Peter Giannaris

Caitlin Geoghan

FIQWS 10113 Med 3

Oct 16, 2019

 

The Strength of Metaphors

Subconsciously, words can cause massive destruction. Words can hurt countless people
in many different ways. In Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors and
James E. Copple’s “The war on drugs is a horrible metaphor for a nation’s response to addiction”
the detrimental effects of metaphors are discussed. In the past when the Black Plague was
widespread it was said only unhappy people would get the plague. In politics, war terminology is
used to describe the “war on drugs,” and has led to militarization in the tactics used to fight this
“war.” The use of metaphors in the past and present has obscured the public knowledge and led
to the misrepresentation of disease and addiction in a way that that led to attacks and mass
prosecution on large groups of people.

In Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors Susan Sontag describes how the use
of metaphors has affected the perception of disease for centuries. Furthermore, according to
Sontag in the late sixteenth century and the early seventeenth century people in England believed
that “the happy man would not get plague” (Sontag, 55). This metaphor was used in a time in
England as the Black Plague killed millions of people throughout Europe. To start it indicates
that only men can get the plague a dangerous thing to say as women will think they are immune
to the disease. This statement also implies that mental strength can fend off the plague, and one
deserves to get the plague if they’re unhappy. This leads into why are they unhappy: their environment, their character, their upbringing. If they aren’t happy it is their fault because there
is no reason to be unhappy. This view on the disease would lead to isolation in those that had it.
There are also people that are secretly unhappy in society, that are able to put on a facade. If they
believe in statements like this they may spiral out of control as they believe they are sick. In this
time period those who obtained the plague were avoided in society. They were looked down
upon, which is why the use of this metaphor will drive people who are believed to be unhappy or
are unhappy but in secret into isolation. Society will break them down and reject them as they
see those with the disease as repulsive. The use of saying happy man would not get the plague
completely obscured what the plague was, who it affected, and how it affected them. It will
shape public opinion, and take them away from the truth which will be dangerous for those that
believe they are happy, and believe they would not get the plague. This metaphor obscured the
truth and made it dangerous when talking about disease and shows how society views disease by
looking down upon it and shunning those that are sick.

Similarly, in James E. Copple’s “The war on drugs is a horrible metaphor for a nation’s
response to addiction” he discusses the effects the metaphor “The war on drugs” has on the
nation. In the article Copple explains how he was once a supporter of the war on drugs, but has
since changed his opinion as he states “The war on drugs is a horrible metaphor for a nation’s
response to addiction. It has been a war on our own people and our neighborhoods” (Copple).
Based of off Copple’s article it is evident that the use of the metaphor “war on drugs” has created
bigger problems for this country then what it set out to do. The Office of Community-Oriented
Policing sent out about 100,000 troops (police officers) to wage the war and end drug use and
possession in this country (Copple). A crime bill signed by Bill Clinton was a declaration of warthat led to a decrease in crime but incarceration of thousands. The war that was waged was and is
still expensive, costing billions of dollars. The government’s response to the metaphor “war on
drugs” was to wage an actual war on its own citizens. Thousands of people were locked up in jail
for being addicted to a drug, this metaphor was dangerous as it led to people being alienated
from their families and society. This was a response to the government deeming those addicted
to drugs bad, and arresting them. The metaphor led to mass incarceration because of the idea that
addicts are seen as “choosing” to be addicted. What should have occurred was treatment, and
ways to help reform those addicted to drugs so that they can overcome their drug problems. But
the metaphor used painted a dangerous picture, that led to an even more forceful response by the
government. This metaphor obscured what the actual problem facing the country was, millions
of Americans addicted to drugs who needed medical attention, not incarceration.

The metaphors “the happy man would not get plague” and the “war on drugs” had
massive impacts in their respective times. “The happy man would not get plague” obscured what
was really occurring with the Black Plague. While the “war on drugs” also obscured the real
problem facing the country, addiction. Both of these metaphors had negative impacts on society
as only sad men were able to get the plague, and the United States waged a war on its citizens
that in reality needed help in dealing with addiction. These metaphors both have destructive
impacts, either attacking the character of those who had the plague or attacking those that were
addicted to drugs. The metaphor for the plague was different from the metaphor on drugs in that
it helped to sway public opinion, and changed how healthy people perceived those with the
plague. Those with the plague were judged and isolated from society by their own disease. While
the “war on drugs” led to the government waging its own fight by arresting people addicted to drugs instead of helping them. 100,000 police officers were mobilized, not 100,000 health
professionals as the metaphor militarized the perception of the public and that it is a character
problem when one is an addict. It exemplifies that many viewed “will power” as being the only
way to not becoming addicted, similar to saying “will power” will fight off the plague. Many
people now see addiction as a disease, so similar to how people were isolated by society due to
disease in England hundreds of years ago, history repeated itself and people were isolated
because of their disease in the United States.

Metaphors are powerful and can cause great harm to a group of people. As shown
throughout history metaphors are able to block off people from society, based off misperception.
In England hundreds of years ago metaphor was used to describe those with the plague, and
recently metaphor was used to wage an unnecessary war against those with drug addiction.
Metaphors can sway public opinion, and must be monitored as they can spread dangerous ideas
that aren’t necessarily true. The metaphors for the plague and the war on drugs exemplify that
those that are seen as ill are people that deserve to be punished. The metaphors also show how
society has shunned those that are sick with a disease or an addiction, as the metaphors create
misperception about what the diseases really are.

 

Works Cited:

Copple, James E. “The War on Drugs Is a Horrible Metaphor for a Nation’s Response to
Addiction.” TheHill, TheHill, 16 Mar. 2017,

https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/324347-the-war-on-drugs-is-a-horrible-
metaphor-for-a-nations-response.

Sontag, Susan, and Susan Sontag. Illness As Metaphor ; And, Aids and Its Metaphors.
New York: Doubleday, 1990. Print.