For another social media analysis, we are looking at another meme
found on the internet that features a famous former boxing champion, Mike
Tyson. Tyson speaks with a lisp and there are many people and media memes who
make fun of him and his speech deficiency just as seen in this picture.
Starting with the text analysis (description), we see a picture of Mike Tyson,
from the shoulders up, with his signature tattoo on his face, his mouth closed,
and he is dressed nicely. He is looking into the distance, not at the camera.
The words are written across the top and bottom, “I Jutht Don’t Underthtand All
Thith Madneth” From this we can begin to interpret using the process analysis
step. We can easily interpret that the phrase is meant to be, “I Just Don’t
Understand All This Madness,” but is constructed to be pronounced in the way
that a person with a lisp would read it. By simply, replacing the “S’s” with
“Th’s,” people are able to see that this person is not able to pronounce the
words the way they are supposed to sound. From this interpretation, we can use
the social analysis to explain why this matters. It is clear to see that this
meme is meant to tease and point out Mike Tyson’s lisp but in turn also
represents the rest of the population that has a lisp. As simple as this meme
is, it is rude and hurtful to all people who have this speech impediment.
However, it does show us that anyone, including a famous male figure, can live
with being teased and ridiculed for their speech problems. So, if we are
willing to get a laugh out at even Mike Tyson’s expense, what about adults and
children that are not able to cope with the bullying and teasing? This could
potentially really affect with someone’s self-esteem and social issues and make
them extremely self-conscious to speak amongst others, even their peers.
Overall, we feel no one should have to feel degraded or put down by words for
such a perpetual action like speaking.
Fairclough's Model
Monday, November 30, 2015
Media Text Analysis #1
In a meme that we chose, there is a character from Star Trek,
Captain Picard, is seen with his arm is stretched out and hand is palm up and
fingers spread. There is another character in the back with his head slightly
tilted and arms straight down. The words written are “Why the f*** can
you not just spit the damn word out?” His mouth is open like he is in
mid-sentence. This is only what we visually see and what Fairclough’s model
calls the text analysis (description). The process analysis (interpretation) is
taking what we visually see and interpreting it for what it could mean. Seeing
this meme, we feel it could be interpreted that overall he is frustrated and
impatient. The curse words insinuate that he is yelling, angry and hostile. His
hand gesture could be portrayed as dominating towards the person he is speaking
to lacking patience and understanding. It generally seems like an offensive
position. Using the social analysis (explanation) step, we will take the
interpretation and explain what they means and how it relates to our oppressed
group. It is obvious that this is meant toward someone who has a stutter
and is therefore an oppressive form of media towards those with speech
impediments. Also, from what we interpret, there is a negative, frustrated feeling
towards people who have a speech impediment, specifically ones that speak with
a stutter. This also shows that people assume that people with stutters
are “stupid” and should be able to just say what they are thinking without
hesitation. By asking this question, people wrongly assume that they are
purposely taking their own time or not “just spitting the word out.” In
society, time is considered to be money so anything or anyone, in this matter,
who is “wasting time” is just treated negatively. Overall, this perpetuates
impatience within our society and discrimination against people who have no
control over how they speak.
Fairclough's Model
Professor Norman Fairclough,
professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University, is just one of the founders
of the critical discourse analysis theory or the Fairclough Model. The Critical
Discourse Analysis was created to analyze how power is displayed through
language; this may include the uses of; texts, talk, video, and other ways of
communication. Fairclough’s analytical model is designed as a three-tier model;
the text, the discursive practice, and the sociocultural practice.
According to the text by academia.edu, “It is a spoken or written text
(the text), it is an instance of discourse practice involving the production
and interpretation of texts (discursive practice), and it is a part of social
practice (sociocultural practice).” (Mirazaee and Hamidi, 2012, 187-188)
The text aspect of the model discusses the study of language structures in a
discursive event. When discussing the discursive practices, the model puts
emphasis on paying attention to examining the production, consumption, and
reproduction of the texts. The third tier of the model introduces the analysis
of sociocultural practice consists of an investigation of what happens in a
particular socio-cultural pieces of work.
Hamidi,
Hadi. "Critical Discourse Analysis." Fairclough's Model. N.p.,
Oct. 2012. Web.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)