A Cognitive Analysis Of Metaphors In Whitman's Poetry

Metaphor is a ubiquitous phenomenon in people's daily life. People make use of metaphor constantly. In western countries, the study of metaphor has a long history. During the different phases of metaphor development, the most representative theories for metaphor study are substitution theory, comparison theory, interaction theory, conceptual metaphor theory and conceptual integration theory.In this thesis, the author briefly introduces the origin and development of metaphor and contrastively analyzes the theories which involve metaphor study. My thesis puts more emphasis on the application of the conceptual integration theory to analyze the forming mechanics of metaphors in Whitman's poems. Moreover, the author employs a great deal of figures to adequately prove that conceptual integration theory has a stronger persuasive power and validity in explaining the formation mechanism of metaphor. Conceptual integration theory is the theoretic basis of this thesis. On the basis of conceptual integration theory, the analysis of metaphors' formation mechanism in poems can explain people's intrinsic psychological operation mechanism when they c eate, appreciate and understand the poems. This method has provided a brand—new angle of view for the analysis and understanding of poetry.