Articles | Open Access | https://doi.org/10.55640/ijss-04-07-03

LANGUAGE AND POWER IN HAROLD PINTER'S THE BIRTHDAY PARTY: MICHEL FOUCAULT'S DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Mahmood Shakir Sabbar , Thi Qar University, Department of Cultural Affairs, Iraq

Abstract

This study applies Michel Foucault's discourse analysis to Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party to decipher the play's complex language and power relations. The play's characters' use of language for subjugation, control, and manipulation is examined through the lens of Foucault's power relations and discourse theories. The power conflicts reflected in Pinter's ambiguous and pause-ridden discourse mirror the larger social forces outlined by Foucault. This study delves into the play's essential dialogues and interactions to uncover how power is communicated, challenged, and enforced through language. It finally highlights how discourse shapes human behavior and social institutions. The Birthday Party becomes a microcosm of society's more excellent power dynamics through this Foucauldian approach rather than just a story of interpersonal conflicts.

 

Keywords

Discourse, language, behavior

References

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LANGUAGE AND POWER IN HAROLD PINTER’S THE BIRTHDAY PARTY: MICHEL FOUCAULT’S DISCOURSE ANALYSIS. (2024). International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(07), 14-22. https://doi.org/10.55640/ijss-04-07-03