Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2 Persian literature group. Payame Noor University Graduate Center of Tehran
Abstract
Introduction
Based on the classical view, metaphor, as one of the elements of image creation and imagination of words, had a purely literary function, and therefore, it should be investigated in one of the branches of rhetorical sciences, namely, the science of expression. According to this view, "metaphorical language is also considered a tool to depict poetry, which is not used in normal speech" (Afrashi and Naeimi, 2009: 11). But new studies in the field of metaphor show the fact that metaphor is not only a literary category; rather, the human perceptual system has a completely metaphorical nature, and people unconsciously use the metaphorical framework to understand concepts and issues, especially concepts that have an abstract nature.
One of the important conceptual fields, for which an urgent need for conceptual metaphors is felt, is the field of categories related to illness and healing. The complexity of feelings, emotions and beliefs and perceptions of sick people about what, why and how the disease is, makes it difficult to directly express experiences; Especially, the sick person does not feel good about directly confronting the disease and its complications, and therefore it is his preference, those around him, and the treatment staff to have an indirect expression on this issue by using visual language. A feature that is clearly visible in the book "From Qaytariyeh to Orange County".
Methodology
"From Qaitariya to Orange County" contains the life experiences of contemporary critic and writer Hamidreza Sadr on the issue of cancer. In 2017, Sadr became aware of the presence of advanced cancer in his body and decided to write his experiences about this disease. He died in July 1400 due to cancer. In this research, which is written in the descriptive manner of quantitative content analysis, it has been tried to focus on the images presented by the narrator about cancer, to examine different perceptions of this disease and to answer these questions that if metaphors, reflecting the patient's lived experience, the metaphors and images used by the narrator of "From Qaitariya to Orange County", which feelings and experiences do they show towards the disease? Secondly, what is the effect of this type of imaging of the disease on the patient's mood during the treatment process? And can the narrator's lived experience in "From Qaitariya to Orange County" be considered as a reminder to emphasize the need to change the patient's mind through schema therapy, at the same time as treating his body?
In this regard, first all the textual evidences were identified and extracted, and then, while introducing the domain of origin and destination in the presented images - according to the suggested pattern in conceptual metaphors - these evidences were categorized and analyzed. As mentioned, the theoretical framework of this research is conceptual metaphor theory. A theory that assigns a metaphorical nature to the conceptual system that governs people's thoughts and considers the physical experiences of humans as well as the common experiences resulting from the individual's interaction with others as the main factor that creates these metaphors. It is necessary to pay attention to this principle that the category of conceptual metaphor in Johnson and Likoff's thought is more than classical metaphor and includes all the images that are categorized under simile, metaphor and irony in classical rhetoric.
Data analysis
Examining 101 images of cancer presented throughout the text in various types such as conceptual metaphors, classical metaphors and similes, shows that the metaphor of "disease as an enemy" is the most used by repeating 40 times throughout the text. After this image, the metaphor "disease as a monster" has the next place with 13 times. The group of images of the metaphor "Facing illness as participating in a sports competition" is in the next position with 14 times, followed by the metaphors "Illness as a ruthless and tyrannical commander" and "Illness as captivity and prison" with 7 times. "Illness as a melting element" with 6 times, "Illness as a vagrant mob" 5 times, "Illness as a companion" 5 times, "Illness as a sinking phenomenon" 3 times and three images "Illness as a crushing element", "Illness as an abyss" and "disease as a storm", with the frequency of 2 times each, have occupied the next positions. Of course, it is important to mention that in this review, only images with more than one repetition have been discussed; Otherwise, there are limited cases of once-repeated images such as disease as a tree, disease as a seed, disease as a tailor, and disease as a hairdresser in the text, which were not considered in the present review due to the lack of repetition.
The analysis of the goals and values hidden in these images shows the fact that the narrator of "From Qaytarieh to Orange County" had a negative attitude towards this disease from the very beginning of being aware of the presence of cancer cells in his body. A position where there is no sign of improvement or change anywhere in the text. In the entire narration, there is no effort from the narrator, the people around him, and the treatment staff to show the effort to correct this negative portrayal. In only one case, one of the patient's relatives intends to correct the patient's mentality by donating a book on coping with cancer, but the patient does not pay attention to this book.
Discussion
It seems that if the narrator or those around him, in addition to the impressive and tireless efforts they made in order to perform various physical treatments, had also paid attention to the issue of changing the mental schemas and metaphors of the patient regarding cancer, the possibility of obtaining more favorable results from the treatment process would not have been out of mind. . Although the duration of Ravi's physical resistance against cancer cells has been according to the doctors' initial predictions and even more. But during the entire treatment period, the heavy shade of disappointment and boredom and annoyance accompanies the patient.
In general, it can be said that the negative depiction of various diseases, including fatal and incurable diseases, diseases with a high prevalence and even curable diseases, and the use of images such as the enemy, monster, etc., although at first glance it induces a sense of struggle and resistance, but in the long run it causes There will be mental and emotional erosion of the sufferers, and therefore it is recommended to prepare the patient's spirit and mind to go through a process with the aim of managing and controlling the disease by replacing manageable and controllable schemas and patterns. A goal that the new findings of psychologists in the field of schema therapy can play an important role in fulfilling.
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