The image of Spain in the Christmas messages of Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI

Rhetorical devices can be treated as an influential instrument of political rhetoric by means of which the manipulative intents of politicians become a reality. The article deals with the representation of the image of Spain in the Christmas messages issued by Juan Carlos I and his heir Felipe VI from 2000 to 2018. It includes three components: the images of the country, the monarch, and the Spanish people. These speeches are full of rhetorical devices such as metaphors, repetition, personification, parallelism, and parcellation, which are used to convince people to maintain the status-quo, obey the law, and be proud of their own country. Both Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI create a perfectly elaborated image of the monarch who plays a role of liaison between the authorities and the society, and is concerned about the Spanish people's anxieties and preoccupations.