Metaphors of Control Toward a Language of Peace: Recent Self‐Defining Rhetorical Constructs of Helen Caldicott

Abstract

Examining the metaphoric configurations of Australian physician Helen Caldicott is crucial when attempting to discover her particular language of peace and its effectiveness. The symbols present in much of Caldicott's language can be organized into three power‐related categories: physician, mother, and deity. These categories, which traditionally represent positions of authority, seem at odds with her implicit goals of giving voice to the marginalized peace‐seekers crusading for the voiceless natural world. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the recent metaphors used by Helen Caldicott with specific attention to dominant power images. Commentaries follow by April Gordon, Cynthia A. Brincat, Simona Sharoni, and Ralph Summy/Hilary Neil.