...Uncovering The Truth: Wars, Media and Metaphors “If only you can get all the facts out there in the public eye, then every rational person will reach the right conclusion” (Lakoff, 138). In the world today there are many examples via news reports, newspaper articles, and documentaries etc. that support George Lakoff’s claim that “Metaphors Can Kill”. More specifically written works like War Media and Propaganda: A Global Perspective, “Metaphors That Kill”, and The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq, and Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and his article “What Is Terrorism?” provide perspectives on the impact of wars such as the ongoing American involvement in Iraq and the repercussions that ensue because of them. These exposés also vividly emphasize the important issue of media coverage furthering the interests of government. By using examples of war and tone, media and methods of development, and metaphors and lies, these articles vividly emphasize the importance of the issues involved with governments, as well as the media and clearly educate the audience towards a better understanding of the problems and lies surrounding them. ‘War’ can be defined as a state of open armed conflict between one or more nations over a disputed disagreement. Hidden within this word comes thousands upon thousands of deaths, excessive amounts of wasted money, and immeasurable quantities of losses. The average person would find it incomprehensible to imagine why all this destruction...
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...suffering that could be found World War I. It is easily understood since, World War I involved a tragic war situation and the poem also has a very exclusive sound to it. A lot of supreme use of imagery, metaphors, and diction, he clearly shows that war is terrible and horrific. The poem takes place on a cold day outside. The poem is telling you about the hard ships that the soldiers went through. The poet is displaying the pain into the readers face. The pain of this piece is the main ingredient. This is something that poet saw and experienced which created serious atmosphere for the poem. The truth involved in it is what makes the poem so powerful. It is written truthfully and from the heart using numerous metaphors and similes as well as other poetical delivery and methods. The tone of the poem seems to be very agile and harsh. A metaphor is the comparison of two unlike things (Oed). The first metaphor can be found in the first line, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks"(line 1). Beggars on the street that slouch under sacks are usually curled up and are bent or crooked. This metaphor is comparing the soldier to the beggars and reveals that the soldiers are two times as crooked and bent as the beggars because they are really tired. The next metaphor is "coughing like hags"(line 2). The soldiers are very tired and they sound as lousy as hags or witches. Another metaphor is "Drunk with fatigue"(line 7). This metaphor is saying that the soldiers are...
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...Purkiss English Comp II 6 March 2012 Dulce et Decorum Est is a war poem written by Wilfred Owen. Dulce et Decorum Est means it is sweet and right. Dulce et Decorum Est addressed the issue of how war really is. The poem is known for its horrifying imagery. The song that is similar to this poem is an anti-war song called “War” performed by Edwin Starr. In the 1980s this song explained how some people of the United States felt about the War in Vietnam. The song is now known for the movie Rush Hour. Both of the poem and song address an important issue that many people did not pay attention to. Dulce et Decorum est and the song “War” by Edwin Starr are similar by addressing the stress of the War. The similar elements that they share are the tone, situation and metaphors. Dulce et Decorum Est and the song “War” both have a horrific tone. The tone is used to express a lot of the horrifying situations. In dulce et decorum Est, the line “In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, and drowning” (p4 line2) is explaining what happened after the mustard gas was used in the combat zone. He explains how the person he witnesses is suffering from the gas attack. In the song “War” the tone is used to express his feelings on how the war has affected other people. In the line”War means tears to thousands of mother’s eyes when their sons go to fight and lose their lives” (p4 line1) The Vietnam war deployed many solders mostly in the age range from 18 to 24....
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...Journal of Philosophy, Inc. Conceptual Metaphor in Everyday Language Author(s): George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Source: The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 77, No. 8 (Aug., 1980), pp. 453-486 Published by: Journal of Philosophy, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2025464 Accessed: 23/01/2009 17:46 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=jphil. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Journal of Philosophy, Inc. is collaborating with JSTOR...
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...How we're herded by language Metaphors can persuade us to war or bring us back from the brink. We must try to be more aware of them ------------------------------------------------- Sarah Bakewell, The Guardian, Friday 6 September 2013 ‘The present meaning of the word poodle seems a world away from what the original breeders must have had in mind when they bred the Pudelhund to be a water retriever.' …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Here come the old metaphors again – and some new ones, too. In the last few days we have heard Barack Obama flooding the zone so as to urge strikes in Syria, within time windows, but without boots on the ground, because of the crossing of a red line which, back in May, threatened to box in the president, or even turn into a green light for Bashar al-Assad, who himself says that "the Middle East is a powder keg, and today the fuse is getting shorter". John Kerry calls people who hesitate "armchair isolationists," which suggests useless snoozers by the fireside rather than thoughtful opponents. Meanwhile, the media dubs France "America's poodle". So vivid are British memories of that taunt that the very thought of it may have accelerated the quick decision this time to reject military involvement. Metaphors are powerful. They can herd us to war or hold us back from the brink (these being metaphors too). Yet meanings shift. Whole theses could be written on the history of armchairs and poodles. Indeed, in a discussion of the...
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...In Flanders fields by John McCrae and The Soldiers War at Home by Anonymous explore war in two very different but similar ways. In Flanders fields the poem was written on the battlefield the John McCrae is talking as in he is one of the dead soldiers who died in Flanders field in France. The poem talks about passing on the duty to the new living soldiers and the dead wouldn’t be able to rest in peace unless the new soldiers do them proud. Underlying factors of this poem is explaining the nature continues no matter the situation with the birds continuing like normal and the sun setting ordinarily. An example of this is “The larks, still bravely singing , fly / Scarce heard amid the guns below.”. In The Soldiers War at Home it explores the...
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...An analysis of M.J. Hardman’s “Language and War” Cowboys killing Indians, G.I. Joes killing Nazis, bloods killing crips, generation after generation of Americans have grown up to see violent as a last resort to resolve ones problems. Unfortunately this widely dispersed ideal is not the reality. Being the top country in the possession and purchasing of fire arms gives one the feeling that the United States is not necessarily a pacifist country, but how many Americans ever take a moment to evaluate their society? In the article “Language and War” by professor at the university of Florida, and humanist M.J. Hardman, claims that the language used in everyday life glorifies war and violence, thus making both appear...
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...In Salmon Rusdhie’s 1990 allegorical novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, oppressed freedom and imagination of speech are shown in a symbolic way. The novel is about a young son that goes on a magical adventure to rescue his father’s ability to tell stories after the ocean has been poisoned by evil. Through the symbolic element of the plentimaw fish it conveys the idea of the brain and represents how life works. Metaphors are also used to symbolise the real meaning of war through the construction of Haroun’s father, Rashid. Finally, censorship is shown as detrimental to civilised society through the symbolic plot devices such as the poisoning of the sea of stories. Rushdie’s, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, uses symbolic plot devices to show...
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...When you send a lad away To a foreign hot land To fight in a war he doesn’t understand When he comes back He brings more than just a tan He’s probably not ok He’s probably not all right He’s probably in a dark place Whether it’s day or night Governments and Media With their pack of lies Will never tell the truth But try to convince you otherwise It feels like my eyes Have been stretched wide open Now and then I have trouble coping Images of memories Imprinted on my mind The boy they knew before Is what they’ll never find Alex Cockerill, 2010 The central meaning behind this poem is that a soldier is trying to describe that what he’s seen and experienced in war has changed him, battered him. It explains in the poem with the third and forth stanza; “Governments and Media, With their pack of lies. Will never tell the truth, But try to convince you otherwise. It feels like my eyes, Have been stretched wide open. Now and then, I have trouble coping.” about how he’s having trouble dealing with what he’s had to do. He feels that what his beliefs were when he first began, were misguided and not wholly truthful. Mr. Cockerill used forms of irony and metaphors to explain his thoughts. He described being in the dark, whether it was day or night, an ironic statement showing how alone he feels. He explains that he feels that his eyes have been stretched open wide open; an example of a metaphor, showing how much he’s had to take in. The most powerful line...
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...In his article, “The Importance of Athlete Activists,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar successfully argues how the days of silencing the opinions of professional athletes need to end. Abdul-Jabbar uses many strong metaphors as well as rhetorical devices such as logos and ethos to persuade his audience. His use of sports metaphors appeals to a majority of his audience while also incorporating some humor. Music metaphors also add a distinct twist to his rhetoric, and do a good job at comparing a choir to a democracy. He incorporates historical sports boycotts, making his knowledge on the subject known while appealing to a wide range of readers. Abdul-Jabbar has experienced many racial issues that athletes as well as lived through a boycott on the 1968...
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...Hand-in on Bush’s declaration of war. Sept. 20, 2001 - Bush Declares War on Terror Analytical Essay ”On September the eleventh, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country.” This is how former president George Walker Bush initiated his speech and declared war on terror. He identifies terrorists as enemies of freedom, but are they? Some people would characterize the word “terrorist” as an emotive. Some people would not know what the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is. That makes me petrified. In 1989, USA won the cold war. Many historians and sociologist expeditiously agreed that there now was brought an end to the century of extremes, and the new world order could begin. One of them was Eric Hobsbawn, who stated USA as the, now only, superpower in the world. From 1989-2001, USA transformed the western values such as market economy and democracy to the rest of the world. In this period, USA solved many international conflicts and orderly made the world a better place. I sat down and thought about, why anyone would start this war against terror, who started it, and who was to blame for it? In this analytical essay, I will go through the main points in Bush’s speech. For instance, what does he mean, when he says: “The terrorists are traitors to their own faith”? Furthermore, I will go deeply into the consequences of the war on terror. Can the war on terror have had an effect on the globalization? If so, how big an impact has it played...
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...Imagery, Metaphors, and Diction in Dulce et Decorum Est All exceptional poetry displays a good use of figurative language, imagery, and diction. Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" is a powerful antiwar poem which takes place on a battlefield during World War I. Through dramatic use of imagery, metaphors, and diction, he clearly states his theme that war is terrible and horrific. The use of compelling figurative language helps to reveal the reality of war. In the first line, "Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,"(1) shows us that the troops are so tired that they can be compared to old beggars. Another great use of simile, "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,"(20) suggests that his face is probably covered with blood which is the colour symbolizing the devil. A very powerful metaphor is the comparison of painful experiences of the troops to "[v]ile, incurable sores on innocent tongues."(24) This metaphor emphasizes that the troops will never forget these horrific experiences. As you can see, Owen has used figurative language so effectively that the reader gets drawn into the poem. The images drawn in this poem are so graphic that it could make readers feel sick. For example, in these lines: "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood/ Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs/ Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud,"(21-23) shows us that so many men were brutally killed during this war. Also, when the gas bomb was dropped, "[s]omeone still yelling...
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...Wilfred Owen Task 1: The Next War The author portrays Death as a personified character who does not cause the soldiers fear or grief. Although death has come in many forms the soldier has accepted that it is everywhere and has become unaffected by it. This is emphasised in the epigraph in the first stanza and further supported in the first line of the second stanza “we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death, sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland”. This highlights the soldier’s acceptance of death and war and how they relate. The soldier has ‘leagued with him’ and so the soldiers laugh as they have killed just like Death has. Anthem for Doomed Youth This poem draws an analogy between the death of the soldiers and a traditional funeral. It is ironically titled an ‘anthem’ which is usually praiseful or celebratory. The author makes a direct comparison between the ‘choirs’ and the wailing of Shells, and prayers to the rapid sounds of machine guns and rifles. The opening line the soldiers are referred to as cattle, which emphasize how insignificant each live is in the war scene. There are no prayers or choirs mourning for the soldiers who are slaughtered on the battlefield. It is only in the last few lines that the author portrays the silent grieving of the families and loved ones at home. The mood of the poem changes as the author then contrasts the emotion felt back home compared to the ‘cattle’ like death of the soldiers who are around other men whose death...
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...There are others types of wars than just purely physical. Not only is there war between people fighting with their bodies, there is also fighting through mental conflicts. The Civil War was a war between the North and the South over state’s rights, industry and farming, and slavery. In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner demonstrates the two sides of the Civil War through his use of extended metaphor. The two opposing sides of the Civil War, the North and South, are similar to the townspeople and Emily in many ways. In “A Rose for Emily,” the story takes place in the southern city of Jefferson, where Emily is isolated from the rest of the town. She is not only physically isolated, as her house is not like the rest and has not been updated,...
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...personal reflections regarding each event that transpired. The third and final section of the book though, is the most important component to the overall work; it details Trethewey’s connections to her memories of growing up in Mississippi. This section synthesizes each unique focus of Native Guard, and consequentially forms one united theme: the importance of remembering of the past—the recorded, the biased, and the erased—due to its impact on the future. The final poem, “South” of Natasha Trethewey’s Native Guard, specifically highlights this theme by utilizing extended metaphors, integrating of memories with historical details, and infusing irony to illustrate racial conflicts. Trethewey begins the poem “South” with an extended metaphor discussing present-day racism in Mississippi, despite the leaps and bounds towards racial equality made since the defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War. The metaphor focuses on the comparison between a Egstrand 2 phalanx of pine trees and the expansive growth of palmettos (1-15). The pine tree grove is utilized by Trethewey to disclose racial tensions that still linger in Mississippi towards...
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