We live by metaphors, use them constantly, sometimes deliberately, as when
writing a poem or trying to describe something for which you can't find
the words, and sometimes without noticing, as when talking about how someone
"pushes the envelope." Metaphors allow us to talk about one thing in terms
of another. They are a way of comparing qualities or attributes so that
what might be obvious or overlooked, appears suddenly in a new light.
To describe a paper in metaphoric terms, you can complete some of the following
sentences, or think of your own:
This paper is <name a sport, i.e. baseball, field hockey, curling, whatever
works>. It begins by <describe paper in terms associated with the sport
or an imagined game or competition in the sport>
This paper is <name an every day thing, a bicycle, lawn mower, subway
ride, grocery cart, trip to the mall>. It <describe the paper in the
terms or mechanics of the thing named>.
This writing reminds me of <name an animal>. Describe the writing in
terms of the animal's qualities.
How elaborate the metaphors become is up to you. Metaphors are also useful
when talking with a writer about a particular passage, when explaining
how a piece affects you, or when trying to explain or suggest a way to
make a change in the piece.
The Benefits
Simply think of how powerful a good metaphor is, about how often we argue
by analogy or use similes to explain how we think or feel about things.
"My love is like a red, red rose that's newly born in June;" or "Love is
a temporary insanity curable by marriage." both use metaphoric language
to say something unique and striking about love. What is being said is
being said powerfully, unmistakeably, and in ways that can't quite be said
through everyday language. Metaphoric feedback becomes a useful way to
describe writing to a writer; it's especially useful for those times when
you don't feel comfortable talking about paragraphing or punctuation and
so on directly.
Using this Activity to Revise
With metaphoric feedback you can see your writing in a new way and, if
the metaphor works for you, think about ways to revise so that those elements
of the metaphor you want to enhance (your prose's sinewy strength and grace,
if a portion of your writing has been described as "sure and graceful as
cat leaping from a window sill to chase a butterfly") or further use the
qualities that you like. A good metaphor can be inspiring. Because revision
means to "re-see," metaphoric feedback helps a great deal because it's
premised on seeing something differently. It requires a perspective shift
that can offer you good leads and ideas for revising or future writing.