3. Metaphoric Criticism
Metaphor - something used, or regarded as being used, to represent
something else
Tenor: topic that is being represented
Vehicle: medium used to represent the tenor
Metaphors utilize familiar vehicles to explain unfamiliar
tenors.
Frequency: Similar vehicles are used repeatedly to describe many
different tenors
Intensity: An unexpected or unusual vehicle is used to
describe a specific tenor.
Example:
Benedict Arnold is a famous backstabber.
4. Procedures for Analyzing an Artifact
• Examine the artifact: What is the context? (setting,
genre, audience, rhetor, ect.)
• Isolate the metaphors
• Sort the metaphors
• Do different metaphors emerge. Is there a theme?
• Discover an explanation for the artifact
• What is significant about the metaphors – the
frequency or the intensity?
5. Research Question
Is Top Gun a movie about a man struggling to find his
sexual identity? If so, why was this particular genre used
to address this subject or tell this story?
Maverick
Charlie Iceman and Wolfman
6. F14: Pilot + Radar Intercept
Officer (RIO)
Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Action blockbuster
7.
8. Analyzing the Volleyball Scene
• A: The Top Gun guys want Mav to stay and play another
game of volleyball with them but he leaves to go to
Charlie’s house.
B: The gay guys want Mav to be gay but he entertains the
idea of being straight.
• A: Charlie wants to have sex with Mav but he suddenly
decides to go back to the Top Gun base to shower with a
bunch of other men.
B: Charlie wants Mav to be straight but he entertains the
idea of being gay.
10. Homoerotic Dialogue?
• “I’d like to bust your butt but I can’t” – Air Boss Johnson
• “He’s on my tail, comin’ hard!” – Goose
• “I gotta be straight with you man. I can’t afford to blow
this.” – Goose
• “They must be close. I’m getting a hard on.” – Wolfman
• “Get your butts out of that flight gear!” – Jester
• “I’m gonna go head to head with him!” – Maverick
11. Explanation for the Artifact
LBGT slang:
• Top – The active partner
• Bottom – The passive partner
• Maverick wants to be at the top of his class at Top Gun
academy
A: Pilot A: RIO
B: Top B: Bottom
12. Why is this Metaphor Relevant to the Audience?
Is this metaphor relevant to: straight men, gay men,
straight women, or men who are struggling with their
sexual identity?
