DISCOURSE ANALISYS
In this section of the paper I will analyze two Margaret Thatchers discourses; one
she gave at the beginning of her career and the other one she gave once in power, thus I
will be able to spot the different persuasive techniques she employed. Both discourses are
about similar subjects and were given to similar audiences to facilitate the comparison.
The use of anecdotes is frequent in Margaret Thatchers discourses as we can see in
the first line of Text 1:
10
Persuasive words, Logical fallacies and Intent signals, Gene Myers., [Online] Available at:
http://faculty.wwu.edu/gmyers/esssa/rhetoric.html [Accessed 10 November 7:14 p.m.]
11
Wikipedia the free Enciclopedia (2012) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [Online] Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetition_%28rhetorical_device%29 [Accessed 10 November 2012 7:02 p.m.]
Double-bind: This strategy consists in offering something the person does not
want, but in contrast with what is available, it does not look so bad.
"The politics of representation: a critical discourse analysis of an Aljazeera Special Report, Anita
L. Welden. [Online] Available at: http://es.scribd.com/doc/46420965/The-Politics-of-RepresentationCritical-Discourse-Analysis [Accessed 5 November 2012 12:02 p.m.]
8
INTRODUCTION
There is always an aim for producing an utterance and many times language is
employed to influence someones opinion. One of the resources a speaker can use to do so
is language and the persuasive elements of it. To grasp the meaning of persuasion, we
could cite some definitions from dictionaries. To persuade is to induce, urge, or prevail
upon successfully1 or to cause to believe; convince 2 it can also mean to move by
argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action3. In other
words, it means induce (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument 4.
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, persuasion is the act of
persuading someone to do something or a particular type of belief, especially a political
or religious one5. This last definition provides a hint of what this analysis will be about.
In order to conduct a further analysis of political discourse, rhetoric should be taken
into account. To understand what rhetoric is, we first need to define it. According to the
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, rhetoric is the language that is used to
persuade or influence people, especially language that sounds impressive but is not
actually sincere or useful6. Politicians have a reputation of making promises they will
never fulfill, this is why rhetoric will be a central part of this analysis. Observing other
definitions, we can see how difficult it is to define the concept: according to The Collins
English Dictionary rhetoric is the art of using speech to persuade, influence, or please;
oratory, excessive use of ornamentation and contrivance in spoken or written discourse;
1
The Collins English Dictionary, (2012) Collins Publishers Limited. Virginia, Glasgow, Scotland
[Online], Available at: http://www.collinsdictionary.com [Accessed 5 of November 2012 11:28 a.m.]
2
Oxford Dictionaries (2012) Oxford University Press, England [Online], available at:
http://oxforddictionaries.com [Accessed 4 of November 2012 10:42 a.m.]
5
REFERENCES
The Collins English Dictionary, (2012) Collins Publishers Limited. Virginia,
Glasgow, Scotland [Online] Available at: http://www.collinsdictionary.com
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, (2012) Merriam-Webster Incorporated.,
Springfield, MA, USA [Online] Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com
Oxford Dictionaries (2012) Oxford University Press, England [Online] Available
at: http://oxforddictionaries.com
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, (2012) Pearson Education
Limited. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex, UK [Online] Available at:
http://www.ldoceonline.com
"The politics of representation: a critical discourse analysis of an Aljazeera Special
Report, Anita L. Welden. [Online] Available at: http://es.scribd.com/doc/46420965/ThePolitics-of-Representation-Critical-Discourse-Analysis
Persuasive Language Techniques, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority (2009), [Online] Available at http://www.vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au
Language of Persuasion (2012), Media Literacy Project, NE, Albuquerque, USA.
[Online] Available at: http://medialiteracyproject.org/language-persuasion
Persuasive words, Logical fallacies and Intent signals, Gene Myers., [Online]
Available at: http://faculty.wwu.edu/gmyers/esssa/rhetoric.html
Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia (2012), Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. [Online],
available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetition_%28rhetorical_device%29 [Accessed
10 November 2012 7:02 p.m.]
Speech to Conservative Party Conference (1975), Margaret Thatcher, [Online]
Available at: http://www.margaretthatcher.org/102777
Speech to Conservative Party Conference ('the lady's not for turning') [The
Reason Why] (1980), Margaret Thatcher, [Online] Available at:
http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/104431