I found it helpful that Killingsworth was able to break down language of figures of speech into 4 trops (identification, association, representation and distance). It allowed me to separate the different functions we use in literature and see the gasps in how older readers and writers can have trouble distinguishing double meanings, in today's form of writing.
I also found it interesting how science and philosophy have a functionality together (at least it used to) that was brought up. I wonder where that connection within our thoughts and language that got lost in translation, or in the continuation of a similar thought process.
I also thought it was interesting when Killingsworth said "If someone says that two things are similar to one another, try thinking of their difference...[and vice versa]" I thought that summed up what we have been doing in class, trying to see the eyes of different or similar thinkers. It brought up the thought that you should't only limit yourself to the tree in your backyard (my old english teacher used to say that). But i guess don't forget your basics while learning about something new and sometimes different.
2 comments:
I found the same things really interesting. I love the idea of philosophy and science working together to create. But, I don't know that I agree with them being lost in translation. I believe we still connect them and that their function is still important, honestly I think the only reason we think of them as so harshly separated is because we have this odd need to make everything a genre. Or to force things to be like other things and in turn, make obscure relations feel mutually exclusive. I really appreciate that he brought up their relationship and the importance of it in writing.
I think you provide an interesting point of view. You correctly indetified the four functions of tropes which i agree with 100%. The title somewhat threw me off as i though in distance you were referring to irony which is associated with distance in bring the distance of two things closer and distancing it from a third. Why did you title your post distance? I agree with science and philosophy and i think this class is an example of that. We begin to think of language in scientific ways and methods in order to perceive different ways of gaining meaning and persuasion in text. Your last quote led to a great interpretation by yourself because I didn't even begin to think about it in that light but you present a very good point. As we look through the eyes of readers should we begin to conform to the eyes of others or stay steadfast in our own literary interpretations.
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