Heroes or criminals: discursive representation of cancer patients in health awareness advertisements

Abstract

This article compares the use of metaphors in breast and lung cancer awareness advertisements in order to examine the positioning and identity construction of the respective cancer patients. A semantic annotation software tool was used to identify the overuse of semantic fields in each corpus of cancer awareness advertisements and multimodal metaphors were identified following the protocols of Bounegru and Forceville’s (2011) article, ‘Metaphors in editorial cartoons representing global financial crisis’, Forceville’s (2009) essay, ‘Non-verbal and multimodal metaphor in a cognitivist framework: Agendas for research’ and Pérez-Sobrino’s (2017) book, Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in Advertising. Findings showed that breast cancer awareness advertisements deployed more positive words than did the lung cancer awareness advertisements and they used a wide range of source domains such as WILD ANIMALS and FIGHTERS, showing the creative representation of deeply entrenched conventional metaphors as well as the use of humour and euphemism. On the other hand, lung cancer awareness advertisements were much less metaphorical and mostly sought to persuade people to quit smoking. The metaphorical use of military weapons showed that ‘shockvertising’ was recurrent in lung cancer awareness advertisements. The present study argues that both types of advertisements partially present the facts of breast cancer and lung cancer, and the guilt-loading of smokers in the lung cancer awareness advertisements invisibly transformed the physical threat appeals into social threat appeals.

Information Type Influences Students’ Perceptions of Faculty Self-Disclosures

“…Overall, these findings fit with Corrigan and Watson's (2002) observation that people with psychological conditions are more likely to be stigmatized compared to those with physical conditions. The breast cancer findings seem consistent with the stereotype of cancer survivors as fighters (Ho, 2019), yet the brain tumor results are inconsistent with the notion that those with brain tumors may be cognitively impaired (Fox & Lantz, 1998). Perhaps because our vignette stated that the professor had her brain tumor removed, the professor was seen in a similar sort of light as a cancersurviving hero.…”

“…Other cancer patients may be viewed in an unrealistically positive light. For example, individuals who lived through breast cancer treatment are referred to as "fighters" (Ho, 2019). Alternatively, individuals with brain tumors may avoid disclosing their condition due to perceptions of cognitive impairment (Fox & Lantz, 1998).…”

Emotion-based communication: the specifics of fear and hope tactics

“…Krūties vėžiu sergantys pacientai rodomi kaip kovotojai, superherojai (Ho, 2021). Organų doronystės kampanijos plakatuose komiksų stiliumi vaizduojami superherojai.…”

“…Naudojami veiksmažodžiai daiktavardžiai, tokie kaip "mušti" ir "kovoti", krūties vėžys pristatomas kaip kova, o krūties vėžiu sergantys pacien taikaip kariai (Ho, 2021). Krūties vėžio prevencinėse reklamose raginama stebėti save: "Reguliariai tikrinkite savo krūtis" ir "Žinokite, kaip jūsų krūtys atrodo įprastai " (Ho, 2021). Fondas "Pro Society" inicijavo organų donorystės kampaniją, tam buvo naudojami šie šūkiai: "Tu taip pat gali tai padaryti!…”

Metaphorical Concepts and Their Cognitive Functions in Medical Discourse: Research Papers vs. Press Articles

“…Their study reveals dominant views on those phenomena most often described as cancers, as well as how cancer is perceived and conceived of. Ho (2019) illustrates the incidence of cancer metaphor awareness in advertising, particularly focusing on the representation of patients as fighters.…”