A critical discourse analysis on english political cartoons

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THU PHƯƠNG A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON ENGLISH POLITICAL CARTOONS (PHÂN TÍCH DIỄN NGƠN PHÊ PHÁN VỀ TRANH BIẾM HỌA CHÍNH TRỊ TIẾNG ANH) Minor thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 HANOI - 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THU PHƯƠNG A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON ENGLISH POLITICAL CARTOONS (PHÂN TÍCH DIỄN NGƠN PHÊ PHÁN VỀ TRANH BIẾM HỌA CHÍNH TRỊ TIẾNG ANH) Minor thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Supervisor: Prof Nguyễn Hòa HANOI - 2010 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION NR : Native Reader(s) NNR : Non-native Reader(s) CDA : Critical Discourse Analysis 47 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III LIST OF ABBREVIATION IV TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A INTRODUCTION 1 RATIONALE SCOPE OF THE STUDY 3 AIMS OF THE STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS METHODS OF THE STUDY ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theories on Critical Discourse Analysis 1.1.1 What is Critical Discourse Analysis? 1.1.2 CDA’s characteristics 1.1.3 Principles and Aims of CDA 1.1.4 Power and Dominance 11 1.2 Background knowledge about Cartoons 13 1.2.1 What are Cartoons and Political Cartoons? 13 1.2.2 General characteristics of Political Cartoons 14 1.2.3 Purpose of Political Cartoons 15 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Data Collection Methods 16 2.2 Data Analysis Procedures 17 CHAPTER PRESENTATION AND DISCUSION OF THE RESULTS 20 3.1 Data Analysis 20 3.2 Discussion 40 PART C CONCLUSION 44 CONCLUSION ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED LIMITATIONS 46 RECOMMENDATIONS 46 REFERENCES APPENDIX PART A INTRODUCTION Rationale There is one question that has particularly fascinated people for thousands of years, whether our languages can reflect or reinforce our ways of looking at the world and if so, how? It is usually taken for granted that there exits the purely objective language and differs from our experience and attitude However, it is well-known now that language use is an inherently social phenomenon How we speak depends on such factors as where we grew up, our racial and ethnic identity, whether we are women or men, and our education And we now also understand that successful reading of journalistic discourse as well as graphics remains at a much higher level than just how language is used For second language readers, this process is complicated by the fact that these readers often rely on sociocultural conventions of their native language, which is source of misunderstanding between Vietnamese readers and others of a language Thus, the readers must not only acquire the correct forms and sounds of the target language, but also the knowledge of how language is used in the culture, especially for reading pictures, images or cartoons which is understood mainly on graphics and social context and language Though critical thinking and text analysis are as old as language itself, critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a relatively new addition to the varieties of text analysis available CDA is a perspective on critical scholarship: a theory and a method of analyzing that individuals and institutions use language Critical discourse analysts focus “on social problems and especially the role o discourse in the production and reproduction of power abuse or domination” (van Dijk, 1999) CDA starts by identifying social problem, choose the perspective of those who suffer most and critically analyses those in power, those who are responsible and those who have the means and the opportunity to solve such problem In response to social inequality and the abuse of power, CDA demands “politically involved research with an emancipatory requirement” (Titscher et al., 2000:147) Such an approach inevitably means that CDA takes an overt moral and political position with regard to the social problem analyzed CDA can provide an insightful look into an authentic text, so that readers engage with the content critically at the same time as they attempt to understand other more superficial aspects of the text For instances, readers may confront texts of a possibly xenophobic nature to explore the discourse mechanisms of racism In short, with the aim of dealing with social problems by means of language, Critical Discourse Analysis, defined as discourse analysis “with an attitude” (van Dijk) has been in existence for several decades and has helped uncover the ideological assumptions that are hidden within texts It is a useful tool in language use analysis contributing positively to the process of struggling for power equality Having gone through a long history to be an important industry as well as a social and psychological reflection, cartoons appear to be a very potential and appealing source of material because in cartoons people have a freedom to employ pragmatic strategies that allow them play to with words and drawings to achieve various communicative effects Most dictionary definitions tend to use the word “humorous” when describing cartoons, but this does not always have to be the case Certain cartoons, especially for political cartoons are not humorous at all, but are making serious messages about certain issues that the artist finds important Obviously, cartoons can supply people with a very rich of information about the native countries, people‟s lifestyles and culture differences Having these in mind, I choose to carry out a case study on English political cartoons in the light of Critical Discourse Analysis in an attempt to find out hidden political opinions in cartoons This paper also hopefully examines to what extent Vietnamese readers of English are able to interpret English cartoons and the way in which they differ from native readers of English in their interpretation of the cartoons Then, it draws some causes of misunderstanding and gives some suggestions for better communication Scope of the Study The study of CDA on English Political Cartoons is confined to linguistic devices and symbolism of the cartoons under study and their conversational implicatures in relation to everyday life or political context although the author is well aware that the global context at the time cartoons were published and the gender of cartoons writer are certain important Aims of the Study The objectives of the study on English Political Cartoons from CDA standpoint include: - To provide a theoretical background of CDA- its concepts, its analysis procedures as well as its role in linguistics - To find out hidden political opinions in the English Political Cartoons - To investigate the extent to which Vietnamese readers of English understand the messages embedded in English Political cartoons Research Questions In order to realize these above aims, the case study is supposed to answer the following research questions: - How are political opinions embedded in English Political Cartoons? - Do Vietnamese readers of English understand what is intended to be conveyed via the cartoons? - What are the causes of misunderstanding? Methods of the Study According to Ruth Wodak and Michael Meyer (2001), CDA does not constitute a well-defined empirical method but rather a cluster of approaches Fairclough (2001) also stated that the choice of appropriate methods (data selection, collection and analysis) depends on the object of research CDA entails some form of detailed textual analysis It specially includes a combination of interdiscursive analysis of texts (i.e of how different genres, discourses and styles are articulated together) and linguistic and other forms of semiotic analysis In other words, CDA is just an approach which is highly eclectic; therefore in this study a bundle of different techniques is employed to achieve the goal set from the beginning The main methods of the case study are the quantitative and qualitative ones, as well as explanatory and contrastive analysis All the considerations, remarks, comments and assumptions are largely based on data analysis Organization of the Study The study includes three parts as follows: Part A: Introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the scope and the methods of the study as well as the organization of the study Part B: Development, the main part of the thesis and consists of three chapters: - Chapter 1: Literature review This chapter discusses the theoretical background related to Critical Discourse Analysis Of course, it focuses on definition of CDA, its characteristics, principles and aims of CDA Later part deals with the concepts of discourse and power Then, coming to the background knowledge about cartoons, in general and political cartoons, in particular Some general characteristics and purpose of political cartoons are mentioned in the last part of this chapter - Chapter 2: Methodology This chapter first restates the three research questions then gives the detailed description of the study, which includes data collection instrument, subjects and data collection procedure - Chapter 3: Presentation and Discussion of the results This is the main part of the thesis with the data analysis which presents the results and indepth discussions, and then an overall picture is given by synthesizing all the major findings and discussing them Part C: Conclusion, summarizes the major findings and also deals with the limitation of the study as well as suggests the further study Apart from the three main parts, the two survey questionnaires (one for native readers and one for non-native readers) are also included as appendix 43 in NNR‟s critical discourse analysis competence Most of them have difficulty in using the theory of discourse they have learned in a real context of a specific cartoon The problem actually has its root in the lack of historical and political knowledge It is also interesting to note the two seemingly opposite dimensions in the way NNR interpret cartoons On the other hand, NNR tend to unreasonably complicate cartoons while Vietnamese readers also tend to narrow down the issue implied in the cartoons In other words, NNR tends to comment on the cartoon‟s individual case but forget that cartoons never discuss just the portrayed scene, but utilizes the portrayed scene to discuss a much boarder issue that cartoonists find important In spite of that, however, the readers‟ imagination should always base on the cues given in the cartoon Cartoons stimulate imagination and critical thinking but only relevant imagination supported by relevant evidences Finally, the study also conveys a message that CDA provides a useful way for language users and readers to have better understanding about pressing political issues through critical discourse analysis Whatever theories, descriptions, methods and empirical work are chosen or elaborated, the sociopolitical goal is to understand and combat inequality and injustice 44 PART C CONCLUSION The previous part has looked critically at the cartoons from different aspects in order to uncover the intended messages as well as to figure out the power behind language The last sections will present a very brief summary of all the findings and some suggestions for readers Then, the author also looks at the limitations of the study and gives recommendations for further study Conclusion The data analysis provided useful information to help answer the three research questions: - How are political opinions embedded in English Political Cartoons? - Do Vietnamese readers of English understand what is intended to be conveyed via the cartoons? - What are the causes of misunderstanding? Several things are clear with regard to the interpretation of English cartoons by NNR For one thing cartoons (especially political cartoons) go beyond merely reporting facts but provide the cartoonists‟ opinion and are intended to sway the opinions of readers (including the mass public and power elites in the society) These findings may serve as illustrations for what Norman Fairclough (2001) called “hidden power” Cartoonists, language users who have more or less freedom in the use of special discourse styles, exercises power over more or less passive, controlled audience in that they have sole producing rights and therefore determine what is included and excluded, how events are presented, and even the subject positions of their audience For another thing, the NNR at advanced English proficiency level and working experiences taking part in the study differed significantly from NR in their interpretations 45 Furthermore, the data analysis pointed out some major causes of misinterpretations Although NNR‟s success in interpreting cartoons, to some extents, depends on the cartoons themselves (topic, way of presenting information, background knowledge used, etc…), major problems faced by NNR during the interpreting process involved the not full background knowledge, little experience to exploit all features of context and the interference of native language and culture In fact, cartoons now are very popular in most newspapers and magazines as well as other sources However, the majority of readers, even teachers of English or journalists who often work with them, may not have enough appropriate cultural knowledge themselves Apparently, cartoons would be a very appealing and potential source to help readers of English well-aware of the native country This factor plays an important role to bridge the cultural gap between NR and NNR, which may minimize the possibility of miscommunication when members of the two groups interact Cartoons help readers to identify issues, analyze symbols, acknowledge the need for background knowledge, recognize stereotypes and caricatures, think critically and appreciate the role of irony and humor Reading with cartoons, which is quite relax and interesting, can help enrich readers‟ background knowledge of the people and the country of target language which in turns helps them comprehend and communicate more successfully in the target language In short, the above findings and conclusions prove the research assumptions to be true They also lend further support to the findings about the relationship between the cartoons and political ideologies In almost every newspaper around the world, a political cartoon is published that highlights a particular viewpoint or idea through the use of illustration Often, the image is exaggerated and intended to be humorous as well as informative They can also be satirical or even serious in tone, depending on the audience, the artist, and the idea illustrated Symbolism, caricature, labels, analogy, irony or exaggeration are also used as the persuasive techniques to create humor by the cartoonists All serve to make the readers think about political and government issues Especially, under CDA light-a new 46 discipline in linguistic research, political cartoon proved to be an useful tool in expressing hidden ideologies and power Limitations Due to the limitation of time and source of material, the author of this study was not able to fulfill her further expectation to compare the language of English cartoons with that of Vietnamese cartoons in order to find out whether or not readers can draw the inferences necessary to understand the messages in English cartoons by just the same way of reasoning as they in their own language; in other words, to give deeper insights into English language in cartoons and what extend the mother tongue poses influences on the process of understand English cartoons Recommendations It would be recommended that studies in the future should focus on the comparison between English and Vietnamese cartoons, the similarities and differences Besides, more research should be done on how to help readers of English cartoons understand them easily to achieve near-native competence 47 REFERENCES Burack, Jonathan (1994), Understanding and Creating Editorial Cartoons: A Resource Guide Madison, WI: Knowledge Unlimited Fairclough, N (2001), Language and Power, Second Edition, Harlow: Longman Fairclough, N (1997), Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical study of Language, London: Longman Galiie, W B (1955), Essentially Contestable Comcepts, Proceedings of the Aristolelian Society, 56, 167-198 Gramsci, A (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks, trans Q Hoare and G.N Smith London: Lawrence & Wishart Halliday, M.A.K (1994), An Introduction to Functional Grammar, Second Edition, Oxford University Press Inc Kress G and Hodge, B (1979), Language as Ideology, London: Routledge Nunan D (1993), Introducing Disourse Analysis, Penguine Richardson, J E (2007), Analysing Newspaper: An approach from Critical Discourse Analysis Great Britain 10 Saussure, Ferdinand de [1916] 1983 Course in General Linguistics (trans Roy Harris) London: Duckworth 11 Titscher, S., Meyer, M., Wodak, R and Vetter, E (2000), Methods of Text and Discourse Analysis London: Sage Publications 12 Van Dijk, T.A (1988), News as discourse, Hillside, NJ: Erlbaum 13 Van Dijk, T.A (1993b), Principles of critical discorse analysis, Discourse and Society, 4(2), 249-83 14 Van Dijk, T.A (1999), Critical Discourse Analysis and Conversation Analysis, Dicourse and Society, 10 (4), pp.459-450 15 Wodak, R (2001), What CDA is about- a summary of its history, important concepts and its developments, in R Wodak and M Meyer (eds) Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis London: Sage 16 Nguyen Hoa (2000), An Introduction to Discourse Analysis, Hanoi National University 48 17 Nguyen Hoa (2008), Phân tích Diễn ngơn: Một số vấn đề lí luận phương pháp, Nhà xuất Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội 18 The New Yorker Magazine on July 21, 2008 19 http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon 20 http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Political_cartoon 21 http://www.cartoongallery.co.uk 22 http://www.CartoonStock.com 23 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-political-cartoon.htm I APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Sir/Madam, I am carrying out a study on English political cartoons with the hope to find out which political opinions embedded in them and how well Vietnamese readers of English understand English cartoons I would be very thankful if you could complete this questionnaire Gender : Age : Occupation : Male Female Please, read the following cartoons and give an interpretation Cartoon 1: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? II Cartoon 2: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? III Cartoon 3: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? IV Cartoon 4: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? V Cartoon 5: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? VI Cartoon 6: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? VII Cartoon 7: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? VIII Cartoon 8: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? IX Cartoon 9: What are the message and the humor in the cartoon? What help you derive the political opinions behind the cartoon? - Which words or phrases appear to be the most significant? Why? - Which objects are used as symbols in the cartoon? - What you think each symbol mean? - Who would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why? - What might be the public’s reaction to this cartoon? THANK YOU VERY MUCH! ... critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a relatively new addition to the varieties of text analysis available CDA is a perspective on critical scholarship: a theory and a method of analyzing that... way cartoonist plays with signs leaves deeper impression on readers In addition, having advantage of appearing on newspapers and magazines with large readership, the cartoon certainly has great... though, when a cartoon's analogy is drawn from contemporary or historical events, plays on literary allusions, or uses past cultural knowledge not readily available to a reader Cartoons are meaningful