Metaphor By Rita Mae Brown

In the American society, metaphors are an increasingly common literary device used to illustrate and reinforce challenging teachings. Before a child even learns about literary devices, they are exposed to a variety of metaphors through their daily encounters with others and the modern pop culture. Metaphors have the potential to be beneficial for society; however, they can simultaneously be detrimental to its growth, especially when misinterpreted and used in a derogatory fashion. Rita Mae Brown, an American writer and activist, discloses the meaning and importance of language through a powerful metaphor with the potential to be misinterpreted: “Language is the road map of culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.”

Most people falsely form conclusions about a person’s ethnic background based on their skin color and appearance, but there are numerous people who don’t satisfy this requirement. In one scenario, a woman with an olive complexion was falsely assumed to be of European origins; however, her mother emigrated from South Africa and her father from Colombia. Additionally, the metaphor could be interpreted to shine a light on the significance of language, both written and oral. If someone refers to cotton candy as “fairy floss,” they possibly originated from or recently traveled to Australia. Similarly, if someone writes color as “colour,” they possibly originated in an English-speaking country outside of the United States. Essentially, language has a substantial ability to correctly identify where a person originates from or intends to go as opposed to other methods of