A Critical Metaphor Analysis Of Commencement Speeches Of American Ivy League Universities

Studies at home and abroad show that researchers mainly focus on the analysis of political and economic texts within the Critical Metaphor Analysis framework,but few of them use speeches as source data.Besides,as one kind of speeches,commencement speeches would influence young people's minds in significant ways before they step into society.Thus,a critical metaphor analysis of these speeches could help to reveal the speakers' underlying expectations and advice.This thesis makes a critical metaphor analysis of the commencement speeches delivered in the eight Ivy League universities in 2016.It aims at investigating these questions: 1)what conceptual metaphors are used in the commencement speeches? 2)what attitudes,values and beliefs prevail in American higher educational institutions?The thesis adopts the model of Critical Metaphor Analysis developed by Christopher Hart(2007)in the analysis of the speeches.This theory is based on the socio-cognitive approach to Critical Discourse Analysis.Besides,conceptual blending theory is employed in the micro-level analysis of the speeches.This thesis focuses on the analysis of the conceptual metaphors used in all the speeches collected.Hart's Critical Metaphor Analysis theory could help to disclose the covert attitudes,values and beliefs of the speakers underlying these conceptual metaphors.The data for analysis includes 31 commencement speeches released by the official websites of each Ivy League University in 2016.After analysis,the major findings are as follows.Metaphors identified in all speeches are concerned with three themes: life purpose,university education and social problems and the solutions.Metaphors which are frequently used by speakers are: LIFE IS A JOURNEY,LIFE IS A WAR,LIFE IS A STORY,IDEAS ARE VOICES and KNOWING IS SEEING.Other metaphors identified in the speeches are presented in the results and discussion.It should be noted out that only the metaphors which meet the three criteria(Black,2004)in defining conceptual metaphors are used in the analysis.The three criteria are: linguistic criteria,pragmatic criteria and cognitive criteria.The covert attitudes,values and beliefs underlying the conceptual metaphors can be summarized from social levels and personal levels.Different speakers use different metaphors to emphasize different aspects of the two levels mentioned above.For social life: American society is filled with all sorts of problems,such as racism,political and religious hatred,etc.Besides,social media only cares about the here and now things and reinforces ideas instead of changing and developing ideas.People tend to oppress and wipe out different or opposing ideas,no matter they are reasonable or not.Other speakers use some metaphors to persuade graduates to help to solve various problems.Graduates should make use of the constructive power of irreverence to make change and to advance understanding and knowledge in the society.They also should try to find common ground to solve problems effectively and cooperate with each other in doing things.Graduates should be willing to be friendly to people who think and act differently with them.They also need to help to pass on knowledge and scientific information to help people around the world.For personal life: at the moment of graduation,speakers want graduates to realize the importance of having clear life purpose and making right life choices.Graduates should realize that challenges and hardships can help them define their characters and make them stronger and more mature.Their dreams should be deeply rooted in the real social life.After graduation,graduates should continue to learn in order to cultivate their minds and spirits.They should learn from history and widen the scope of their knowledge.What's more,they should bear teachers and other people's guidance and support in their heart.Graduates should be willing to share their refining ideas and spirits with their followers.Above all,they should be proud of their life experience in universities and they ought to make contributions to their universities.