This paper exposes a corpus-based, qualitative and contrastive analysis of the contribution that frame
semantics can make in the analysis of conceptual metaphors within the debate on the current refugee
crisis, with selected examples taken from the Italian and German press. The use of frame semantics
allows looking at any given phenomenon from several different perspectives, a characteristic that is
also typical of metaphors and especially of those rooted in the cultural context of a specific linguistic
community. This is obtained through the so-called highlighting and hiding effect of metaphors, theorized
by Lakoff/Johnson in !"#$, by means of which some features are placed in the spotlight while
other remain in the dark. Factors that influence which elements will be focused on and/or which will
be neglected include the political orientation of the journalists or politicians involved or the political
situation of the country as a whole
