In order to provide support for my argument, I have to look for theories in books and examples from animation works.

Nigel, recommended paul wells’ book, saying that he has a lot of views on animation or metaphor. I followed Nigel’s advice and went to read Paul wells’s understanding animation.

This is Paul’s theory “metaphor essentially grows out of symbolism and serves to embody a system of ideas in a more appealing or conducive image system. The use of metaphor simultaneously invites interpretation but insists upon openness. The meanings that may be determined from the use of metaphor resist specificity because they emerge from a second-order notion of representation. Metaphors make the literal interpretation of images ambiguous and sometimes contradictory because they invite an engagement with the symbolic over and above the self-evident. This second order of construction offers a parallel narrative to the specific one which merely deals with the construction of logically determined and contextualised events. Whilst the symbol invests an object with a specific, if historically flexible, meaning, the metaphor offers the possibility of a number of discourses within its over-arching framework”.

The definition of metaphor can have many definitions from different disciplines. Many scholars have put forward their own views. I will quote some scholars’ theories and combine them with actual animations to demonstrate.

As Luke said, it is already a clear animation field. I need to adjust it to make the thesis more unique. It is my main content to embody metaphors from different places.

Next, I continue to read a lot of books and papers, the main way to find is to check the bibliography of new books or papers. I also highlighted key sentences and recorded them. In this way, I can find the argument I want in the book by looking at the key words in the notes.

I watched a lot of movies and looked for what I needed.