Never realizing that my life was nothing but a metaphor until now this paper will attempt to communicate some of my experiences in those terms. While this is a new concept for me and I find it difficult to find the words and metaphoric examples which will describe parts of my life and experience I will make the attempt and hope you enjoy them.
Traveling to Egypt in 1994 was a great experience for me and I took in all of the wonders that country could offer. The pyramids were mountains that one could stand next to. They stood higher then anyone would image and I was completely surprised by their size and workmanship.
The pyramids sit just outside of Cairo watching the city through a layer of smog that rises daily from the cars and trains that traverse the city carrying the Egyptian people to their appointments and jobs. Some would feel that this was not a healthy place to be and they may be right but it is what it is, a city where the rich and poor live their lives side by side trying to survive and make a better life for themselves and their families.
The Egyptian capitol is home to many cultural showcases where anyone can see how the Egyptians won the 7 day war with Israel in a 360 degree diorama sponsored by the Egyptian government. Another place that will catch someone eye is the pharonic Village. This is a living example of how the Egyptian people lives and worked for thousand of years. Even today the women can still be seen washing their families clothes in the Nile while other richer families will have a washing machine.
While visiting the city of Luxor which is a ten hour train trip from Cairo I was lucky to have use of a small pool located on the roof of our hotel. From that vantage point I was able to see how the city lived. An old woman was tending to her chickens which were all sharing a room with no roof on the top floor of a building that would be condemned here the United States. She was happy and enjoying the eggs her chickens gave her which she sold to others to bring in a small paycheck. Since I was high up on top of the hotel se was unaware of my presence. I watched her for a while just to be sure she was fine.
In the short story “The Metaphor”, author Budge Wilson depicted a story about a girl named Charlotte discovering her own life through her teenage years. Throughout the duration of the story, Charlotte had moved from a shadow of her mother to becoming the unique and distinct herself today. It was evident that Charlotte was aware of her own thoughts and values for the first time when she wrote a metaphor describing Miss Hancock; an individual which no one around her loved.
As history has it, Egypt was the land of lands and great art with their high pyramids. During the year 3000 BC when two nations decides to come in one nation so that the nation of Egypt can be under one king. Since Egypt has become under one nation; the land and it’s’ people grew and develop their work of arts and crafts. Researchers O΄Connor and Robertson (2000) wrote “Egypt enjoyed long periods of peace when society advanced rapidly. From the article “The Story of the Nile” by John Baines (2011) said:
As you read the text, you come up with hundreds of metaphors. Found almost in every line, they adorn the speech and make it more effective. Most of those metaphors are used to highlight the contrast between t...
Metaphors, according to Professor George Lakoff, are a way to think and reason about life. They are not a unique way to speak about it, but a common way to talk about life experiences since they are a reflection of our thought processes (1986). This became immediately apparent to me when I began looking for metaphors commonly used. It took some time to find any because they were pervasive of my thought system that I did not even notice many phrases around me were metaphors. Those phrases were not “poetic or rhetorical” way of talking, but a normal usage for those around me to express their thoughts (Lakeoff, 1986, p.216). The metaphor that came up several times on my search was history as roots. This metaphor allows us to think about life in a certain way and it holds particular implications for our interpersonal communication.
In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, cliché, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system.
While thinking about metaphors, a poem came to mind. It's the one at the beginning of this paper. The poem portrays life as a journey. The road we tread stretches out before us. Around every bend lies a new experience. The adventure is overcoming any obstacles we encounter. Ah, but that is when the fun begins.
“Language is understood to be a distinguishing feature of human beings, and many believe that it is through language that we express our humanity, shape reality, and bring knowledge into being and to others.” (Phillips) As a trainer, I teach people the importance of what we say and how we say it. Language diversity goes beyond knowing a variety of languages, such as Spanish, French and German. It is about using a variety of words and phrases that will suite a particular situation. Language plays a significant role in the critical thinking process because it not only portrays the thoughts of the speaker or writer, but it also tells the receiver of the message how to feel. Language and critical thinking marry especially when one is tackling the art of persuasion. As this paper continues, one will be able to determine the relationship between language and critical thinking.
Ancient Egypt is considered to be one of the most significant eras in history, due to its lengthy existence and its overwhelming contributions to the development of western civilization. You could say that Egypt provided the building blocks for Greek and Roman culture, and through them, influenced all of Western tradition. Today Egyptian imagery, concepts, and perspectives are found everywhere; you will find them in architectural forms, on money, and in our day to day lives. We are able to distinguish various elements of its culture that played a key role in its development, such as agriculture, architecture, religion, and government to name a few. Egypt 's impact on later cultures was and still is immense.
Few bygone civilizations fascinate us as much as that of the ancient Egyptians. The kingdom along the Nile River has been the subject of countless books, magazine articles, movies, and television shows and documentaries. There is even a hotel in Las Vegas with an ancient Egyptian theme! Museums all over the world dedicate entire galleries to excavated Egyptian artifacts, and Egypt itself receives millions of tourists flocking to photograph its ruins each year.
Rationality and good judgement are typically affected by certain ways of thinking which are often studied within the psychological community. Within the community, these different ways of effected thinking are called cognitive biases. Breaking down the overall umbrella of the term cognitive bias yields subcategories of decision-making, social and memory biases, among others. Biases such as these affect all humans in one way or another. My personal experience with cognitive biases include confirmation bias, authority bias and egocentric bias. This list is definitely not complete, as I am sure there are many more biases I experience without even realizing what is happening. That being said, the first experience I would like to present is
"Temples, tombs and pyramids - all have witnessed this earth for thousands of years. What better than to say that these architectural achievements show us that Egypt's greatest virtue lay in its architecture" (Fumeaux:11, 1964)
Cairo and is the biggest pyramid in the world. It measures 230 m (756 ft)
The architecture of ancient Egypt is one of the most important civilizations in history, which developed of different structures and great architectural monuments along the River Nile.
The pyramids of Egypt are fascinating, however, they remain to be a mystery. The well-built architecture is located in Giza, Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile River. The pyramids of Egypt are the oldest and only surviving member of ancient wonders. It is also the pride and one of the most important factors in Egyptian culture.
When any tourist goes to Egypt today they are overwhelmed and in awe of such a civilisation and in awe of the fact that the