
meaning across. I guess it just kind of emphasizes
the point that a metaphor has more power in it.
And a simile is less powerful. So I don't necessarily,
want to call my brother a pig, but sometimes
he acts like a pig, right? And so there's a difference
between that saying you are a pig versus, hey,
stop acting like a pig at the dinner table. So
anyways, that's kind of some of my thoughts about
that. All right. Thank you for the clarification.
Since we are now getting into some of the technical
aspects of language and metaphors, would you
mind sharing about the different types of metaphors
and then giving an example for each type? Mr.
Ben, could you go first? Sure, buckle in, because
this is about to get exciting. The first type
of metaphor is called a standard metaphor, and
it makes a direct and bold comparison. For example,
my brother is a pig. It's also another example,
the classroom was a zoo. And these sorts of standard
metaphors are the most direct types. They use
a B is a structure, and it emphasizes that direct
equation or comparison, like Mr. Jason was just
saying. All right, another type of metaphor is
the... implied metaphor. The implied metaphor
implies something without saying it directly.
For example, the rumor slithered through the
hallways of the school. I like that one. Notice
that we never actually mentioned a snake. We
didn't say the rumors were like snakes. However,
by choosing the verb slithered, we are forcing
the listener's brain to associate the rumor with
something sneaky, cold, and potentially venomous.
The metaphor is hidden. in the action itself
rather than being a direct label. Yeah. And you'll
notice that when you read fiction, especially
that authors love to use implied metaphors because
it really like evokes that description that they're
going for. So if you start paying attention,
you'll see that all over the place in writing.
Another type of metaphor that's found in literature
as well as the extended metaphor. And it's often
in story form, poems, songs, speeches. And here's
just a brief example, a small paragraph. Education
isn't a destination. It's the fuel in your gas
tank. Some days you're cruising the highway.
Other days you might get stuck in the mud. But
as long as the engine is running, you'll keep
moving toward that goal. So instead of a quick
comparison, an extended metaphor stretches the
image. Taking a trip in a car across several
sentences to explain that learning can be a journey
with ups and downs along the way. Another type
is what is called a dead metaphor. These are
so common that we almost forget that it's figurative
speech. Here are some examples. Foot of the bed.
Flood of tears. Hands of a clock. So regarding
the last clock example, we don't think of a clock
as a person with literal hands, but the metaphor
has been used so many millions of times that
it has become the literal name for the objects
that move around the face of the clock. Notice
the other dead metaphor I just used, face of
the clock. That is super helpful and educational.
Thank you. I'll never look at a traditional clock
again the same way. So to end this final segment,
we've created a top 10 list of somewhat common
metaphors in the English language. We wanted
to mix it up a bit. Some are serious, some are
fun. So either way, do you mind reading off our
top 10 list of interesting and comedy used metaphors?
You can go first, Mr. Jason. First, we have you
are my sunshine. This is usually said when someone
brings you joy and warmth to your life. Next
up we have He Has a Heart of Stone. Sort of the
opposite of the first one. This one could mean
that someone is unemotional or doesn't care.
Next one is Cry Me a River of Tears. This simply
means someone is crying a lot. And moving on
from emotions, next we have something that is
related to business. It is They Climb the Ladder
of Success. And this simply means a person has
advanced in their career a step at a time and
is successful. And here's another one that is
related to business and school. It is, they are
the backbone of the team. Basically, this means
that this person helps hold the team together.
They stand out as being the leader or the glue
that keeps them together. The next one, also
related to school, knowledge is power. This simply
means that learning and gaining knowledge about
something provides you with strength. And next
we have... They dropped the ball. This one simply
means that a person made a mistake, failed, or
didn't do what they were supposed to do. Maybe
they were a walking disaster. Next up we have
we're drowning in information. This simply means
that we have way too much info, especially in
this digital age. And this next one is fun. It
is they are two peas in a pod. This means that
the two people who are being referred to are
very similar, maybe in their looks, actions,
and behaviors. And last but not least, books
are keys. Books and their stories can unlock
new knowledge and take you into new worlds, along
with unlocking your own powers of empathy and
understanding. Thank you for the powerful list
of metaphors. It's amazing how a few simple words
can rearrange the mind, just like our quote of
the day suggested. Mr. Ben and Mr. Jason, thank
you for joining and helping guide us through
this fun topic. What a powerful way to end books
are keys. It's a reminder that language doesn't
just describe our world it unlocks it Today,
we've learned that whether we are climbing a
ladder or feeling like sunshine, the metaphors
we choose dictate how we handle our challenges
and celebrate our wins. As Proud shared earlier,
these words truly do rearrange the way our minds
see the world. And we hope this episode helps
you find the right keys for your own journey
this week. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast,
leave us a review, and be sure to tune in next
time for more interesting topics and discussions.
And we are signing off until next time. We are
Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.