Writing is an endless road trip. You start off with a destination in mind, but you can end up taking many different winding roads and you can sometimes get lost. Reading through the article about metaphors by Lakoff and Johnson, I was able to make connections to my own metaphor. I found it interesting how they mentioned how easy it is to get lost in the meaning of the metaphor. People interpret the meaning of sentences and words in their own way, and how the person interprets this context depends on their political and social attitudes. When another person reads my metaphor above, they will determine their own interpretation of the meaning. Perhaps they will connect the idea of a road trip to their own memories and experiences of what a road trip is. Maybe this person’s memories of a road trip are different from mine, and they will associate the metaphor with negative imagery instead of positive imagery. As a writer, I see this connection between metaphors and how they can help us gain a better understanding of context within our lives. Breaking apart my metaphor, I examined the word “endless” and how it describes my feelings on the writing process. Writing can seem endless to me, especially at the beginning of the journey. This is where the concept of “road trip” comes into play with my metaphor because while the journey can seem endless, you can be influenced positively along the way. Although there are many roads you can choose when writing, it is easy to come across a roadblock or need to stop at a rest area. This further connects the metaphorical concept of writing as an endless road trip.
After reading Lakoff and Johnson’s article, it became apparent to me how many metaphors surround us in our daily activities and thoughts. I agree that many people do not think about the metaphorical nature of their actions and thoughts because they are usually automatic and embedded in routine. I believe the metaphor of a road trip represents the process where we have time to think about metaphors and examine elements in our lives as we stare ahead at an open and endless road. My writing process is similar, where I am taking time to think about how I construct my sentences and my choice in words. I often ask myself “How will the reader receive what I write?” Even more interesting is how Lakoff and Johnson make the point that the metaphors we use are containers for meanings. These words and sentences have their own meanings and are independent of the metaphor, yet it is easier to use metaphors to create a better understanding of the context. At the same time, I agree that there are times where a metaphor does not fit in the context or give additional meaning to it. I believe this is why it is important to contemplate the metaphors we use in writing because it is easy for the reader to become confused with our attempt to provide meaning through our writing. Again, I can connect to my metaphor when I feel lost in the writing process and even if I am looking at a map (outline) to where I am going with my writing, I need to focus on the meaning behind the message I want to convey to the reader. This thought process helps me to continue in my writing and when I reach a road block, it provides a detour for my thoughts. While my journey with writing is endless, it is one where I have discovered new places and parts of myself along the various trips I have made throughout life. I think this represents how the journey to bettering ourselves is never over, and that there are always improvements we can make within our writing.
