CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN SHADAB ZEEST HASHMI’S PASSING THROUGH PESHAWAR

Abstract

This study explores the role of conceptual metaphors in constructing cognitive and cultural worldviews in Shadab Zeest Hashmi’s poem Passing through Peshawar. Drawing upon George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory (1980), the study investigates how metaphorical expressions conceptualize memory, identity, place, time, nostalgia, movement, and belonging. Using a qualitative textual analysis, metaphorical expressions are identified, categorized into source and target domains, and interpreted within their cultural and contextual contexts. The analysis reveals that the poem conceptualizes Memory as a Place, Time as a Movement, Identity as a Physical Possession, The City as a Living Entity, and Nostalgia as a Sensory Experience. These conceptual metaphors transform Peshawar from a geographical location into a deeply embodied space of personal memory and cultural identity. The findings demonstrate that Hashmi’s poetic language reflects the speaker’s emotional attachment to the city while also representing broader experiences of homeland, displacement, belonging, and cultural memory. The study contributes to cognitive literary studies by demonstrating how conceptual metaphors organize the relationship between language, cognition, place, and cultural identity in contemporary poetry.