Compare/Contrast Analyze Metaphors

Compare , Contrast , Analyze Metaphors

2006

You can 't teach an old dog new tricks

This metaphor is used to describe people as having an age-limit to their learning ability . According to this , there is a point in time when a person just stops acquiring new skills or knowledge because they become too old to do so . This might be evident in encounters you might have had with old people who are too stubborn to change their ways . You see this in old professors who refuse to use the computer because they would

br rather use the old reliable ' typewriter . You see this in middle-aged persons who do not want to try any new sport or hobby because they claim that they 're starting too late and they would never learned quickly enough to be good at it . When you see grumpy old men complain , you say to yourself , Just leave them alone . They 're too old to change

On face value , there might be some truth to this statement . For instance , an old person suffering arthritis would no longer be able to learn martial arts or gymnastics . A person who is losing his hearing might no longer be able to learn music . A person who has a weak heart is no longer able to learn rigorous sports like basketball or football . All these are examples of limitations that give support to the idea that old dogs ' can no longer learn anything new because they have passed their prime

It 's never to late to learn

A closer look at these factors will reveal that these considerations have nothing to do with age at all . These limitations are couched on conditions of the body and the mind . Being old has nothing to do with one 's ability to learn . The reason why old people sometimes fail to learn is because they harbor the attitude that they never will Stubbornness is a state of mind and not a limitation based on actual facts . Even young people can be stubborn and they will never learn anything if they do not desire it . This is the psychological aspect of the problem . On the other hand , there can also be physical limitations that hinder people from learning new things . To have weak joints or a faulty heart will definitely limit a person 's choices on what additional skills he would want to acquire

In any case , although age is naturally linked to physical and mental decline , this link is not absolute . There are healthy 60-year old who continue to play sports as if they were in their 20 's . On the other end of the spectrum , there are 20-year olds who are too sick to even leave their homes . At this point , it becomes clear that the failure to learn is never about age but on conditions that affect one 's ability to learn One cripples himself or is crippled from the learning process because of some natural or artificial limitation whether real or merely perceived...