There are certain objects in the physical world, often related to ideas of movement or transition, that lend themselves to metaphor.
Stairs, for example, allow ascension, relocation from a lower level to a higher one. People at the top may seem, or feel, powerful, but also exposed; people below could feel, or appear to be, weak, but grounded, often accompanied by others, retaining the luxury of aspiring to power. Ascending a staircase tells of achieving a goal, and of leaving experiences, and past existences, behind. And they offer a way to enlightenment; for Heaven is often imagined as being above, and Hell, as we all know so well, lies below.
Doors represent transition from one state to another. They can allude to a rite of passage. Closed, they offer protection from the outside world; open, they threaten vulnerability. Closed, they obstruct opportunity, but promise privacy; open, they allow change to happen. Once through, you never know whether you will return.
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
The train track, meanwhile, insists upon movement in the most direct way possible. Its strength lies in dictating the route you take, its weakness lies in the same. A track may seem to stretch out to the distance, farther than the eye can see. Once a journey is started, it invariably changes the traveler. You can come back, said Bob Dylan, but you can’t come back all the way.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
與移動或轉變的概念相關的物件,常常很適合用作譬喻。
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
比方說樓梯。樓梯可以攀升,讓人從低處抵達高處。一個人站在樓梯頂上,不論是在旁人還是自己眼中,都好像高人一等,卻又無處可躲。而在樓梯下的人,雖在自己和旁人眼中都顯得軟弱,卻穩穩地踏在地上,通常是一群人,渴望著權力。攀登樓梯可用以表現人達成目標,或離開過去的經驗及事物,獲得新的領悟。畢竟按一般想像,天堂總是在天上,而地獄,眾所皆知在地下。
門,代表狀態的轉換,如標誌人生階段的重大事件。一扇門,關著,替人隔絕了外界的危險;開著,則透漏著威脅。關閉的門阻斷機會,卻保守了隱私;敞開的門則容許改變的可能。穿越了門,你不會知道能否回得來。
此外還有鐵軌,堅持往最直截的方向鋪展。它支配著你前進的方向,這是它的魄力,也是缺陷。鐵軌可以很長,一路延伸到視線所不及之處。旅途中的人,改變是必然的。就如巴布狄倫所寫的,你可以回來,但不能重來。
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
(台北時報涂宇安譯)
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