At 'war' with COVID-19: A critical metaphor analysis of Emmanuel Macron's March 2020 addresses to the French people.

This study analyzes French President Emmanuel Macron's rhetorical framing of the COVID-19 pandemic during two nationally televised speeches in March 2020, just before France's first nationwide lockdown. Using critical metaphor analysis grounded in conceptual metaphor theory, the research identifies two primary metaphors in Macron's addresses: COVID-19 as War and Confinement as a Journey. The War metaphor positioned Macron as a commanding leader mobilizing citizens against an invisible enemy, which may have reinforced his existing image as an elitist "Jupiterian" figure and hindered public identification with him. In contrast, the Journey metaphor framed the confinement as a collective, purposeful endeavor, potentially fostering greater solidarity and empowerment among the French people. The study concludes that Macron's mixed metaphorical approach, especially the dominant War framing, may have limited his ability to fully unite and persuade the public to comply with pandemic restrictions.