Summary of both passages:
Metaphors are seen to be difficult and for those who focus on poetic and rhetorical language. However, the way people conceptualize uses metaphors by relating unknown ideas to known ideas in order to get an understanding. The conceptual system allows us to perform every day tasks and live our lives. People are unaware of this system because it takes no though but, it is this system that is used to communicate with others which is a necessary action. Concept metaphors are reflected in society because they are paired with/followed by reactions or expressions that describe such metaphors and give it meaning. The conduit metaphor consists of ideas/objects being put into words/containers and sent to others to reveal. Concept metaphors are presented in The Egg and The Sperm when talking about menstruation, ovulation and, spermatogenesis. The passage tells of the textbooks and written works that highlight the fact that sperm is produced by the millions however, the female system is not as exciting and does not produce. The passage explains that because of these descriptions, people have predetermined notions of the two reproductive systems. Society portrays the female system as inferior to the male system because it is finished at birth. The passage also raises the question of why the eggs are wasteful but the vast array of sperm does not hold that label. All in all, it is the language that textbook authors and others use to describe the processes that put forth the reaction to the concept metaphors.
Response to Metaphors We Live By:
The conceptual system can be thought of as instinct and/or common sense. I see it this way because we use the conceptual system to perform everyday tasks and go about our lives. This system is also used to determine what we say and how we react to certain things based on their concept metaphors which have already been placed in society. The example used about Argument is war was very interesting to me because I never actually realized that the term argument was won or lost just as a war however, the concept argument can be both negative and positive. The concept metaphor, in this case, can be the colloquial meaning of the concept. The use of the example Time is Money is an eyeopener because the world that New Yorkers live in is built on time. There is never enough time in the day to get everything we need to get done. This is an eye opener because the metaphorical concept has been too far imbedded into the society that no one can stop and smell the roses. The conduit metaphor, I find very analytical because it is such a simple process that happens in seconds however, when analyzed in this way it can be easily controlled and the way people speak can be understood.
Response to The Egg and the Sperm:
The passage is about the enthusiasm of sperm and its production compared to that of menstruation and ovulation. When reading this I was actually surprised because I thought ovulation and the female reproduction system itself was astounding. To read that the male reproductive system was more exciting in textbooks and other written works made me have a different opinion on what is being taught in biology classes. I think the term ‘menstruation’ is a concept metaphor because it is known as being invaluable and as waste. Society gives this concept metaphor a negative reaction and repels the idea of it. However, ovulation is not the same as menstruation and should be as interesting as spermatogenesis. I agree it is fascinating that a males tubules can produce millions of sperm but from my perspective, the ovary is much more valuable because it is much more rare/scarce.