Deter, detour and metaphor

All my life I’ve thought the word “deter” meant “turn aside.” It would make sense in the context of the quote above. That definition, though, better fits the word “detour.” The word “deter” means “to keep or discourage (a person, group or nation) from doing something by instilling fear, anxiety, doubt, etc.,” according to Webster’s.

Eartha Kitt, a singer and actress popular in the 1960s, used two metaphors of movement in this statement: “staying on your own path” and “on the right track.”

I can’t decide whether this quote is an example of a mixed metaphor since she took a detour from “path” to “track,” but in essence she described a journey through life. Therefore, she had just a slight derailment (sorry … couldn’t resist) in the use of metaphor.

Metaphors of movement seem to have a universal appeal, notes Andrew T. Austin, a psychotherapist in the United Kingdom. He lists many expressions that patients use while in therapy such as “I’m at a crossroads” or “I don’t know which way to turn next.” For more expressions, use this link: http://www.metaphorsofmovement.co.uk/metaphors-of-movement-and-motion.html.

Many authors have used metaphors of movement. Among them are Americans Robert Frost (see blog entry of Dec. 8, 2010) and Dr. Seuss in his much-loved book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! For full text, go to http://donstuff.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/oh-the-places-youll-go-by-dr-seuss/.

As much as I like Dr. Seuss’ book, my favorite metaphor of movement is found in the lyrics of “Broken Road,” co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna in 1994. I was introduced to the song when the Texas Tenors performed it here last December.

The song is an example of extended metaphor, which means the metaphor is carried throughout. To read the lyrics, head to
http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song617305-RASCAL-FLATTS-Bless-The-Broken-Road-lyrics.aspx.

Eartha Kitt in 2006
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

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