Blog 2:

This article provoked a lot of different thoughts while I was reading through it. Erard mentioned how it takes time to get used to metaphors, saying “English is like a bottleneck” versus “English is a bottleneck.” I can relate to this, and my struggles with metaphors back in 6^th grade. I originally thought it sounded weird to say her smile was the sun, rather than her smile was like the sun. I understood the correlation; however, I didn’t enjoy removing the word that made people know it was a comparison not a fact. With time, I slowly got used to this idea, just like the other people Erard discussed. Another standout part of the text was the comparison of kids to orchids and dandelions. I completely understood the unsettling feelings that followed stating kids were dandelions. These are weeds, and all my life I have been told how annoying they are, and to kill them you must take out the entire root. These are not the thoughts that should coincide with children and how they learn. I understand after the explanation what the metaphor was supposed to mean, however upon first hearing it, it doesn’t come across well. Instead of a weed they could have chosen a hardy, but beautiful flower such as marigolds or lilies, so that the emphasis could be on the environment they need, not what they look like. Metaphors are tricky, they are up to the interpretation of the reader. If not chosen carefully, they can offend many people who misunderstand them.