Tropes are everywhere.
In literature, in language, in jokes, and funnily enough, blog posts
This brought me to consider, where would our language be without tropes.
Well, language would be very concrete. There would be no comparisons, no exaggeration, and little room for hidden meaning. Every single writer and poet would be out of a job. More than that, everyone would be forced to talk like robots due to the absence of tropes. There would be no freedom. Our language exists the way it does only because there is room for expression and metaphors and irony.
So this is my love-note to tropes. I have hand-picked a few of my favorites and I will share them with you.
Metaphors:
1.) "He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the
East River."
2.) "He wanted to set sail on the ocean of love but he just wasted away in the desert."
Similes:
1.)"Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever"
2.) "The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,
this plan just might work"
Let's
to appreciate how beautiful these comparisons are...You see, metaphors are similes always add something to a description. It gives one something to connect to when dealing with an unfamiliar idea. Metaphors and similes can be funny and entertaining. They can make one think, and try to come up with a connection between two unlike things. It is important to remember that poetry is also the base for some of the world's best poetry. In a robotic world without figurative language, Shakespeare would never be able to ask, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" There is no comparison, for comparisons would cease to exist. What a horrible world it would be to never be able to talk around a subject or compare least favorite teachers to super-villains. Language would be dull.
Yet, compared to the loss of irony, the loss of similes and metaphors would be nothing. You see, sarcasm is a type of irony. Without irony, sarcasm would be non-existent. Without sarcasm, many hormonal teenagers would not have a healthy outlet. It's quite possible that more teenagers would find themselves turning to hardcore drugs and sharpie-sniffing. Therefore, one can make the argument that if tropes were non-existent, my whole generation would go crazy and lose all ambition. All for lack of sarcasm.
Brilliant examples of sarcasm for your enjoyment:
"Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?"
"I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?"
and wait for it...."Not the brightest crayon in the box now, are we?"
METAPHOR and SARCASM
Let us breathe in as many tropes as we can, dear earthlings. (the use of breathe is an implied metaphor because it compares tropes to air)
I agree completely. Life would be pretty barren without our delicious tropes. You also pose an interesting question in presenting this topic: what would be the alternative to using tropes? Just about everybody uses them, and some earn their living milking tropes out of language. People would need to find an alternative way to express themselves. Just thinking about that is really interesting... Would we develop new hand signals to indicate how cynical we are feeling? Those who use creative imagery in their writing would be confined to the box of emotionless, robotic writing. Would we see an increase in the percent of people who try to learn musical instruments or enroll in an art class? I think the other interesting thing would be to see the level of honesty in society rise. Euphemisms are an incredibly common trope used in our society, and if they didn't exist, people would no longer be able to mourn a relative who has "passed on". They would have to face the reality at hand: that relative is dead and is never coming back. It could create a sobering reality for many who try to avoid their problems. Would we see stats on the number of alcoholics rise? All these are interesting thoughts to consider when imagining a world without tropes.
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