ABSTRACT
The author suggests that metaphor is a visual device, and its inner properties that excite and persuade receivers are phantasia (visibility) and enargeia (liveliness), especially in political metaphors. Results indicate that politicians frequently create new metaphors with visual and lively cognates of their policies, in this way using the power of phantasia and enargeia. Politicians also enjoy using hackneyed metaphors similar to old clichés since such “dead” metaphors have a familiar type of visibility despite their lack of liveliness. Presidential candidates often try to stamp their core campaign messages on voters’ minds by reiterating a few metaphors with phantasia or enargeia in South Korea. However, the abuse of words and the overextension of metaphors are widely employed in modern politics. Catachresis, referring to abused metaphors with an inadequate image, usually leads to receivers having negative reactions. A pattern of catachresis formation and media responses are: (1) senders map policy to an image; (2) the image lacks correspondence with the policy; (3) conflict arises between the image and the receivers’ cultural or physical environment; (4) the receivers recognize the image as strained and abhorrent; and (5) cynical online posts spread, negative pseudo-events increase, and adverse news stories are reported.
