Conceptualization of “Death” in the Speeches of Qassem Soleimani:A Cognitive Approach to the “Good–Evil” Dichotomy [In Persian]

Metaphor is an important element of ideology and identity; it provides a cognitive and conceptual framework for shaping worldviews, allowing specific perspectives to be emphasized while competing ones are marginalized or rejected. This paper addresses the question: Through what cognitive models does Qassem Soleimani represent the good–evil (truth–falsehood) dichotomy in his speeches? To answer, the study examines three key texts (his will, his letter to the Leader announcing the end of ISIS, and a speech to shrine defenders) using conceptual metaphor theory as proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (2008) and Kövecses (2020). The discursive reproduction of this concept is studied within in-group and out-group relations. Good and evil are represented through conceptual emphasis on path, journey, and travelers with different goals and destinations. Data analysis applies the metaphor “Life is a Journey” to explain its elements: travelers, routes, destinations, shared goals, and obstacles. References to Zionism, arrogance, and the general “falsehood front” portray destructive destinations, while the “path of truth” depicts travelers such as fighters and martyrs, where the destination is martyrdom and spiritual elevation. Findings indicate that Soleimani’s speeches construct this cognitive dichotomy through the “Life is a Journey” metaphor, focusing mainly on the in-group rather than the out-group, depicting the path of good or truth with concepts such as jihad, martyrdom, and the way of the righteous servant. Although there are limited references to the out-group as “falsehood”, it is ultimately the choice of path that determines whether entities belong to the in-group or out-group in competing discourses. This demonstrates how cognitive interpretive systems shape identity boundaries and discursive structures.