Written Communication Jan 2004

Neither Confusing Cacophony Nor Culinary Complements: A Case Study of Mixed Metaphors for Genomic Science

Leah Ceccarelli University of Washington

Abstract

This article undertakes a close rhetorical reading of the speeches given by Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Francis Collins, and Craig Venter on June 26, 2000, at the White House ceremony announcing the completion of the Human Genome Project. Specifically, it looks at the metaphors used by each speaker to describe the activity of genomic scientists. Scientific activity regarding the genome was metaphorically compared to such actions as producing a map, opening a frontier, unlocking a vault, drawing a blueprint, reading an instruction manual, and learning a language. This article argues that these metaphors and the way in which they interact with each other can oversimplify the subject matter under discussion and can conflict with the ethical goals that the authors explicitly proclaim. An examination of the interaction between metaphorical vehicles in this particular case study amends some earlier claims that the author made in a theoretical reflection on the problems and the possibilities of mixed metaphors in genomic science.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2004-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088303261651
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism qualitative research
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

  1. Swacha (2017)
    Older Adults as Rhetorical Agents: A Rhetorical Critique of Metaphors for Aging…
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  3. Jensen (2015)
    From Barren to Sterile: The Evolution of a Mixed Metaphor
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  4. Ross (2013)
    Common Topics and Commonplaces of Environmental Rhetoric
    Written Communication
  5. Gronnvoll et al. (2010)
    From Viruses to Russian Roulette to Dance: A Rhetorical Critique and Creation o…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
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  1. Journet (2010)
    The Resources of Ambiguity: Context, Narrative, and Metaphor in Richard Dawkins…
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  2. Sidler et al. (2008)
    Genetics Interfaces: Representing Science and Enacting Public Discourse in Onli…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Sidler (2006)
    The Rhetoric of Cells: Understanding Molecular Biology in the Twenty-First Century
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  4. Journet (2005)
    Metapahor, Ambiguity, and Motive in Evolutionary Biology: W. D. Hamilton and th…
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CrossRef global citation count: 20 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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