Gaining Insight Through Metaphor
How figurative language can change your perspective
“Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.” — Richard Kadrey
This Richard Kadrey quote is from his book Kill the Dead. It is a metaphor — a metaphor that moved me emotionally when I first read it. His words made me think of a painful, personal memory. That is what good metaphors can do. They touch you both intellectually and physically.
Metaphors can be deep. Most people understand the power of metaphor in poetry. William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou: these are among the masters of poetry. These poets use innovative, creative metaphors to capture a truth in their poems — a truth that prose cannot capture. However, metaphors are not just in poetry. They are everywhere in language — the tide has turned; she is a fish out of water; he is the black sheep of the family; the sun stroked her skin; the salty old man; the cold, hard truth. These are metaphors, one and all.
What Is a Metaphor?
A metaphor is simply the nonliteral comparison of two seemingly unrelated things. Most people believe that memories and bullets have very little in common. They are quite dissimilar. In the Kadrey quote, however, we see what they do have in common. And Kadrey’s words are a metaphor because the memories are not literally bullets; the memories are figuratively bullets instead. From this insightful, metaphorical comparison, the reader gains a lucid insight about the nature of memories: some do not affect you deeply, but some rattle you to your core. It is a truth that touches the reader. This truth can be a quick insight, an “aha” moment, or it can take some thinking, some analysis. Kadrey’s metaphor is brilliant because it captures a truth about memories in a vivid, visceral way. And that is the power of metaphor. Metaphor is truth without the extraneous stuff. People like instant insight. The right metaphor makes the idea crystal clear.
And that is why metaphors, good metaphors, are desired not just by poets, but by writers and experts of all stripes. Writers in law, medicine, and science know that an apt metaphor charges the reader’s imagination. By creating a vivid picture, a writer infuses a boring and factual statement with color and life; the abstract becomes concrete. A flat statement becomes three-dimensional. The right metaphor turns nebulous comprehension into clear understanding. The truth is conveyed in a precise, colorful, and powerful way.
The Subtle Power of Metaphor
Metaphors exhibit a nuanced power too. The understanding of a metaphor requires a different perspective. Looking at something figuratively instead of literally requires a different type of thinking. The authors P. J. Silvia and R. E. Beaty, in their article “Verbal fluency and creativity: Higher-order and lower-order contributions of broad retrieval ability to divergent thinking,” call this type of thinking a “fluid intelligence” (2012). One comes at the issue from a different angle. Thinking is more sophisticated. It is more advanced, more subtle. Thinking is more “fluid” and less static. This type of cerebral activity is clearly a good thing. Both reasoning and analysis occur, often in spades, when deciphering a metaphor. This can be quick or it can require time and thought. But thinking in a different way, from a different viewpoint, is beneficial.
Speaking of cerebral activity, much of it is needed to create a good metaphor. Coming up with meaningful metaphors is an ability that most do not have. And that is one reason brilliant poets such as John Keats are cherished. Myself, I am no poet. I am not skilled at coming up with good metaphors. William Butler Yeats, I am not. It is a cognitive talent that I do not have. However, I can appreciate a good metaphor. I believe metaphors are underseen and underappreciated. People should look for metaphorical language in everyday use because the figurative language inherent in metaphor is everywhere. Seeing this figurative nature simply requires a subtle change in perspective. We use words all the time and do not realize their figurative roots.
The Futility of Avoiding Metaphor
Look at the word futile, for example. Merriam-Webster defines futile as “serving no useful purpose; completely ineffective.” The word, etymologically, comes from the Latin derivative futilis, which means “things that are brittle or fragile” (according to Merriam-Webster). So, for example, in the past, a crude tool such as an ax may have become old and brittle over time. The ax was not effective anymore; it did not work. At that time, it would have been futilis. It literally would have been futilis. Eventually, however, the word gained a figurative use. Things that were not literally brittle or fragile, such as actions or words (instead of axes), became to be called futile. The word was being used in a figurative, metaphorical sense. This is a common destination for words. Many of our everyday words were first used literally but then gradually evolved to a figurative use. Today, many words still are used in a figurative sense.
You are an author and your life is a novel. The previous sentence is a metaphor, and it is a metaphor I like. This metaphor suits my fancy because it changes the perspective of one’s life. You are writing the book that is your life and making yourself the main character of the novel. An author has so much power. Authors control everything in their novels — the characters, the actions, the dialogue, the meaning, the symbolism. People in their everyday lives often subtly internalize the idea that forces and factors are in control: many have an insidious belief that fate predominates over free will. They are just going along for the ride. But fate does not rule-free will. And that is why to think of yourself as an author writing the novel that is your life. By using this metaphor, you are choosing free will. So choose your character. Choose your character for more decisiveness and more control. Because you are the author.
Metaphors can be empowering. Look for them. Whether in verse or prose, they are everywhere. Find the ones that resonate with you. Find the ones that make you think fluidly. Find the ones that charge your imagination. Metaphors, like memories, are “whizzing” by you all the time. Let metaphors alter your worldview. Let them touch you.