Highlighting and Hiding: Images of Farmers in Chinese News Cartoons.

Drawing upon a multimodal corpus consisting of 48 farmer-themed cartoons retrieved from the China News Cartoon Network, this research aims to undertake a comprehensive analysis of farmers' images constructed through the utilization of various multimodal metaphors and metonymies in news cartoons. A multimodal critical metaphor / metonymy analysis approach will be adopted to lay bare the hidden evaluative attitudes that underlie these tropes. Thorough scrutiny, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the study reveals the existence of five primary stereotypical media images of farmers in the Chinese news media. These include the depiction of farmers as economically disadvantaged laborers, powerless takers reliant on protection, contrasting figures to urban citizens, poorly educated criminals, and beneficiaries of agricultural policies. The predominantly one-dimensional, weakened, and biased images are intentionally (or unintentionally) crafted by the media through the use of metaphorical and metonymic mappings, which involve highlighting certain aspects while concealing others. The negative attitudes, discrimination, and stigmatization toward the least powerful members of Chinese society unveil the underlying unequal power dynamics, social hierarchy, and economic duality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]