Metaphorical Connect Animals – Humans

Part - 2 (concluded)

This article is on Metaphorical Connect with animals. Comparing humans to animals is vexed but irresistible. Humans are animals too, but animals who like to believe we are not merely animals. Humans have had relationship with animals as long as they have been in existence. Animals figure in our traditions, in our religions, in the stories we tell each other in our literature. Traditional fables are moral stories that usually feature animals. Aesop a legendary Greek fabulist is well known for his tales about animals that have clearly human characteristics, like the sly fox, the patient crow and the selfish dog. Aesop's stories have been told for over 2,500 years, they are clearly a form well suited telling a universal truth in a way that is accessible to children and memorable for adults. There is also an ancient Indian collection of Panchatantra "Five Treatises"; animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story.

Animal metaphors convey a wide range of meanings, from insulting slurs to expressions of love, strength, personality, instincts. As humans we think of ourselves as a superior species and tend to use animal similes for those with negative traits. To regard humans’ behaving like animals in westernised thinking is now reprehensible. Many animal metaphors may vary across cultures and languages, for example calling someone a shark in the English speaking world imply they are dishonest and rapacious, but in Persian it refers to a man with little or no beard. In the west owls are wise but in India they represent foolishness. Often intensely reviled animals such as snakes, leeches and rats make more insulting metaphors, the very comparison for man is dehumanising. Fair minded humans would agree that donkeys are not stupid, chickens are not cowardly and even if the pigs love to wallow in the mud they are smart creatures. Multiple researches into animal cognition reveals that just about anything humans do, other creatures can do too. Sometimes, they can do it far better. It is natural animal friendly associations have become active protecting their existence in more than one ways. PeTA (People for the Ethical treatment of animals) over the years have done well for people to understand that “Animals are not Ours to experiment on, eat wear, use for entertainment or abuse in any other way.

The animal friendly are loud saying we have grown using Harmful phrases which perpetuate violence toward animals such as “kill two birds with one stone,” “beat a dead horse,” etc. PeTA continue targeting dictionaries as part of their drive to de stigmatise animals, given that language shapes attitudes. The new school of thought is helping to express them now differently which may or may not be to everyone’s choice.

HARMFUL: Beat a dead Horse HELPING : Feed a fed horse

HARMFUL: Be a guinea Pig HELPING : Be a test tube.

HARMFUL: Kill two birds with one stone. HELPING : Feed two birds with one scone.

HARMFUL: Packed in like sardines HELPING : Packed in like pickles.

HARMFUL: Walk on egg shells. HELPING : Walk on broken glass.

HARMFUL: Ants in your pants HELPING : Pepper in your pants

HARMFUL: Take the bull by the horns HELPING : Take the flower by the thorns

HARMFUL: More than one way to skin a cat. HELPING : More than one way to peel a potato.

Mahatma Gandhi said the greatness of a nation can be judged by the ways its animals are treated however in many a nations not animals but managing humans fairly is a bigger elephant for them.