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PHL/251 December 11, 2011 Dr. Hope Evaluate Creative Thinking with Metaphor Analysis Evaluation of creative thinking encompasses five diverse areas of thinking, which are perception, personal barriers, language, feelings, and creative thinking. This paper will illustrate how the five thinking bases contribute to an individual’s creative thinking and include an analysis of metaphors applicable to the area. Perception Perception is the process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and unified view of the world around them (“Perception”). With that the phrase “perception is reality” was created.
Our senses result in playing a critical role in perception and behavior. “Are we sure of our sensual perceptions? ” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007, p. 316 ) Do we have our facts correct? Do we have the data right? “Have we listened acutely and sensitively? Can we trust the speaker or writer? ” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007, p. 316) Are we confident that our memory is accurate? (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007). These questions must be asked before making decisions, as our perception of the situation affects our decision, and if our perception is not right, our decision may not be right.
We think of our children as “the light of our lives, ray of sunshine, gift from God, reason for being, our compass in the dark, and good as gold” (J. Terry, personal communication, November, 28, 2011), when describing how important they are in our lives. This is our perception of them. Personal Barrier Critical thinking is a skill not necessarily dependent on intelligence or education; however, used and applied by anyone with an open and objective frame of mind. However, some barriers of a personal and cultural nature prevent people from using their critical thinking skills fully.
Their thinking processes can be affected by a variety of barriers, some with more potential dangers than others (Pinder, 2011). Try to understand what it affecting the thinking process before becoming too worried. Evaluate the ability to rationalize everyday activities, such as what to eat for lunch or activities that you can do after work. Analysis of a desert metaphor such as, “Dangerous yet welcoming” (B. Willett, personal communication, November, 28, 2011) reveals a barrier of fear and prompting the need to keep eyes open to everything.
The metaphor for returning to college “fear and excitement” (B. Willett, personal communication, November 28, 2011) is another way indicative of anxiety; however, implying she will stay on course and give it her all. Language Language is the universal expression of thought through speaking or writing. Language gives the ability to understand other perspectives, communicate our own thoughts and process a way to meet in the middle. “Remember, our language does not just carry our thoughts; however, inextricably intertwined with our thinking.
Taking time to write out our thoughts prompts one to analyze the language of our thinking” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007, p. 1). This can easily be seen with the varied responses from our week two assignment. This simple worksheet provided five varied examples of language and internal thought. Through the expression of language we can see someone internal thoughts like the metaphor about a mother; “A mountain in the mist, strong and everlasting, and a blanket of safety and comfort” (B. Vance, personal communication, November 28, 2011).
It displays the overwhelming feeling of love, emotion, and happiness, which a child has for his mother. Feelings Feelings represent, “A force behind our thinking” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007, p. 123); however, feelings in speaking or writing change in areas such as business and family because of our culture. The tone detected in both forms of delivery. Emotions play a big part and can override the content. As referred in the text check your feelings when thinking. “Are our feelings there? Can we reach down and identify them?
Thinking without feeling is often cold and sterile” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007, p. 317). Remember, to embrace the positive feelings to relate in creative writing. Many metaphors can identify true feelings such as, “Wife is love, warm blanket represents a child’s love, and waterfall of tears paints the emotional picture of a father’s passing” (B. Vance, personal communication, November 29, 2011). Creative Thinking Creative Thinking: “Creativity is an early base of our thinking” (Viziera, 2011).
This is true, one could surmise that thinking based on something creative. We must acquire the thought and creatively communicate this thought to our audience for understanding. Our text defines creativity as the process of mixing old ideas with the new ideas to bring forth a totally new idea or ideas. We have all had to do free word association in the past, whether it was an exercise in a class or a conference we have received a word and instructed to say the first thing on our mind.
A creative metaphor provided by Joan relates to private space. “Quiet as a mouse, warm as a down comforter, smooth as silk, comforting as a warm hug, and peaceful as a lullaby” (J. Terry, personal communication, November 28, 2011). These metaphors accurately create a sense of what makes Joan feel at peace. The next metaphor series that sticks out is Joan’s description of her mother “cold as ice, roars like a lion, hard as nails, stubborn as a mule, and sly as a fox” (J. Terry, personal communication, November 28, 2011).
These images do not paint as comfy a picture as Joan’s private space, but they are just as emotion evoking as the other examples. You realize a sense of the stark contrasts between the two subjects. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper defined each of the five thinking bases and provided an analysis of a metaphor sample indicative of each area. A simple way to think of creative thinking is a way for us to marry the old with the new; however, we all possess the creative thinking skills; however, choose to demonstrate in different ways. References Kirby, G. R. & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking, an Interdisciplinary Approach to Critical and Creative Thought (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.. Perception. (). Retrieved from http://www. businessdictinory. com/definiion/perception. html Pinder, G. (2011, November 30). Eight Barriers to Critical Thinking. Retrieved from Ezine @rticle: http://ezinearticles. com/? Eight-Barriers-to-Critical-Thinking=716694 Viziera. (2011, December 10). The Creative Thinking Process. Retrieved from Viziera: http://viziera. com/pages/creative_thinking_process/