Language is a multifaceted, complex tool that has been utilized for years, containing the key to effectively communicate to one another. Language is also culturally universal, meaning language is being used all around the world, and although there may be variants, its nonetheless a crucial part of daily living for all.  One aspect of language that is used a great deal is metaphors. Metaphors seem like it would be a small fraction of the human language but is indeed one of the most common methods used to communicate. As Erard stated, people will use around 6 metaphors a minute. They are used to aid commercials and advertisements, used as an efficient way to describe things to one another during conversations, they are used in great works of writing such as Shakespeare’s plays, and they are even seen throughout various subjects such as math and science. With metaphors, there are no limits, but rather an infinite amount of ways people use or see them. In James Geary’s TED talk, “Metaphorically Speaking”, he talks about the importance of metaphors and how people make of and understand them. In Micheal Erard’s “See Through Words”, he brings in his personal experience as a metaphor designer and describes the importance of making metaphors, wording them, making sure they are understood correctly by the audience, etc. Lastly in Dhruv Khullar’s “The Trouble with Metaphors”, he talks about how military metaphors are commonly used in medicine/healthcare, and how that may affect the patient. In all three texts, the authors bring relevant, important contributions to the table regarding metaphors and how they affect our interpretations and emotions.

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Language is a multifaceted, complex tool that has been utilized for years, containing the key to effectively communicate to one another. Language is also culturally universal, meaning language is being used all around the world, and although there may be variants, its nonetheless a crucial part of daily living for all.  One aspect of language that is used a great deal is metaphors. Metaphors seem like it would be a small fraction of the human language but is indeed one of the most common methods used to communicate. As Erard stated, people will use around 6 metaphors a minute. They are used to aid commercials and advertisements, used as an efficient way to describe things to one another during conversations, they are used in great works of writing such as Shakespeare’s plays, and they are even seen throughout various subjects such as math and science. With metaphors, there are no limits, but rather an infinite amount of ways people use or see them. One important way that metaphors are being used is in the healthcare setting. Although it may not seem like it, metaphors are a common way to communicate to one another whether it is to a colleague or to a patient. When it comes to illness and making sure the patient is being treated physically and emotionally, communication is necessary to make sure that they are feeling comfortable. Metaphors  in general are a great tool used to help display ones message across, so it is important to address the kinds of metaphors being used in the medical field, and help healthcare professionals understand the language  used to address  colleagues and patients.