Before pinpointing what Postman means in his phrase, we can first clarify what he does not mean. Postman’s phrase, “the medium is the metaphor,” consists of a loaded word that, in the context of his book, necessitates clarification - metaphor. Postman uses the word ‘metaphor’ as opposed to ‘message’ because he believes that media does not truly communicate a message. “A message denotes a specific, concrete statement about the world. But the forms of our media. . . are rather like metaphors, working by unobtrusive but powerful implication to enforce their special definitions of reality” (Postman, 1985). Postman does not mean ‘the medium is the message.’ What Postman does mean in saying, “the medium is the metaphor,” is that the way information …show more content…
One word-to-screen translation that I found particularly frustrating was the Harry Potter series. I blew a gasket when the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton schools were simplified to purely male and purely female students, I had my head in my hands when the Weasley house caught on fire, and the forced chemistry between Harry and Hermione made me want to gag. These elements that are completely irrelevant to the content of the series were added simply for the fact that they are entertaining. Movie audiences love dramatic entrances, destruction scenes, and love triangles. Meanwhile, elements that added depth to the written series, such as Peeves the Poltergeist, Winky the house elf, and Hermione’s advocation of S.P.E.W, were all left out, for they were not deemed important, or entertaining, enough. The part of this that is the most frustrating is the way that the themes of the series are interpreted by movie fans. I cannot tell you how many times I have talked to people that believe Harry Potter is about whether Hermione ends up with Harry or Ron, or that it’s about ‘wands shooting cool colours.’ The metaphor by which the Harry Potter series and other information is identified is defined by the medium through which people view it. Furthermore, the mediums through which individuals view entertainment shape the way they view the
Even though Haas and Flower do not mention George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, or even metaphors, in their article, I will be using metaphors to get a better understanding of what these reading strategies are like. Lakoff and Johnson’s analytical tools and ideas about metaphors (, seen in Metaphors We Live By, help me, and others,
They help they author by portraying accurate images that they author could convey to readers. Doty used metaphor to find the central claim of the passage and poem, repetition to emphasize on the importance of certain ideas, personnification to light up the tone of the passage, and contrast to bring in attention and to guide the readers to think. Metaphor is commonly used as a hint to the readers, but to Doty, it served as a key to exploring one’s insight on certain pictures or experiences. He claim that it was “metaphor” that helped him find the purpose of the passage Soul On
Lakoff and Johnson state, “[w]e have found, on the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action” (3). They are saying that metaphors are used all the time and not just when people talk, but when they think and in what they do. This is exactly true because after learning about metaphors, and getting a better understanding of them, I have realized how much I, and others, apply them to everyday life without even realizing it, or trying to. Using a metaphor to describe Haas and Flower’s reading concepts will therefore make for a better grasp of what the concepts mean.
Budge Wilson’s, The Metaphor, is a bildungsroman that blueprints Charlotte’s transition from a young, moldable girl into an independent woman through juxtaposition, allegory, and symbolism. Charlotte is an awkward seventh grader, who transforms into a well-round tenth grader before the eyes of the reader due to the influence of her teacher, Miss. Hancock. Her mother, calculated and emotionless, is the foil to Miss. Hancock’s wild, unorganized spirit. Charlotte finds herself drawn to Miss. Hancock, who her mother despises, which causes Charlotte internal strife. She pushes down her feelings, but through a traumatic experience, she discovers Miss. Hancock’s lessons are the ones her heart wants to live by, not her mother’s. Miss. Hancock and
The PBS article, on film adaptation, discusses the difference between written text and film and the struggle of adapting a book into a movie. Statistically, 65 percent of all novels are adapted into a film. Stories and novels rely on the narrator to tell the story whereas, films don’t usually have a narrator. Films tend to be way shorter then a novel or story because one frame can be worth six pages of description. Films have a pro side and a con side, one con is that a film takes away your own personal perception while with any written literature, one has their own perception of a certain scenario, what a character looks like, etc. Unlike written literacy, a film has certain limits, for example, time, interaction, money, and
In our world of advanced technology, we love to watch movies more than we love to read. Sitting in front of a flat-screen TV while eating popcorn and drinking soda would sound much more appealing than reading a book by the fire at night while drinking a frappucino from Starbucks. Now, producers and directors would take successful and famous stories and adapt it into a movie. Sometimes, they would succeed, with examples being the Harry Potter series, which received mainly positive reviews from both critics and the audience. However, most of the time these people would unknowingly butcher the book based movie by taking out many important characters and events, with good examples being The Lightning Thief and Eragon. Then another example of a
Make sure that im not confusing metaphor with imagery; refrence draft corrections by professor. Also cite for paraphrases.
In chapter one Postman introduces the concept of the "media-metaphor." Simply put, he posits that every civilization 's discourse is limited by the biases of the media it employs. He suggests that an oral culture will speak of the world differently than one that has printed language. One of the prime examples he uses is the primitive technology of smoke signals and the safe assumption that these signals were not used to discuss philosophical arguments (Postman, 1985, 7). “A Cherokee philosopher would run short of either wood or blankets long before he
Wilbur makes frequent use of imagery in “The Writer.” He uses metaphors extensively – for instance, calling “the stuff / Of her life is … great cargo, … some of it heavy”.
A metaphor, used as a communication skill, is best described in a political way. Think of Reagan’s Voodoo economics, or Bill Clinton building a bridge to the 21st century. Politicians can easily scam an ignorant voter, should one not understand a metaphor. For example: Clinton refers to building a bridge, but does not tell us with which tools he
a. Secondly, the author, Alfred Noyes uses imagery to effectively to communicate his message to readers. His use of metaphor, simile and personification all help convey the message of forbidden love and tragedy.
Barthes proceeds to portray three kinds of messages images convey: Firstly, The Linguistic Message, which is the text that requires nothing but reading and comprehending. Secondly, the denoted image, which is the denoted literal message, what is right in front of us. And lastly, The Rhetoric of The image, which is the symbolic and connoted message that requires inference and reading between the
“The last thing you want is Hannibal Lecter inside your head.” It is a daunting task to effectively transfer textual tonality from page to screen. Balancing proper visual interpretations of the text with original insights is not an easy procedure, and not every filmmaker is equipped with the artistic skills necessary to complete such an undertaking. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s wildly unsuccessful attempt at adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune, for example, ended in bankruptcy for the studio and premature cancellation of the project due to the extensive runtime the film was to have in accordance with the length of the book. Many filmic adaptations fail in their inability to recapture and translate what originally gave a text literary merit. Jonathan Demme’s adaptation of the quintessential Thomas Harris novel Silence of the Lambs is so well
How does medium enhance message? Before you can answer that, you have to know what is medium? Medium is an agency or means of doing something. Now, that we know what medium is, we can answer that first question. Medium enhances message by doing exactly what it means. So, for example Dr.Martin Luther King, jr’s “ I have a dream speech.” in that, he states, “ I have a dream, that one day, little boys and girls, of our color will be able to go to school with the other little boys and girls…” He kept trying and fought against the government to make that happen. Now, every child can go to school, no matter the skin color nor their gender. next, question how does the author enhance his/her message to the reader? In the author’s message he has three
“The medium is the message,” uttered by the late media scholar and theorist Marshall McLuhan, and they have been revered and dissected ever since they were spoken. There has been several different interpretations on the premise of McLuhan’s words, and the meaning behind them. The best way to start unraveling his theory, is to get a general understanding of the terms used in his famous quote. In McLuhan’s own words, a medium is simply “an extension of ourselves.” Simply put the medium personifies or enhances what we as humans cannot do on our own. In a mass media perspective this means the use of technology including radio, television, and the Internet to project our thoughts, feelings, and senses (Frederman) . Finally, it is important to