Making Metaphors 2010

Recipe for Growing Mixed Metaphors

Growing mixed metaphors can be a creative and satisfying undertaking but also frustrating and confusing. Each type of metaphor has different requirements, so it will be impossible to cover everything here, but the basics are the same.

Preparation

Start your metaphor-growing process by assembling all the materials you will need in your work area. You will require a good pair of gloves. And remember to make provisions for excess imagery. This may be an indoor or outdoor setting. For the planting medium, you can use literary or visual applications.

If you are growing metaphors that require different imagery for germination, you might consider using a variety of mediums from anatomical references and nature allusions to animal behavior and inanimate objects.

VERY IMPORTANT!!! As illustrated below, always work with mixed metaphors using appropriate tools and proper protection.

The final step is hardening off or acclimatizing the metaphors to the outdoor world. During this process make certain that the metaphors are kept indiscriminately watered and unevenly ventilated. Try out your mixed metaphors in a shaded, sheltered area. When the temperature drops at night, bring them back indoors. After doing this for 2–3 days, put them into an area where they will receive less than focused attention (bring them in at night if it is expected they will be scrutinized too closely), and 2–3 days later, let them have distracted attention. After this hardening period they are ready to use in casual communication, dinner party conversation, or even playful pillow talk.

If RHETORICIANS are a problem in your area, use caution because a rhetorician with an attitude can virtually eliminate all of your work in a matter of seconds.

Recipe for a Basic Metaphor

Metaphor, also known as a trope, is used in a variety of contexts and is often the base for other rhetorical devices. They can be linguistic figures of speech or visual in form. Here are the steps for making a basic metaphor; you may need to adjust for different thicknesses and applications.

• 1 ax

• 1 dozuki saw

• 1 gardening fork and spade

• 1 hammer

• 1 hand pruner

• 1 pickax

• 1 shovel

• sledgehammer

• 1 pair of work gloves

1. 1. Decide where you plan to put your metaphor. It should be at least 50 feet away from your home.

2. 2. Determine how many metaphors you are going to need. If there are children in your family, their metaphors should be at least one foot smaller than the adults’ metaphor. If there are only adults, you only have to worry about making one metaphor.

3. 3. Start digging. The metaphor should be a minimum of 3 feet deep. This will allow for other tropes to take hold and go deeper into the ground to become fully absorbed.

4. 4. Consider this metaphor as site specific. In this case the width should be between 2 to 3 feet at the top, and it should gradually decrease as the depth increases. You will need a variety of tools depending on whether you intend to work with a loose metaphor or a mixed metaphor, or if you will make an emergent one.