Short Paper #1: Writing for the Blind

INTRO: For this short assignment, I want you to get practice thinking of the ‘real world’ in metaphorical terms. Since the goal of writing is to communicate ideas and experiences, metaphors help your readers see and feel what you do. If you want to help readers see why a conversation matters, a metaphor can make it both personal and tangible, especially if they have no experience with the idea or topic. For example, when Schulz writes, “Refrigerators will walk out of kitchens, unplugging themselves and toppling over,” she want you to see how supernatural an earthquake feels; appliances will literally walk out of a room, as if possessed by demonic spirits. She could have said “everything got tossed around,” but that isn’t as visceral as saying that they “walked out of kitchens” and “unplugged themselves.” Here, they come alive.

THE PROMPT: I want you to describe some activity, event, or experience in your life in terms of a controlling metaphor. The title of your paper should spell this out for us. Then, every sentence in your paper should help us see and feel this experience by developing the basic metaphor. As you write, ask yourself: how can I describe one experience in terms of another? Try to use your metaphor to ‘translate’ this experience for someone who has never done it, or doesn’t understand how you do it.

EXAMPLE: My topic would be, “Writing is driving in the dark.” I could then explain, “When you first start writing, it’s like driving down the road without lights—you can’t see a thing. But gradually, you get an idea and the lights come on. You can’t see too far up the road, just a few feet, but it’s enough to follow the road and make it to the next paragraph. The more you write, the more your eyes get adjusted to the darkness and more and more details pop out. Eventually, you start to recognize the landscape and know exactly where you are: you’re no longer writing in the dark, since you can see everything in the light. Then you can enjoy the drive.”

REQUIREMENTS

• 1-2 pages double spaced (but must be a full page, not just a paragraph)
• Must be typed, since this is a slightly more formal assignment
• Title the paper with your controlling metaphor (“College is a fun-house mirror,” etc.)
• Describe an experience through a controlling metaphor; consider how every sentence can use some aspect of the metaphor to help us ‘see’ your experience
• DUE IN ONE WEEK: Thursday, August 31^st by 5pm [no class that day]