Masculinity, Power, and Persuasion: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Andrew Tate's Motivational Speeches

This thesis employs critical discourse analysis to examine the rhetorical strategies and ideological underpinnings of Andrew Tate's motivational speeches. Tate, a controversial social media figure, has gained significant influence through his promotion of hyper-masculine, neoliberal, and misogynistic ideologies. Utilizing Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model, this thesis investigates how Tate's discourse constructs and reinforces particular notions of masculinity, success, and gender relations. The analysis focuses on three interconnected levels: textual features, discursive practices, and social practices. At the textual level, the study examines linguistic elements such as syntactic structures, emotive language, absolutist statements, and rhetorical devices. The discursive practice explores how Tate produces and distributes content within the social media landscape. The social practice situates Tate's discourse within broader ideological frameworks, including traditional masculinity, neoliberalism, meritocracy, and misogynistic attitudes. Findings reveal that these ideologies are promoted through the use of emotive and aggressive language to elicit emotionally charged reactions; use of absolutist language and contrastive structures to present ideas as indisputable truths; use of repetition and rhetorical questions to reinforce key points; use of hyperbole and metaphors to make arguments more compelling; and use of informal style and personal anecdotes to appear trustworthy and relatable. This thesis contributes to the growing body of literature at the intersection of social media influence, discourse, and ideology, while emphasizing the critical importance of media literacy in the contemporary digital environment.