When thinking of metaphors, the phrase, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me,” come to mind. What this means is that physical harm may hurt and affect me, but words will not. But the true reality is that words do, indeed, have the ability to help or hurt people. The articulation of language can determine everything from persuading, to infoming, to even entertaining. The way words can be exhibited is powerful, which is where metaphors come in. The comparison between two concepts establishes a connection to the reader’s mind. Metaphors can be used to exaggerate a point to draw attention to what is being referred to. They can also be used to allow relatability, as comparing an unknown to a known allows for greater understanding. And it is because of the power of metaphors that has led to the worldwide use of it. In Susan Sontag’s, Illness as Metaphor, she uses tuberculosis (TB) as a metaphor, mentioning that, “TB was–still is–thought to produce spells of euphoria, increased appetite, exacerbated sexual desire.” TB as a metaphor could be interpreted differently than other metaphors, such as the use of “This/that is OD” (OD referring to overdose).  Based on these metaphors, it can be exhibited that the use of illnesses can be utilized as either a positive or negative metaphor. 

In Susan Sontag’s book, Illness as Metaphor, she refers to the use of metaphors in disease and how others may perceive them, choosing to specifically analyze metaphors on cancer and tuberculosis. She found that regardless of their degree of seriousness, they are perceived differently. Cancer is seen as a battle to the death where the patient must fight a war to survive. Tuberculosis is somewhat romanticized and preferred due to the somewhat favorable physical effects it has on the patient, such as thinness and pale skin. She states in this text that, as previously mentioned before, “TB was–still is–thought to produce spells of euphoria, increased appetite, exacerbated sexual desire.” This quote refers to the beliefs people had about the symptoms of tuberculosis. Rather than the usual unwanted symptoms of any other illness, such as body aches, fevers, nasal congestion, etc., TB is different. Increases in happiness, wanting to eat more, and increases in sexual desire do not seem like terrible symptoms to occur to someone. This changes everyone’s perceptions of this disease. Rather than believing in treatment of it, it may be more enticing to continue having the disease in some sense. Additionally, Sontag mentions how others view patients with tuberculosis to be more attractive, especially in women. Due to the pale skin, increases in thinness, along with other aspects, it made sense that people would perceive tuberculosis as a positive illness. As a result, an illness is used as a positive metaphor

The second metaphor mentioned, “This/that is OD,” is a slang term. OD, once again, is short for overdose. The use of the term OD dates back to the 1950’s when it was popularized in culture, mostly used by hippies (“O.D. definition and meaning”). The metaphor itself compares something that is too much with overdosing. For example, if a student has too much homework, they might say, “Wow, this homework is OD.” This expression is usually used very casually, either over text or in informal conversation. It paints drug use in a negative connotation as it should be, as the phrase expresses something negative and compares it to something even more negative, as an exaggeration. The use of this phrase also draws attention to excessive drug use and might have subconsciously advocated against it. In this instance, an illness is used as a negative metaphor.

Based on the analysis of the two metaphors, it can be observed that the use of illnesses can be utilized as either a positive or negative metaphor. In the first example, Sontag highlights how the metaphor gives power to tuberculosis as a positive metaphor. It gives TB a positive connotation, from something as a serious illness to a preferred characteristic, the use of the TB metaphor has influenced others on their perceptions of tuberculosis. As stated before, this may have negative effects on others, as people may not take the disease seriously, which can result unfavorably. In the second metaphor, the power was given to overdosing, using it as a negative metaphor. The increased use of the word draws attention to the excess use of drugs, allowing for others to subconsciously be aware of this. However, this can also backfire, as using OD negatively may make it more difficult for individuals who are suffering to seek and receive treatment for these issues. Metaphors have a lot of power when used correctly. It can convince, entertain, manipulate, and inform others about certain aspects of life. For these examples, even with their suggested connotations, they may have unfavorable consequences. Due to this, we should be more aware of the power of metaphors, as we can either use this to our advantage, or find ourselves victims to these metaphors ourselves.

Works Cited 

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). O.D. definition & meaning. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/od  

Sontag, Susan. Illness as Metaphor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978.