A Critical Metaphor Analysis of Heroic Myth in the Discourse of Kwame Nkrumah

This paper examines how Kwame Nkrumah, a pioneering Pan-African leader, utilizes metaphor to simultaneously construct heroes and villains, protagonists and antagonists, forming part of an ideological mechanism that portrays him as a valiant leader and a noble revolutionary. Using critical metaphor analysis as an analytic framework and a number of Nkrumah speeches as the dataset, the paper finds that Nkrumah’s use of WAR/CONFLICT and JOURNEY metaphors as well as PERSONIFICATION reflects archetypal traits of mythological heroism, giving an indication of how metaphorical structures enable political leaders to formulate a socially important representation. Specifically, Nkrumah constructs himself as a champion prizefighter on a solemn mission, facing challenges and triumphs along the way, to rescue Africa from tyranny and barbarism and safeguard the continent’s welfare in the post-independence period. The implications of the study in terms of the importance of critical interest in metaphor investigation are discussed.