Metaphors in politics: a study of the metaphorical personification of America in political discourse

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The language of politics is a complex issue which includes many strategies of language use to influence the receiver toward a desired attitude or thought. Depending on the aim and conviction of the speaker, the use of language strategies differs. The topic of this essay is metaphors in politics and more specifically the personification of America in the first inaugural addresses by Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush. The focus is on how the metaphors are used, how they can be interpreted and what message they send to the receiver. This essay will argue that the conceptual metaphors used in political discourse in the inaugurals are highly intentional, but not always as easy to detect. The rhetorical strategy of conceptualizing America as human is analyzed and the conceptual metaphors accounted for and analyzed are THE WORLD AS A COMMUNITY, NATION AS A PERSON, NATION WITH HUMAN ATTRIBUTES and NATION ACTING AS HUMAN. The conclusion drawn is that the four presidents included all frequently use metaphors to personify ...