The Tenor of a Metaphor, a Rhetorical Term

In a metaphor, the tenor is the principal subject illuminated by the vehicle (that is, the actual  figurative expression). The interaction of tenor and vehicle evokes the meaning of the metaphor. Another word for tenor is topic. For example, if you call a lively or outspoken person a firecracker (The guy was a real firecracker, determined to live life on his own terms), the aggressive person is the tenor and firecracker is the vehicle. The terms vehicle  and  tenor  were introduced by British  rhetorician  Ivor Armstrong Richards in  The Philosophy of Rhetoric  (1936). [V]ehicle and tenor in cooperation, said Richards, give a meaning of more varied powers than can be ascribed to either. Examples The main elements of metaphorical equations such as Life is a walking shadow are often referred to as tenor (thing we are talking about) and vehicle (that to which we are comparing it).   Ground . . . denotes the link between tenor and vehicle (i.e., common properties; Ullmann 1962: 213). Thus, in the metaphor  Ã‚  Life is a walking shadow, life represents the tenor, walking shadow the vehicle, and transience the ground.Alternative terminologies abound. Popular alternatives for tenor and vehicle are target domain and source domain, respectively.(Verena Haser,  Metaphor, Metonymy, and Experientialist Philosophy: Challenging Cognitive  Semantics. Walter de Gruyter, 2005)Tenor and Vehicle in William Staffords RecoilIn William Staffords poem Recoil, the first stanza is the vehicle and the second stanza is the tenor:The bow bent remembers home long,the years of its tree, the whineof wind all night conditioningit, and its answer-- Twang!To the people here who would fret me downthei r way and make me bend:By remembering hard I could startle for homeand be myself again.Tenor and Vehicle in Cowleys The WishIn the first stanza of Abraham Cowleys poem â€Å"The Wish,† the tenor is the city and the vehicle is a beehive:Well then! I now do plainly seeThis busy world and I shall neer agree.The very honey of all earthly joyDoes of all meats the soonest cloy;And they, methinks, deserve my pityWho for it can endure the stings,The crowd and buzz and murmurings,Of this great hive, the city. I.A. Richards on Tenor and Vehicle We need the word metaphor for the whole double unit, and to use it sometimes for one of the two components in separation from the other is as injudicious as that other trick by which we use the meaning here sometimes for the work that the whole double unit does and sometimes for the other component--the tenor, as I am calling it--the underlying idea or principal subject which the vehicle or figure means. It is not surprising that the detailed analysis of metaphors, if we attempt it with such slippery terms as these, sometimes feels like extracting cube-roots in the head.​(I.A. Richards, The Philosophy of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 1936)​[I.A. Richards] understood metaphor as a series of shifts, as borrowings back and forth, between tenor and vehicle. Hence, in 1936, his famous definition of metaphor as a transaction between contexts.Richards justified coining tenor, vehicle, and ground to clarify the terms of that transaction. . . . The two parts had been called by such loaded locutions as the original idea and the borrowed one; what is really being said or thought of and what it is compared to; the idea and the image; and the meaning and the metaphor. Some theorists refused to concede how much idea was imbedded in, drawn from the image. . . . With neutral terms a critic can proceed to study the relations between tenor and vehicle more objectively.(J. P. Russo, I.A. Richards: His Life and Work. Taylor, 1989) Pronunciation: TEN-er

Symbolism in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce Book Report/Review

Essays on Symbolism in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce Book Report/Review The paper "Symbolism in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce" is a wonderful example of a book review on literature. In Ambrose Bierce’s â€Å"An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge†, symbolism has been used to bring out the author's intent. This analysis seeks to explore the use and application of symbolism in the short story. First, the driftwood has been used to symbolize Peyton Farquhar’s unattainable freedom. As it floats over the water, so do his thoughts and fantasies. He visualizes himself executing a very brave escape through the water (Sergel 7). However, this does not materialize as he is already hanged and it is his imaginations, which flow into a fantasy world. He reasons that if he could free his hands, he would escape through the water to his family. â€Å"If I could let go of my hands, I would throw off the noose†¦and getaway home† (Bierce 35). In addition, the owl creek bridge has also been used to build on symbolism. It suggests connection and transition evident in the story. The bridge was used to allow the enemy forces to further advance into Alabama, bringing the civil war into culmination (Clinton 78). It also symbolizes Farquhar’s attempt to disconnect himself from his body by allowing his thoughts to plunge into the fantasy world. â€Å"†¦the light about him shot growingly with the noise of a loud splash, and the frightful roar was in his ears, and all seemed cold and dark† (Bierce 39). Similarly, the bridge joins his life and death, which occurs after his hanging, just as it connects the two banks of the river. The bridge as well suggests a transition between fantasy and reality as he escapes to the water. Ambrose Bierce has also employed the use of realism in his short story. The setting of the story is in North Alabama at the time of the civil war. The set-up of the execution team is close to w hat happens in reality. The positioning of the soldiers and their superiors and the way in which power and authority are displayed is evident in a military setting (Essential short stories 29). As Farquhar drifts in the fantasy world, the reader cannot tell any difference from the real world. It appears to be too real for one to question it. Lastly, it is clear that symbolism has helped Ambrose Bierce make the story â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† a classic work.

A Christmas Carol Essay Scrooge Change Example For Students

A Christmas Carol Essay Scrooge Change Charles Dickens describes A Christmas carol as a ghost story for Christmas. In what ways can the novel be considered a ghost story? And why is it an appropriate tale for Christmas? Nearly all conventions of the ghost story genre are the same. The typical opening for a ghost story would be for there to be either a dramatic beginning in which somebody dies and then later on in the story comes back as a ghost to haunt a victim. Another possible beginning would be that we are introduced to the main character/ghost and the ghost has come back maybe to finish some un-finished business. The author may also open the story wish a legend to do with ghostly sightings or mysterious goings on. It may also be based upon a description of the main character/victim that is to be haunted or the place in which the ghost will appear first. In a typical ghost story the setting would be, in an old mansion, graveyard, church, deserted town/village or house. The atmosphere would usually include things such as eeriness, suspense, cold, dark, damp nights, maybe a full moon, and silence wit creepy noises in the background area. Maybe trees swaying and doors banging, stairs creaking and wind chimes in the background. This is to create a feeling of suspense and make you want to know what happens next. The weather would normally be very stormy with thunder and lightening with rain or fog. These elements make it creepy and the thunder and lightening is dramatic so it could be a sing of what is to come. The dark is linked in with night time, which brings up the ideas of the fear of things that can not be seen which makes normal things such as a tree seem frightening as they are shadowed and may only be seen faintly through fog or mist. Also if a fog is around then you would mainly see silhouettes/outlines of things such as people and trees in the distant this could also seem worrying. The characters would normal consist of a ghost/ghoul, a sceptic and a believer a main victim and maybe their friends/family. When a lot of people think of ghost stories they think of things that scare them. A lot of people would associate characters such as strangers, mad scientists, somebody who would with hold information, and a hero. These typess of characters bring questions to our minds and would worry us as why would somebody with important information not want to say anything? Or a mad scientist chasing you around at night would surely scare you. In a typical plot line for a ghost story you would expect to have events that happen to create a sense or fear and suspense to make you wonder what is going to happen next and make you read on. It would also normally include foreshadowing maybe a death before hand and as a result somebody being haunted. It could include a series of hauntings and deaths and could be based upon a legend of years before hand. The ending of a ghost story is normally one of two options; a closed ending in which the ghost is found/or has fulfilled its duty on earth and can leave, or an open ending in which the ghost is not found and the haunting will carry on. In a lot of endings the ghost is revealed to the victim/believer to be somebody they know and then all becomes clear about the ghosts purpose of being there. Older ghost stories concentrated more on being plain ghost stories frightening people rather than the modern ones with more guts and blood in. .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .postImageUrl , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:hover , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:visited , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:active { border:0!important; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:active , .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4 .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua93fbdba05244def14a68f0a60a1e2b4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Realities Of Homelessness EssayThe older stories were just tales in which a ghost haunted people by maybe making strange things happen, they did not go into the depth of the ghosts having a purpose to be there which the modern day stories do. The older stories were mainly from books and spoken. The horror element was a greater fact and things that today we would have laughed at would have been seen as true horror. They were a lot more superstitious then to. The hero would always win in the end and it would be a totally closed ending. Whereas modern day ghost stories can be viewed on television, at cinemas can be listened to on the radio but still also read from books. They have less impact in todays society and a lot do not fit in with the typical conventions of a ghost story as they have been mixed in with other genres like comedy and science fiction. A lot are also made into a series not just one story. The Sixth Sense is a modern day ghost film with a lot of the typical features of a ghost story. The basic plot outline is that there is a psychiatric doctor who has had many cases but on one he has failed. One night one of his patients he treated once returns to his house and shoots him down. After this the story line becomes confusing as it suddenly crosss over to the life of a young boy and his mother. The young boy claims to see dead people, this leads us to wonder is it just a desperate cry for attention or is there really such thing as another life? One day whilst the young child is at a friends party bullies lock him in a cupboard. Whilst in the cupboard the children outside hear noises and begin to freak out and the childs mother is alerted. The door is jammed shut but from the inside noises are heard to make us believe the child is being attacked. When the child is finally let out he is covered in scratches and bruisers but no body can explain them as nobody else was in the cupboard, he was alone. It is at this point we are lead to believe the words he speaks are true and that he really does see dead people. Malcolm the doctor is called and he tries to help Cole confront his fears. Cole is attacked at many periods during the film and has various scars mentally and physically. In one scene we are shown his school as an old town building where criminals were tried and hung. It is as if we are in Coles memory because as he walks along the corridor we see ghosts with various cuts and slashes in them with lots of blood. It is quite a violent scene. As a helpless messenger Cole is terrified by threatening visits from those with unresolved problems (ghosts) who appear from the shadows, Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to Understand his purpose and too terrified to tell anyone of his