Patterns & Metaphors
Vehicles and parts
Template:
Vehicles, their parts, and their energy sources are a distinct class of symbols. They include boat, ship, raft, ark, dug-out, galley, life-boat, and parts, such as sail, anchor, oar, rudder, helm or wheel. Specific kinds of sea and waterway vessels have symbolic associations, such as tugs, barges, luxury liners, banana boats, fishing vessels, oil tankers. A number of other symbolic objects and characteristics associated with ships are smokestacks (formerly), foghorns, running lights, signal lights and pennants, masts, and devices such as flare guns, telescopes and sextants, ad charts and logs. Land vehicles that have symbolic connotation include chariots and other horse-drawn conveyances and rigs from farm and Connestoga wagons, to buggies, hansoms, post coaches, sulkies and broughams. Other conventional animal-powered vehicles appearing in Symbolism, are chiefly dog sleds and dog carts. Modern civilian vehicles that have conspicuous symbolism are sport and racing cars, taxis, limousines, hearses, ambulances, fire engines, police patrol cars and motorcyles. Military vehicles, land, sea or air, that often appear in symbolism are fighter planes, tanks and submarines. Some civilian aircraft are also notable symbolically; these are the hot air balloon, the dirigible and the glider. Vehicle parts have symbolic values. Chief among these are steering devices, empowering devices (engines) and tyres and wheels. Power sources (fuels) and batteries are important symbols as well.
Metaphor:
The principle symbolic connotation of vehicles is the notion of empowering. On a simple level of symbolism what is represented by vehicles is that they empower one to travel physically or subjectively. On a psychological level, vehicles are particular embodiments or representations of different kinds of power, all of which are inside a person. Air power, earth power, water power and fire power correspond to the archetypal psychological functions of thought, sensation, emotion and intuition, and the representation of these power, or vehicles indicates the travel direction towards greater individual personality integration and development.<
