Lucas Salaberry, Grade 12
UWCRBC
The hot summer day in the middle of finals week motivated me to do the one thing I had been avoiding all term long: be alone and read a book and of all places outside. Thankfully the day was sunny with fresh breezes, so I decided to sit on a secluded bench right outside campus with enough shade for cover. The time flew by as a read the book: The Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff. It was recommended to me by my English A Extended Essay advisor to research my topic further which involved deeply engrained metaphors shaping the impact of the text.
Lakoff is a US American cognitive linguist and philosopher. In other words, he combines the study of language and how it connects to or is influenced by unconscious decisions made by the brain and psychology. These intersections changes how he approaches language which is on a more abstract basis. For example, while this book focuses specifically on how metaphors are developed and ingrained linguistically in society, he entends his research to the political implications within the US in later books such as Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate which I also later looked at.
Unlike all the rest of my academic books given to me to read this time was different because I chose the theme of the topic and I did not have to make any formal reports or take any quizzes after. Instead, it was simply a true recommendation in the sense it was up to me to decide if I could gain any useful knowledge from the given information that would contribute to my essay. To be honest, I only skim-read the book due to it being 242 pages and from the 1980s. And sure, I had some quotes that I could include to back up my EE thesis, but it truly made me more knowledgeable as a person than it did as a student.
One instance I felt surprised by, was the connection to how the phrase “tax relief” inherently implies that there is a burden present which is taxes. This was furthered in the second book to how political this metaphor is because it is no coincidence that it is not commonly sued in many other countries. The rhetoric used by parties has perpetuated these associations and recognizing this allows one to better combat them and develop more socially desirable connotations. It ironically, just like the title implies, reframed the way I now view language not as a means to an end, but as a tool in order to manipulate or change the narrative.
Just like with language, I also now view books as a whole with a different attitude. The best books in life for me are not the ones that tell the best story nor have the best stories to tell, I base it on the impact it has on my perspectives. So, although this was not the most fun nor the easiest, it was the most rewarding and one I genuinely love.
Lakoff is a US American cognitive linguist and philosopher. In other words, he combines the study of language and how it connects to or is influenced by unconscious decisions made by the brain and psychology. These intersections changes how he approaches language which is on a more abstract basis. For example, while this book focuses specifically on how metaphors are developed and ingrained linguistically in society, he entends his research to the political implications within the US in later books such as Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate which I also later looked at.
Unlike all the rest of my academic books given to me to read this time was different because I chose the theme of the topic and I did not have to make any formal reports or take any quizzes after. Instead, it was simply a true recommendation in the sense it was up to me to decide if I could gain any useful knowledge from the given information that would contribute to my essay. To be honest, I only skim-read the book due to it being 242 pages and from the 1980s. And sure, I had some quotes that I could include to back up my EE thesis, but it truly made me more knowledgeable as a person than it did as a student.
One instance I felt surprised by, was the connection to how the phrase “tax relief” inherently implies that there is a burden present which is taxes. This was furthered in the second book to how political this metaphor is because it is no coincidence that it is not commonly sued in many other countries. The rhetoric used by parties has perpetuated these associations and recognizing this allows one to better combat them and develop more socially desirable connotations. It ironically, just like the title implies, reframed the way I now view language not as a means to an end, but as a tool in order to manipulate or change the narrative.
Just like with language, I also now view books as a whole with a different attitude. The best books in life for me are not the ones that tell the best story nor have the best stories to tell, I base it on the impact it has on my perspectives. So, although this was not the most fun nor the easiest, it was the most rewarding and one I genuinely love.
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