Metaphors in Hugo Chávez's Political Discourse

This book provides the first comprehensive analysis§of metaphors §used by Hugo Chávez in his efforts to construct and§legitimize his §Bolivarian Revolution. It focuses on metaphors §drawn from three of his most frequent target domains:§the nation, §his revolution, and the opposition. The author argues§that behind an §official discourse of inclusion, Chávez's choice of §metaphors contributes to the construction of a§polarizing discourse §of exclusion in which his political opponents are§represented as §enemies of the nation. Chávez constructs this §polarizing discourse of exclusion by combining§metaphors that §conceptualize: (a) the nation as a person who has§been resurrected §by his government, as a person ready to fight for his §revolution, or as Chávez himself; (b) the revolution§as war; and (c) §members of the opposition as war combatants or§criminals. At the §same time, by making explicit references in his §discourse about the revolution as the continuation of§Simón Bolívar's §wars of independence, Chávez contributes to represent§opponents §as enemies of the nation, given that in the §Venezuelan collective imaginary Bolívar is the symbol§of the nation's §emancipation.