Abstract

The study of metaphors and frames has become an important aspect of mass media studies. Indeed, the mass media might control and direct the individual’s perception of the audience by using certain metaphors in the discourse of the articles and by evoking certain frames. The purpose of this paper is to discover how a sense of Gemeinschaft-like community might be constructed by the press. In particular, the aim of this paper is to determine which metaphors and frames were used in the articles on Santa Lucia’s holiday that were published by Syracusaine newspapers issued between the 10th and the 21st of December, 2005. Santa Lucia is the Patron Saint of Syracuse, and the holiday devoted to her has a great significance for the population of the city. Santa Lucia was born in Syracuse, that is why there is a strong identification between the saint and the Syracusaines. Given the significance of Santa Lucia’s holiday for the Syracusaine community, the holiday receives considerable news coverage. The analysis of the study reveals that many metaphors and frames referring to the Gemeinschaft, or to the common territory, ethnicity, ideology, and the same activity were found in the corpus of the study.