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Benjamin Jacquez III

Professor Geoghan

FIQWS 10113

Due October 3rd, 2017

The Shot Talk

When the term vaccination is used in a general conversation, is the definition of

vaccination the first thing you think about, or do any positive or negative feelings associate

towards the thought of a vaccination? A simple definition of vaccination is defined as a treatment

with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease. Just from this definition alone you can

imagine the advantages of getting vaccinated for your overall health against known fatal

diseases. However, today there are many preconceived notions and negative connotations

towards the mere concept of vaccination. In Eula Bisss, On Immunity: An Inoculation, the

author presents two metaphors, the Jab and Shot metaphor and The Mark of the Beast metaphor,

that extend each other which ultimately obscures our understanding of vaccinations which affects

our overall health.

The first metaphor to be examined is the Jab and Shot which carries an obvious violent

connotation. The jab and shot metaphor compares the vaccination to that of a jab in British terms

or of a gunshot in American terms. The British call it a jab, and Americans, favoring guns,

call it a shot. Either way, vaccination is a violence (Biss 12-13). The thought of a needle

breaking through your skin to inject the vaccine could insight a sense of fear to pain. With that

said, people can compare that pain to a jab, or a type of punch, and a shot which infers a gunshot

and this shares the same concept of pain and fear with the jab. It could be taken a step further in

saying that a gunshot sounds more terrifying than a job as it happens to be more painful too! As
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Biss pretty much said in the excerpt, vaccination in many individuals point of views infers a

sense of violence which leads to fear.

The second metaphor to be examined is one that alludes to a more theological concept

which still carries a violent and fearful connotation. The Mark of the Beast metaphor compares

the scar that was often left after vaccination in the nineteenth century to that of the mark of the

beast. Throughout the nineteenth century, vaccination left a wound that would scar. The mark

of the beast, some feared (Biss 13). Back in the nineteenth century, needles were significantly

larger than the needles today. When being vaccinated back then, it would leave a very large scar

that in turn leaves behind a negative memory of a painful time in attempt to create immunity

against different diseases. Not only does it create a negative memory from the shot, but when

others see it, those who may be more religious, may see it as you sold yourself out to the beast.

The beast in reference of the bible is the devil, or Satan in other words. In short, the mark of the

beast refers to the theological idea of the antichrist, otherwise known as Satan, and promotes fear

and negativity using demonic references.

The jab and shot metaphor along with the mark of the beast metaphor both produce a

negative and fearful connotation which plays a key role in an individual determining to get

themselves vaccinated and/or getting their children vaccinated. These two metaphors also extend

each other because as you receive the shot or jab, you are then left with the mark of the beast, or

the scar from the needle. However, with medical advances in todays society there has been an

eradication of scars left over from vaccines. This is due to the size of the needles shrinking while

still efficiently ejecting the vaccine, which in turn leaves only a little irritated dot where the

needle was inserted. Sometimes there isnt even a visible speck of blood anywhere around the

injection site. In terms of the pain endured from the vaccine, medical advances in the mechanism
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of the needle have significantly reduced the amount of pain experienced. This is due to the quick

action of the needle puncturing the skin and underlying tissues while ejecting the vaccine at a

high velocity which reduces the amount of time the needle is inserted into the skin. With these

medical advances for vaccinations, the metaphors that Biss spotlighted create the concept of fear

and pain that ultimately obscures these medical advancements and our understanding of health

overall.

In the final analysis of how the Jab and Shot metaphor and The Mark of the Beast

metaphor extend each other, we see that it creates a sense of fear and negativity due to their

violent implications or demonic references. These negative connotations in turn affect

individuals and their children in determining whether to become vaccinated or not. This concept

ultimately obscures our understanding of vaccinations which relates to our overall health.
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Works Cited

Biss, Eula. On Immunity: An Inoculation. On Immunity: An Inoculation, The Text Publishing

Company, 2015, pp. 128.