February 21, 2025, by Brigitte Nerlich

Planes, ships and metaphors

We all know that meaning in language only happens in context. Words don’t mean in isolation; they acquire meaning in context. Metaphors even more so. The word ‘pig’ means different things in a farmyard, during a policy encounter or when a mother visits a teenager’s room.

Mostly, meanings emerge in context because a speaker has the intention to convey a certain meaning using both language and context (and having an inkling of what the hearer knows or doesn’t about both). But sometimes metaphors and meanings just happen unintentionally and accidentally and then they get intentionalised, so to speak, even politicised.

In this post I discuss two emergent or situational metaphors. The context is the second Trump administration and the two examples are the recent Delta plane crash and the scuttling of the SS United States which became metaphorical and political touchstones almost immediately due to their timing and circumstances.

A plane crashes

“Delta Connection Flight 4819 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, United States, that crashed and overturned on the runway when landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada, on a routine flight on February 17, 2025. … The airplane’s right wing sheared off before it came to rest on its back with flames emerging from the fuselage.” (Wikipedia) All passengers and crew survived.

The report and the images of the crash instantly became a contextual or situational metaphor for the current political situation in the United States.

In the following I shall quote a few comments posted on Bluesky, but I shall not name the posters. One person quipped: “The Republican right wing is so far to the right that it’s not attached to the plane anymore”. Another wrote: “And the right wing breaking off is what saved all the lives on that plane. Let’s save our lives, break the right wing now!” And another still: “I hope the America Civil War ends up like that Toronto plane crash. Everyone walks away alive but the right wing burns into oblivion…”.

In all these comments the metaphor is implicit, but it’s also made explicit by some: “The plane crash is a metaphor for America… if we lose our right wing we too will all survive….”; “I think this plane crash was a metaphor. Goddess has a sense of humor!”

What’s notable is how quickly and naturally multiple people arrived at the same metaphorical interpretation independently. The plane crash created an immediate, dramatic metaphor. By contrast, the next metaphor is more of a slow burner building its power through the exploitation of historical and symbolic context. One can perhaps talk here about two different types of metaphorical resonance.

A ship is scuttled

“SS United States is a retired American ocean liner that was built during 1950 and 1951 for United States Lines.” (wiki) Currently, the “plan is to tug the SS United States along the East Coast and ultimately to Mobile, Alabama, to be stripped and prepped to be sunk…   in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of this year or early 2026.”

But this is not just an ordinary ship, it’s an icon: “The SS United States, the world’s fastest ocean liner, isn’t just a marvel of technology: she’s a living icon of the American dream. She represents the power of freedom, hard work, common purpose, and innovation. … The story of the SS United States is our story. It is the story of the nation’s triumphant emergence after the trauma of World War II.”

On 19 February, it was reported that this iconic ship was being towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned preparation work before eventually sinking it off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

After reports of the impending scuttling of the ocean liner appeared in the press, one person posted a picture of the ship in Philadelphia harbour and said “The United States has spent the last several decades rotting in South Philly right off I-95. You could see it from the IKEA cafeteria” and a commenter said: “#metaphor”, whereupon the next commenter said “dis a whole metafive”! I agree, given the ship’s name, its iconic status and the place where it’s sunk.

Another commenter didn’t quite get the metaphor and asked for an explanation, which was provided in this way: “So it’s a boat called the S.S. United States and it is about to be sunk into the Gulf of Mexico. The metaphor is that the United States (the country) is also sinking, and part of the irony is that sinking itself in the newly named ‘Gulf of America’ seems fitting for what is happening.” And another person added: “Also, that the journey started in Philadelphia….” (Philadelphia is known for being the site where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776)

Above the video of drone footage of the “SS United States Leaving Philadelphia” (well worth watching!!) a poster wrote: “Probably the most allegorical thing you’ll see all week… After 30 years tied up in Philadelphia while all attempts to rescue her have failed, the United States is now on course to be sunk and lost forever”.

This metaphor works on several levels: the literal name of the ship; its iconic status as a symbol of post-WWII American prosperity and innovation; the symbolism of its decades-long decay in Philadelphia; the final destination, namely the Gulf of Mexico/America.

Metaphors and reality

I give the last word to another Bluesky user: “The punishing metaphors will continue until reality improves.” This might play on the phrase “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” It suggests that these metaphors aren’t just observations but symptoms of a broader social/political malaise.

Afterword

In a quick chat with Claude about this post, Claude pointed me to the phrase “The beating will continue until morale improves”. That was unknown to me and I asked Claude about it. Claude clarified: “The phrase is a darkly humorous saying that’s often attributed to various naval or military contexts, though its true origin is unclear. It’s meant to point out the absurdity of trying to force positive outcomes through punitive measures. Its adaptation here to ‘The punishing metaphors will continue until reality improves’ is quite clever because it suggests that these metaphors aren’t just appearing by chance – they’re emerging because reality itself is providing such perfect material for dark political commentary. The universe seems to be serving up these symbolic events as if trying to send a message, though of course that’s just human pattern-recognition at work.” Haha!

PS. Here is another situational metaphor! Canada goose stand off with Bald Eagle – becomes symbolic at that moment in history. And another – the starship explosion on 6 March….

Image: Old postcard of the SS United States (public domain)

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