Metaphors in State of the Union Speeches Made by the Former American President Barack Obama

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating and analyzing metaphors made by Obama in his State of the Union Addresses. Moreover, it explored the functions of applying these metaphors as one of the most common used rhetorical devices in the American political discourse. Only three types of metaphors were discussed with regard to their applications and effects in State of the Union Speeches. These metaphors were: War metaphors, creation and construction metaphors, and journey metaphors.This study investigated the functions of these metaphors in specific contexts to uncover the hidden meanings beyond the Obama’s usage of these metaphors; and to provide those English learners and students who are not well informed of metaphors and figurative language with special techniques used in political discourse to make speeches more powerful. Finally, Through the detailed study and analysis, it can beconcluded that metaphors are widely used in Obama's political discourse. However, the study provided some suggestions for further studies on analyzing other types of metaphors in state if the union speeches not included in this study.