The present article aims at the political discourse functioning as the medium for complex animal metaphor «POLITICS IS ANIMAL WORLD». The study of the animal metaphor in based on the material taken from the British and American web-based media. The metaphorical model is examined in the context of a discourse approach due to the intense interest to a man's mental world in the modern era. Animal metaphors are studied in terms of mass-media discourse and institutional political discourse. Any political activity involves political communication which is targeted at obtaining power, using it to the politician’s advantage and affecting public opinion. Manipulating social consciousness in the modern world has taken on different forms and shapes, but the metaphor has always been one of the most productive means of achieving this goal. The complex metaphor can be seen as an important instrument for conceptualizing political discourse.
The present article aims at the political discourse functioning as the medium for complex animal metaphor «POLITICS IS ANIMAL WORLD». The study of the animal metaphor in based on the material taken from the British and American web-based media. The metaphorical model is examined in the context of a discourse approach due to the intense interest to a man's mental world in the modern era. Animal metaphors are studied in terms of mass-media discourse and institutional political discourse. Any political activity involves political communication which is targeted at obtaining power, using it to the politician’s advantage and affecting public opinion. Manipulating social consciousness in the modern world has taken on different forms and shapes, but the metaphor has always been one of the most productive means of achieving this goal. The complex metaphor can be seen as an important instrument for conceptualizing political discourse.