Life is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.
Is that the kind of thing you meant?
-
Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
- Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral
Asperger's and Metaphors
Life is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.
Is that the kind of thing you meant?
Life is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.
Is that the kind of thing you meant?
There are so many answers to this and which one should I choose now?!
Yes, also a one big scene for actors to play, madman's dream, a lie and a thousand other meanings
There are so many answers to this and which one should I choose now?!
Well I only had 983 meanings you're smart
But liked your original comment.
Well I only had 983 meanings you're smart
But liked your original comment.
Try to get the 984th and then it's easier to get to the one thousand mountain
Try to get the 984th and then it's easier to get to the one thousand mountain
I would hate to match you. You're much better on a made up pedestal in the thousand club
I can't, because there is no wal mart where I live? Of if I did live where is there is one; I would say: there is no, if about it, I am not going there!
Which would wind anyone up who was trying to explain things to me.
It was my husband who told me that I take things too literally; never crossed my mind before; just that I was a bit simple for not getting things. Glad to know it is not exactly that, although, taking things literal does come across as someone is a bit "simple".
I'm very good with metaphors and similes - I often think in them and explain with them. But here's an example of literal thinking, I think: when people would ask me if we were trying to have a baby, I would feel offended because it seemed they were asking about my sex life. When in fact, they just wanted to know if we were interested in having kids. When receiving instructions at work, or school, I can interpret the instructions more literally than others would. But that never has to do with metaphors or similes.
Betbet
New Member
I really struggled with that at school, especially one time when we had to look at different texts for a chemistry assignment.
One of the texts was AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh, the bit when they discovered the game Pooh Sticks.
I just didn't get it - I wrote about their friendships and having fun. I got an F as I was supposed to write about their experimenting and coming to conclusions from trying different things.
I was so way out because I was looking at it as a children's story book about animal friends and couldn't see what on earth it had to do with chemistry!
VioletHaze_03
Nerdling (Fledgling nerd)
Ah, metaphors. I have no trouble at all with them. Figures of speech make complete sense to me, and i don't think very literally. However, i have a hard time connecting with texts through metaphors. Sometimes people have to explain the symbolism and metaphors in a story, as most symbolic language goes over my head, and i can't "read between the lines" or develop abstract ideas into concrete concepts. This was the reason i questioned where i was on the spectrum for a looong time.
If I am distracted or tired or in a new situation I am more likely to take things literally on accident. Most of the time the possible literal meaning and the intended social meanings are both obvious possibilities that form a funny contradiction. Pointing these out makes for a lot of puns. I use analogy a lot. Often if I try to explain things directly a lot of people can't or won't understand because detail oriented use of language and syntax is hard to follow. If I use analogies then I seem to make sense to people. Metaphors don't seem to challenge me in particular and on occasion I enjoy poetry that makes use of it. I don't think my problem is as much metaphor as that my mind uses language in a unique enough way that for me understanding other people's speech conventions is more difficult. Thus normally I think language is hilarious but if I am tired or distracted I will be more likely to make mistakes.
I am glad to read all the different experiences. I have a wonderful psychologist, but the psychiatrist I went to in order to get a diagnosis immediately brought me down claiming, that if I had aspergers I wouldn’t understand metaphors and idioms.
I very seldom have trouble with using figures of speech and metaphors. I sometimes even get irritated if somebody uses a metaphor in the wrong way (not fitting the definition) or twists it erroneously. I would even “collect” the most obscure proverbs and serve as a walking database of proverbs for my friend.
The problem with understanding things literally starts with ellipses and verbal requests, however.
To give an example, my girlfriend often asks me to do something for her when I’m in the middle of another activity. The conversation goes like this:
I’m cutting vegetables and she’d ask “Could you get me a glass of water?”,
I reply “Right now? Well, can’t you see I’m busy cutting veggies?”,
to which she remarks “Obviously, I MEANT AFTER you finish cutting up.”
After a couple dozen situations like this I’m more than aware that she’s going to mean “do X after you finish Y”. But, now that I’m primed like that, the problem starts all over again when my boss asks me to do something… and he usually means “right now”.
I very seldom have trouble with using figures of speech and metaphors. I sometimes even get irritated if somebody uses a metaphor in the wrong way (not fitting the definition) or twists it erroneously. I would even “collect” the most obscure proverbs and serve as a walking database of proverbs for my friend.
The problem with understanding things literally starts with ellipses and verbal requests, however.
To give an example, my girlfriend often asks me to do something for her when I’m in the middle of another activity. The conversation goes like this:
I’m cutting vegetables and she’d ask “Could you get me a glass of water?”,
I reply “Right now? Well, can’t you see I’m busy cutting veggies?”,
to which she remarks “Obviously, I MEANT AFTER you finish cutting up.”
After a couple dozen situations like this I’m more than aware that she’s going to mean “do X after you finish Y”. But, now that I’m primed like that, the problem starts all over again when my boss asks me to do something… and he usually means “right now”.
ksheehan88
:)
If you're busy, why couldn't she get her own water? O_ o
I agree. Drs tend to be very black and white, but many of us learn to understand metaphor! I read a lot so I get them because I understand them in print. Now in real life, it can get complicated. If someone is joking, I can't always tell. But if someone say, "That fish is a monster".....ok, I get it. But if someone says, "You never/always..." then I cannot tell if they think I always do xyz and never see my not doing it or maybe they were just upset. Conversely, I can do the same.
Communication for many of us is agony, pure and simple. If I had it to over, as I have said a million times (metaphor!
) if I could go back I would have stuck to the mutism I had at 14 and even expanded on it. I would have stopped talking altogether. The benefits of talking have not outweighed the risks of not talking, but now it's too late. Maybe I will get dementia and can stop then, as my Aspie uncle did. He was a beautiful soul.Usually, because she’s tired because she had been helping me with something else earlier that day. Or I’m closer to the drawer with all the mugs and glasses and she’s not and it would be - mathematically speaking - more convenient for me to grab a glass of water on my way from the cutting board to the table. So as I see it, it’s a matter of reciprocation of convenience (and/or queuing food & beverage - related tasks, considering that I'd stop being busy in the next 3 to 4 minutes).
ksheehan88
:)
She would have gotten it sooner had she got up and done it rather than ask and wait for you to finish.... but that's very kind of you
I excel at the metaphors i come up with....other people's are a different story -- or at least, it can go either way as far as my ability to understand them.
I think the literal-ness may be more about perspective-taking than anything else, in some cases.....it's the issue in my case, at least.
I think the literal-ness may be more about perspective-taking than anything else, in some cases.....it's the issue in my case, at least.
New Threads
-
-
-
-
-
-
Presenting on ABC News / CW News in Iowa on Special Needs Non Profit Resources to Augment Access to Air Travel
- Started by TravelingWiki
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
Embrace Autism - resources for newly diagnosed
- Started by Alexej
- Replies: 0
-
