"Now is the time to root out evil" : the role of natural world metaphors in the construction of the "Us" and "Them" dichotomy

Abstract

The paper focuses on metaphorical construction of the “Us” and “Them” groups in the discourse of U.S. President George W. Bush in the period ranging from 9/11 to May 2003. Three metaphorical motifs drawn from the source domain of natural world that contributed to the construction of the dichotomous representation are analysed: metaphors of “hunt”, “plant” and “growth”. The aim of the paper is to explore social and political impact of metaphors and their function in the process of creating the dichotomy. The theoretical framework that is adopted in the process of analysis draws on Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) proposed by Charteris-Black (2004a, 2005, 2007, 2014). This approach to metaphor analysis focuses on the interpretation of metaphors in their social context and on the exploration of ideology in texts. The findings from the analysis imply that “natural world” metaphors were employed as discursive devices that effectively conveyed arguments for the involvement of the USA in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.