Teaching and study · ATLAS 260
When images guide thought
A metaphor can open up a connection while concealing alternatives. This exhibition moves from linguistic transfer to the question of what a compelling representation actually establishes.
When does an image help us understand, and when does its vividness replace a reason?
Responsible editor: Michael Reich · Prepared: 2026-10-17. Versioned research edition. No DOI or external archival deposit is documented.
Case study
Fictional exercise written for this material. Not empirical data.
At a school forum someone says: “Our new library is the engine of learning.” A presentation reports more visits since renovation. Another group calls the same room “an open marketplace of ideas”. Neither the number of visits nor either image alone shows what or how much was learned.
Materials and schedule
Teaching notes
Approximately ages 16+, advanced school groups, higher education and adult learning.
Read short specialist texts; distinguish statement, observation and interpretation. Responses may be spoken, written or given as an annotated sketch.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish imagery, viewpoint and evidence.
- Compare a metaphorical explanation with an alternative representation.
- Identify the limit of an inference in a specific source.
5 min introduction · 20 comparing two stations · 10 evidence and counterexample · 10 shared reflection
The worksheet contains two selected stations. Read definitions, open sources and separate observation from inference.
Assignment
- Mark imagery, observation and inference in the case using three different labels.
- Compare the metaphor and evidence stations. Cite one sentence from each definition and explain its scope.
- Write an alternative description and one question that needs additional data.
Source examination
Open at least one complete Atlas profile and select a reference listed there. Record title, locator where available and documented scope. Separate your inference from what the reference actually supports. A reference alone does not establish every statement in a profile.
Station 1 · AT-RHE-0002
Metaphor
A transfer that makes one domain of experience intelligible through another.
Begin with an everyday transfer. Identify what the image foregrounds and what it leaves out.
What changes when a discussion is described as a journey rather than a battle?
Read the definition and distinctions in the linked full profile. Which statement is supported by its documented reference, and which arises only from your comparison with the exercise?
Sources and references (5)
- Q001 — Harjung, J. Dominik: Lexikon der Sprachkunst
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books)
- Q019 — Oxford Reference: The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 03.13.03.04.05.11.01|01 n.; node 219152. Accessed 11 September 2026.
Show scope of evidence
HTE finding: HTE records metaphor as a noun under figures of meaning, with the headword dated a1499–. Atlas interpretation: The Atlas concept includes rhetorical naming and cross-domain understanding; the HTE placement supports the rhetorical lineage but not the full cognitive definition. OED entry/sense identity not established.
Sources and references
- Q001 — Harjung, J. Dominik: Lexikon der Sprachkunst · https://books.google.de/books?id=AsuWoHybcgMC&lpg=PA467&hl=de&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor · https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaphor/
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books) · https://books.google.de/books?id=B-1FDwAAQBAJ
- Q019 — Oxford Reference: The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms · https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001/acref-9780198715443
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 03.13.03.04.05.11.01|01 n.; node 219152. Accessed 11 September 2026. · https://ht.ac.uk/category/#id=219152
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-RHE-0002
Station 2 · AT-W3-0411
Perspective
The viewpoint-dependent way of perceiving and representing an object.
Next examine the standpoint of the representation. Not every difference between two descriptions is a factual contradiction.
Which information becomes visible only from another viewpoint?
Read the definition and distinctions in the linked full profile. Which statement is supported by its documented reference, and which arises only from your comparison with the exercise?
Sources and references
- SEP Perspectivism · Narratologie
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-W3-0411
Station 3 · AT-ARG-0002
Framing
The organisation of information through a perspective that foregrounds some interpretations and suppresses others.
A frame organizes attention. Examine its selection without automatically inferring deceptive intent from every framing.
Which two headlines frame the same event differently?
Read the definition and distinctions in the linked full profile. Which statement is supported by its documented reference, and which arises only from your comparison with the exercise?
Sources and references (3)
Sources and references
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor · https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaphor/
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books) · https://books.google.de/books?id=B-1FDwAAQBAJ
- Q014 — Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · https://iep.utm.edu/
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-ARG-0002
Station 4 · AT-CORE-238-038
Evidence
The degree to which a claim is supported by proof or compelling grounds.
Return to evidence. The clarity of an image and the strength of a source need separate examination.
What would need to be established independently of the image?
Read the definition and distinctions in the linked full profile. Which statement is supported by its documented reference, and which arises only from your comparison with the exercise?
Sources and references (3)
- W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
Show scope of evidence
Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238
- W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
Show scope of evidence
Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026.
Show scope of evidence
HTE finding: HTE distributes evidence across proof, testimony, legal evidence and indication branches. Atlas interpretation: Atlas defines both degree of support and supporting material in argumentation; the selected HTE proof-instance node covers only one portion. OED entry/sense identity not established.
Sources and references
- W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
- W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026. · https://ht.ac.uk/category/#id=123444
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-CORE-238-038
Discussion guidance – not a single prescribed answer
- “Engine” foregrounds drive and performance; “marketplace” exchange and variety. These are possible readings, not fixed effects on every reader.
- More visits concern use, not yet increased learning or its cause. A suitable countercheck must specify the claimed learning outcome.
- Even a description with little imagery is selective. Assess disclosed choices and justified inference, not the complete avoidance of metaphor.
Feedback rubric
- 0–2 points: distinguish concepts and analytical levels accurately.
- 0–2 points: connect an inference to specific evidence and its limit.
- 0–2 points: examine an alternative interpretation or counterexample transparently.
A feedback guide, not a standardized or empirically validated assessment. Reasoned alternatives are acceptable.
Research and seminar questions
- Which inference does the metaphor suggest without establishing it?
- How can a change of perspective be distinguished from a change of subject?
- What finding would limit your preferred interpretation?
Boundary of this exhibition
This sequence is an editorial comparison, not a claim of shared historical origin. The concept profiles and their respective sources remain authoritative.
Citation
Michael Reich: When images guide thought. Atlas der Sprache / Atlas of Language. Material version atlas-260-20261017-04. ATLAS 260; source release 15.9.1. https://atlasoflanguage.com/study/metapher-und-erkenntnis. Add access date.
The fixed edition version is linked separately. Source rights apply individually.