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Metaphor and the Social World
Vol. 9:2 (2019) ► pp.263–284

Cattle, progress, and a victimized nation

Exploring metaphors in current and past immigration discourse

 | Portland State University
This paper analyzes three sources of discourse on immigration in the United States: congressional debates from the 1920s representing two polarized sides, a speech by President Obama, and a speech by President Trump. The goal of this analysis was to explore how the conceptual metaphors used in discussing immigration may have changed over the past century, in order to gain insight into the current polarization surrounding this topic. Results reveal striking similarities between Trump’s rhetoric and metaphorical framing and the 1920s anti-immigration side’s arguments, in that both situate the United States as a victim of immigration. In contrast, although there are fewer similarities between Obama’s metaphors and metaphorical frames and those used by earlier supporters of immigration, the claim that immigrants are a benefit to the United States remains constant.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor theory, metaphorical framing, immigration, United States immigration debate
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methods
    • 2.1Coding
    • 2.2Corpus
  • 3.Analysis
    • 3.11920s congressional debates
      • 3.1.1Background
      • 3.1.2 immigration is a motile force
      • 3.1.3 immigrants are a diseased organism or a poison
      • 3.1.4 immigrants are cattle and/or objects
      • 3.1.5 the united states is a structure
      • 3.1.6 the united states is a person
      • 3.1.7Metaphorical stories
    • 3.2Obama at American University
      • 3.2.1 social improvement is motion through space
      • 3.2.2 undocumented immigration is dark
      • 3.2.3 the united states is an engine / the united states is an unfinished product
    • 3.3Trump in Phoenix
      • 3.3.1 success is winning
      • 3.3.2 immigration policy is warfare
      • 3.3.3 the united states is a structure
      • 3.3.4 the united states is a victim
  • 4.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 5 November 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.18011.smi
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