A Study of Metaphorical Narratives in News Cartoons on Novel Corona-virus

“A Study of Metaphorical Narratives in News Cartoons on Novel Corona-virus” is an academic article by Chinese cognitive linguistics scholars Zou Xing-ju and Liu Lan-hui that investigates the use of visual metaphors in Chinese news cartoons to convey mini narratives about COVID-19. The cartoons covered in the study primarily feature scenes of Chinese myths, wars or fighting as visual metaphors, containing elements such as artistic renditions of COVID-19, mythical heroes and people involved in the pandemic response, in order to emphasize the role of medical professionals, government officials and the police in safeguarding public health in the pandemic and to demonize the virus itself. An example of a visual metaphor in the form of a Chinese myth is the cartoon “Shooting the Sun,” (射日) which depicts a healthcare worker firing syringes, representing the COVID-19 vaccine, at nine COVID-19 viruses, represented by the nine harmful suns. It evokes the myth of Houyi (后羿), an ancient hero who was said to have shot down nine of the ten suns with his bow and arrow, thus ending the drought that the suns caused. Through the associations with the myth, the cartoon illustrates COVID-19 as a menace to humanity, and the healthcare worker as a heroic figure who administers vaccines to destroy the virus and protect humanity. Another cartoon, “Out to War,” (出征) represents the pandemic response in the healthcare sector with the visual metaphor of war, depicting medical professionals as soldiers wielding syringes as weapons to defend against COVID-19, the approaching enemies. It conveys the message that medical professionals are using the most advanced technology to treat COVID-19 and control its spread.

The cartoons aim to instill appreciation towards medical professionals and trust in the use of medical technology, especially vaccines, in viewers, and raise their awareness of the threat posed by COVID-19. The visual metaphors condense a series of persuasive, informative, or emotive messages about COVID-19 into a single scene, so viewers can draw on their cultural knowledge to understand crucial anti-epidemic messages, without the need for complex epidemiological knowledge.