>the words themselves doesn't conjure up the mental image >that they refer to, so the strength of the metaphor is >weak. This is a fair summary of the proble

>the words themselves doesn't conjure up the mental image >that they refer to, so the strength of the metaphor is >weak. This is a fair summary of the problem with clichés. But as readers we share responsibility for this: if we were to read less casually and more critically, we would identify the metaphor on both levels, and increase our own understanding and experience.