In medicine, it is seemingly very common for a physician to refer to disease with a war-related metaphor. This is often done using words such as battle, enemy, fight, fighter, weapons, etc. Studies have recently been done, as cited in “The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors” that show the effects of metaphor on people’s minds. This conflict is usually physical versus figurative. Some people believe that washing their hands may rid their conscience of immoral acts from the past. Things like this can translate over to the metaphors in medicine as well. Studies show that people who think of diseases such as cancer as a battle typically have a higher amount of anxiety and depression. This could be the effect of this war-related metaphor. Metaphor comes down to a person’s values, which may change how they feel about something put into a metaphor.
I believe that the use of metaphors is important for people to understand things, like the article states. In the medical field, it is very hard for patients to understand what is happening to their body due to illness. Metaphors can help the patient understand. Based on the way this person thinks, the metaphor can be processed differently. If the person has a certain perception of a metaphor, it can completely change the way they feel about the disease, such as a war-related metaphor. If cancer is seen as a battle, it implies that there is a victory or a defeat by the end of cancer. I believe that this can be harmful because the person may stifle their emotions when it is crucial to be able to express emotion in a desperate time such as this.
“Metaphor is not just the detection of patterns; it is the creation of patterns”- Metaphorically Speaking
- I chose this quote because it is an overlapping theme of metaphor, which is the patterns that help us understand connections between compared things.
“…it helps to have a metaphor for metaphor.”- See Through Words
- This is an exact representation of the influence that metaphor has on our understanding of things.
“Physicians who used more metaphors were seen as better communicators. Patients reported less trouble understanding them, and felt as though their doctor made sure they understood their conditions.”- The Trouble With Medicine’s Metaphors
- This shows the way that metaphor is used in communication and how beneficial it is.
Great! Small thing–you’ll want to include the author’s full name in a formal summary inside your actual paper.
I enjoyed reading your opinions on Khullar’s text.
Please remember to post the link to your finished page on the class site, even if it’s late. I want to make sure that you get credit for your hard work!