**One of my favorite scenes has the burgeoning understanding by the Enterprise crew using "Juliet on the balcony" as an image of young love to explain the language-metaphor usage of the Tamarians -- as a concept to Picard. **Your approach sounds fun and interesting. The ending is touching -- we rely enormously on our cultural myths as instructional underpinnings: Tanach, Edith Hamilton, Robin Hood, etc. TC, /Steve Cameron, NJ Ursula Stange wrote: > That's interesting, Steve. I only use the bit where the alien and > Picard exchange stories as the alien lies dying. I tell my classics > students that the story they're learning has and will continue to stand > the test of time as here it is alive and well in the 24th century. I > also refer to a lot of ST in my intro phil course. I've seen somewhere > on the net that someone is teaching a 'philosophy of Star Trek' course. > I know there's such a book as well. > > And that should have been, "Temba -- his arms wide." > Ursula > North Bay > > Steven G. Cameron wrote: > > >>Ursula Stange wrote: >> >> >> >>>This article came across my screen this morning and seemed related to >>>the Sunday waffle. It reminded me of an old Star Trek episode where >>>the crew must try to communicate with an alien people who speak only >>>in metaphor. I've occasionally used part of the episode in my class >>>because Capt. Picard tells the story of Gilgamesh. I believe it was >>>called "Darmok" but the most memorable line was "Temba, with arms >>>wide." >>> >>> >> >>**The "Darmok" episode is extremely useful in my communication courses >>-- been showing it for years also, Ursula. Communication by metaphor >>only -- is an incredible concept to grasp for undergrad Comm. majors. >> >>TC, >> >>/Steve Cameron, NJ >> >> >> >> >>>Coincidentally, I reread this week, George Orwell's little treatise >>>on the demise of the English language. He makes the point that some >>>metaphors get so old and stale that they no longer carry their >>>original meaning with them and get used entirely superficially (and >>>misquoted into the bargain). His example was the use of 'towing the >>>line' for 'toeing the line.' What power can a metaphor have if half >>>the population associates the wrong image with it? Perhaps it >>>doesn't matter, though. The phrase eventually takes on a meaning of >>>its own which we can learn from context. We understand the idea of >>>limelight, for instance, even when we don't know why it's called >>>that. >>> >>>http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000BE01D-E7E3-1294-A7E383414B7F0000 >>> >>> >>>Ursula, towing the line all by herself in North Bay >>> >>> >>> >>>------------------------------------------------------------------ To >>>change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, >>>digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------ >>To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, >>digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html >> >> >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html