I’m a big fan of metaphor. I’m going to be a big fan of metaphor right here in front of you, every time I post on this blog. This is a good thing. A brain without metaphors is only half dressed, and while this may be the internet, I’d like to keep my brain clothes on.
SOME THINGS ABOUT METAPHOR
Metaphor is an act of memory. It’s a tiny clue that one has lived with their senses active. Metaphor is the synapses made visible. The metaphor increases the depth of meaning in a way the dictionary never could.
In the next several days, I will post an essay on museums in which I attempt to understand their purpose through metaphor, rather than through fact. As I wrote these metaphors, I became aware that there are very few concrete statements that can be made about museums apart from the tabulation of their contents and base descriptions of their architecture. Individual museums have thesis statements just like well-constructed paragraphs, but these theses don’t help us understand anything. They are merely panoramic views of the land you are about to visit.
Metaphors are not just pretty words. They are complicators of meaning. They are a means to question what one knows. If “I only know that I know nothing” is to have any relevance whatsoever, we must find a way to lead us to that knowledge. Allowing for metaphor is one way to do this.
Accidental metaphors are the nicest. They surprise us, then ask us uncomfortable questions, then they quietly sneak away.
So I’m going to use metaphor a lot. I’m going to use metaphor so much its going to drop on its knees and beg me to stop. Apparently I’m also going to use the pathetic fallacy. Sorry. It's coming on a little strong now…
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