Mu'nis Razzaz’s Confessions of a Silencer: A critical discourse analysis

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is arguably an evolution of discourse analysis in which, apart from superficial description of linguistic data, the influential processes in the formation of discourse are analyzed.Discourse analysis addresses social and linguistic approaches.In the social approach, discourse and contextual elements are examined while in the linguistic approach textual context is studied.The objective of discourse analysis is to analyze the structures of power, exploitation, and the resultant political, social, and cultural inequalities as presented in a text.This study examines Mu'nis Razzaz's Confessions of a Silencer according to Norman Fairclough's critical discourse analysis approach at description, explanation, and interpretation levels.Considering Fairclough's description level, it is argued that the novelist expresses his patriotic political ideas by repeating and visualizing certain keywords throughout the novel highlighting its thematic content.At the level of interpretation, the novelist refers to contextual situation and intertextual discourses such as the Baath Party and the myth of Sisyphus to pinpoint the oppression of masses and destruction of revolutionary ideas.At the level of explanation, the novel is treated as part of the process of social struggle within the context of power relations which portray the reactionary thoughts among people whose lack of realistic perspective in the beginning and end of the novel underpin the failure of the popular movements.