According to the reading, “Metaphors We Live By” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, our conceptual system is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. We may think metaphors are just elements within a poetic literature, but we also use it in our every day lives. In simple terms, metaphors are found in our way of thinking and acting which help us connect concepts to conceptual metaphors. The reading gives an example of concepts connecting to a conceptual metaphor, “Argument is War.” We do not physically go to war when we make arguments, but we can use our knowledge of war and relate it to arguments. This allows us to describe an argument in terms of war. However, when we describe concepts with expressions from our conceptual metaphors, it can keep us from focusing on other aspects of the concept that can be inconsistent with that metaphor. On the other hand, conduit metaphors are more precise metaphorical concepts that can hide an aspect of our experience. Instead of losing cooperative aspects of the concept, it is more difficult to even notice there is a metaphor there. Even though we can tie a metaphorical expression to a concept, it would not make any sense if there isn’t any context given. Like the example given, “Please sit in the apple-juice seat”, and we do not know what the apple-juice seat is until it is defined somewhere in the text. The reading concludes metaphorical concepts can be extended beyond the range of literal ways of thinking and talking.
The reading, “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles” by Emily Martin, begins with a familiar fact that the male or female reproductive organs produce eggs and sperm which is then prepared in a suitable environment for it to be fertilized, resulting in a baby. The author complains there is no enthusiasm for such a story. The author also calls the female cycle a productive enterprise and menstruation is seen as a failure. One of the texts sees menstruation as a failure, but when male physiology is evaluated, it is considered remarkable because of its ability to produce several hundred million sperms per day, whereas a female only produces one gamete each month. Martin expresses irony when she explains the mass production of sperm is not seen as wasteful, but when a woman “ripens” one of her eggs and it is not fertilized, it is a waste. Throughout the reading, Martin brings forth more microscopic activities these cells have and focuses majorly on the process when a sperm cell interacts with an egg.
From what I read from both of these readings, I noticed that in the “The Egg and the Sperm” reading, the author uses metaphors throughout the entire text. The metaphor that stood up the most to me was the linkage of an egg to a woman. According to the research conducted in the text, the egg is brought up as a cultural stereotypical: a woman as a dangerous and aggressive threat. Who would’ve thought that an egg is an aggressive sperm-catcher and is likened to a femme fatale? If an egg can be connected to a conceptual metaphor, I can be confident that many other concepts that can be linked to conceptual metaphors.