The Obscurity and Informative Natures of Metaphors 

Metaphors are very important in our everyday life. We use metaphors as a type of communication and to elicit an idea. Metaphors are able to relate a concrete idea and an abstract idea to communicate a relationship between two things. In the texts, “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines and “Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness” by Colleen Farrell, both authors use metaphors as a way to communicate the experience of  depression. “A Lesson Before Dying” tells the story of Grant Wiggins and Jefferson, two men who must challenge the emotion behind dying without dignity. Jefferson is compared to a “hog” while on death row. This comparison makes Jefferson question his self-respect, hope, and dignity which caused him to fall into a deep depression. In “Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness”, Farrell uses the metaphor “seize diastole” in relation with her depression during medical school. As a whole, the “seize diastole” metaphor is able to assist Farrell during her depression and the “hog” metaphor pushes Jefferson into his depression. Gaines and Farrell are both able to captivate the reader through these metaphors because the metaphor is able to act as a bridge between what the protagonist feels and our understanding of it. 

“Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness” is Colleen Farrell’s story of her depression during medical school. Farrell explains how she was depressed for some time but was never able to make sense of how she was feeling. However, one day, in a lecture hall, she found the metaphor that she was able to relate to her depression: “Seize diastole”. Farrell explains that diastole means “the process of letting go and filling up” (Farrell). In more scientific terms, it is the process of relaxation of the heart. She claims that this process, although not exciting, has severe consequences if jeopardized by stress. Overtime, stress causes the ventricle to adapt to its environment which causes “the thickened, beefy myocardium to struggle to relax and refill. If the heart muscle can’t expand, fluid spills backward into the lungs. Pulmonary edema results and suddenly it’s impossible to breathe” (Farrell). In relation to the stress that she was undergoing as a medical student, diastole is very comparable. Farrell’s depression is similar to this metaphor because like the heart, her mental state must adjust to stress and a fast-paced environment. Through this adjustment that Farrell experienced, she had a consequence of her own: “I learned not to cry, and eventually, not to feel” (Farrell). Not only that, but Farrell experienced a heart failure of her own (her heart lost its flexibility). Because of this experience, Farrell learns the importance of seizing diastole, which means that she “must continue doing the hard work of processing [her] fear, frustration, and grief. [She] must give [herself] permission to feel and let [her] heart expand fully” (Farrell). 

Metaphors are able to relate concrete and abstract components of an idea. The metaphor “seize diastole” relates the abstract component of mental health to the concrete component of diastole. Farrell believes that the metaphor “seize diastole” is able to emphasize the gravity of her depression. This is because the metaphor compares Farrell being able to adapt to the fast-paced environment of the medical world to the ventricle adapting to pressure and stress. The phrase, “seize diastole”, in a literal sense, means to take hold of relaxation. Obviously, the heart cannot actually “take hold” of relaxation, unless the heart stops beating and dies. Metaphorically, however, “seize diastole” means to encourage relaxation in your own life. Farrell states, “We would remember that during that pause there is work being done. A drop in pressure. Relaxation. Expansion. And then, with a full heart, a gush of life” (Farrell). After her own experience with a heart problem, Farrell learns to appreciate the importance of diastole and continues to keep this mentality when she is faced with a stressful situation. Farrell’s ability to take hold of relaxation during medical school aided her in becoming the person she is today. In general, the phrase “seize diastole” illustrates that we should relax and experience a “gush of life” as we experience depression (Farrell).

“A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines discusses a metaphor that compares a man on death row to a hog. Jefferson was at the scene of a robbery of a local store, which soon turned into a shootout. The store owner and the two robbers were left dead. Jefferson was the only who was found alive at the scene of the crime, causing him to be tried for murder. During the trial, one of the prosecutors says, “But let us say he was not. Let us for a moment say he was not [innocent]. What justice would there be to take this life? Justice, gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this” (Gaines 15-16). The prosecutors and the jury see Jefferson as a “hog”, a disgusting hog that deserves to die for his crimes. The comparison of Jefferson to a hog lowers Jefferson’s self-respect for himself. “‘I’m a old hog,’ he said. ‘Youmans don’t stay in no stall like this. I’m a old hog they fattening up to kill’”(Gaines 74). Hogs are seen as dumb, dirty, and not respectable, this causes Jefferson to go into a deeper depression. 

The metaphor of the hog has an abstract and a concrete component. The concrete component is the hog. Hogs are considered fat, disgusting, and insignificant creatures. Not only that, but comparing a black man to a hog further deepens the message of a metaphor. He is not only seen as disgusting for the crimes he has done, but for the color of his skin. The prosecutor was able to change Jefferson’s perspective on life with the use of one word- “hog.” This metaphor is a great example of how people interpret different words. If the prosecutor compared him to a strong, courageous animal, Jefferson may have not felt the way he did. For example, “eagles” have a better connotation than “hogs.” Eagles are seen as majestic and beautiful, but hogs are not respected. Because of the prosecutor’s comparison, Jefferson’s mentality alters. He no longer considers himself important or even human. In one part of the text, we find Jefferson eating on the floor like a hog. While the concrete component of the metaphor, the hog, had an immense effect on Jefferson’s mental state, the abstract component did as well. The abstract component of the hog metaphor was death and depression, two things that many people do not fully understand. While hearing that he was a hog, Jefferson thinks about his own life differently. He thinks that he is a bad person and deserves to die for a crime that he did not commit. The abstract and concrete components together are able to make one man question his dignity in the face of death. 

The metaphors presented in “A Lesson Before Dying” and “Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness” are comparable because both metaphors contribute in different ways to the meanings of depression and struggle. The hog metaphor discussed by Gaines, is the center of Jefferson’s depression during the whole novel. It is able to obscure the meaning of going on death row by comparing him to a filthy animal. Because of this obscurity, Jefferson falls into a deep depression. In comparison to Gaines, the “seize diastole” metaphor given by Farrell is able to inform herself on the topic of depression because it gives her some explanation of what she was feeling which gives her comfort. “Seize diastole” gives Farrell a new perspective on life as it emphasizes the importance of relaxation. As a whole, the “seize diastole” metaphor is able to assist Farrell during her depression and the “hog” metaphor pushes Jefferson into his depression. The similarity between both metaphors is that they are both able to strike the protagonists emotionally and are able to change their lives. Gaines and Farrell did an exceptional job of using the metaphor to shape the protagonists. 

Metaphors are able to relate a concrete and an abstract component to relay an idea. In the texts “Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness” by Colleen Farrell and “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines both authors are able to use metaphors to discuss depression. Metaphors are a very important part of literature and are able to obscure or inform our understanding about an idea. Within these two texts, both authors are able to obscure or inform the readers understanding of suffering and pain. Gaines uses the hog metaphor to obscure our understanding of pain and suffering. The relation between Jefferson and the hog was detrimental to his perspective on the situation and eventually caused him to fall into a deep depression. On the other hand, Farrell’s metaphor, “seize diastole”, was informative on the topic of depression and it was able to assist her in understanding her pain and suffering. All in all, metaphors are very important in literature and can shape the reader’s perspective on a certain idea.

 

WORKS CITED PAGE:

Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.

Farrell, Colleen. “Systole and Diastole, Strength and Openness.” JAMA, 21 May 2019. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2733976. Accessed 1 October 2019