Metaphoric Criticism

From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Artifact Analysis 3 Additional Resources 4 References

Introduction

The elementary definition of metaphor is “a comparison to some unrelated thing.” This understanding of metaphor is addressed and refuted by Lakoff and Johnson in their essay, “Metaphors We Live By” (1980). They argue that metaphors are not merely figures of speech, but subconscious mental processes that help us make sense of our surroundings. Essentially, metaphors do more than describe some objective definition of reality. Metaphors allow us to create our own social reality – the way we perceive the world around us. Moreover, metaphors are a particularly powerful tool in rhetoric because we are often compelled to take some sort of action based on the metaphors we create. The process of analyzing the effectiveness of metaphors in rhetoric is known as metaphoric criticism.

Artifact Analysis

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To illustrate metaphoric criticism, we can analyze one of the preeminent speeches of the 20th century: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address, delivered in 1933. This speech is perhaps most famous for the line, “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Roosevelt had just defeated Herbert Hoover in a landslide election, fueled by the apex of the Great Depression and Roosevelt’s plans for a New Deal. A transcript of the address can be found here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrfirstinaugural.html

Metaphoric criticism begins with the comparison. In Roosevelt’s speech, the United States is fighting a war. Of course, the United States was not actually fighting a war in 1933, but therein lies the comparison. While many texts have isolated metaphors, limited to the context of a sentence or two, Roosevelt’s address fully employs the metaphor throughout the duration of the speech. Immediately after the famous line, Roosevelt describes fear as, “…nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Like a general commanding troops, Roosevelt uses warlike terminology to inspire America to halt its “retreat” from the events of the time. From a critical perspective, Roosevelt’s speech is effective in its use of metaphors. His audience was compelled to assume the role of active participants in a battle against economic conditions, instead of passive onlookers.

Additional Resources

References

1. ↑ MLA Citation