Reading Erards essay a second time had a clearer vision of what he was trying to say. I did notice that the comparison between the dandelion and orchid. During the class discussion and rereading the message was how all parents want their kid to be the orchid this perfect kids and not a weed such as a dandelion. When I read it the first time I took it another way but discussing it and rereading it made more sense.
There were some words I was unaware of but one that I had to look was “aptness”. According to google the term means suitable. This helped me understand the author’s argument because in this case he said, “to what degree is the aptness that you perceive in the metaphor just a measure of how long it’s been around. Which to my understanding means what is suitable for how long metaphors would be around and how the meaning connects.
Another word that I was unsure about was “enamoured”. According to google it means to be filled with emotion. This helped me understand the author’s argument because he stated “I became less enamoured with the metaphor” which means how all the emotions express the way his opinion on a metaphor shifted.
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I think the dandelion/orchid example provides great evidence for the unintended associations people can bring to the table when engaging with a metaphor.