A STUDY OF CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NAWAL EL SAADAWI’S (2006) WOMAN AT POINT ZERO

A STUDY OF CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NAWAL EL SAADAWI’S (2006) WOMAN AT POINT ZERO

Final assignment on Research Methods in Literature, lectured by DR. Ali Mustofa

Eka Sugeng Ariadi

NIM. 157835408

I.    INTRODUCTION

Discourse is a series of sentences which are related and connected one proposition into others. It can be in the form of word, sentence, paragraph or essay. One study of discourse is critical discourse analysis (CDA), which means an effort to strand a text to achieve specific goals. In general, Darma (2009) says that CDA is a new approach emerging from the social theory tradition and critical linguistic analysis. Among CDA practitioners, Teun A. van Dijk is the most well-known theorist. Specifically, according to him, CDA is a field that is concerned with studying and analyzing written and spoken texts to expose the discursive sources of power, dominance, inequality and bias (Dijk, 1998). Sheyholislami (2001) adds that CDA examines how these discursive sources are maintained and reproduced within specific social, political and historical contexts. He puts it simply that CDA aims at making transparent the connections between discourse practices, social practices, and social structures, connections that might be opaque to the layperson (p. 1). 

            To reveal deeper messages which are conveyed in a text and its connection with context, Dijk (1988) attempts to demonstrate the relationships between the three levels of news text production (structure, production and comprehension processes) and their relationship with the wider social context they are embedded within. In order to identify such relationships, his analysis takes place at two levels: microstructure and macrostructure.  At the microstructure level, analysis is focused on the semantic relations between propositions, syntactic, lexical and other rhetorical elements that provide coherence in the text, and other rhetorical elements such quotations, direct or indirect reporting that give factuality to the news reports. While the analysis of macrostructure pertains to the thematic/topic structure of the news stories and their overall schemata.

            Dijk (1995) essentially perceives discourse analysis as ideology analysis, because according to him, "ideologies are typically, though not exclusively, expressed and reproduced in discourse and communication, including non-verbal semiotic messages, such as pictures, photographs and movies” (p. 17).  His approach for analyzing ideologies has three parts: social analysis, cognitive analysis, and discourse analysis.  Whereas the social analysis pertains to examining the overall societal structures (the context), the discourse analysis is primarily text based (syntax, lexicon, local semantics, topics, schematic structures, etc.). However, the cognitive analysis is mental representation of group members. 

            Based on the theory above, in this short paper, the writer is interested in revealing deeper messages in the novel of Woman at Point Zero through CDA approach, particularly in point of view of ideology analysis. As Coin (2006) claims that Woman at Point Zero is one of El Saadawi’s most  controversial writings and this book is an allegory for women’s struggle against patriarchy and colonial power in Egypt, an allegory narrated through the life-history of Firdaus, an Egyptian woman convicted for murder and wait for execution. El Saadawi (2006) says that Woman at Point Zero is one of her earliest novel, she tells the tragic story of Firdaus’s descent into prostitution and her defiance in the face of disapproval and condemnation.

II.   DISCUSSION

In this discussion, through ideology analysis in CDA approach of van Dijk, the writer aims to reveal the loaded-ideology within El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero. As declared before, van Dijk’s approach for analyzing ideologies has three parts: social analysis, cognitive analysis, and discourse analysis. Yet, the limitation of this paper is merely centering on one part which will be used to analyze this novel; that is social analysis. This analysis pertains to examining the overall societal structures (the context) which figured in the novel. Through this analysis, the writer beliefs that it is worthy thing to delineate the role of language, discourse or communicative events to display the societal structure and its ideology. As defined by Van Dijk (1993) that CDA can only make a significant and specific contribution to critical social or political analyses if it is able to provide an account of the role of language, language use, discourse or communicative events in the (re)production of dominance and inequality.

Social Analysis

a.    Religious and Political Leaders

“draw a feeling of supremacy from their power over others ... how essentially hollow they are inside, despite the impression of greatness they try to spread ..., which is all they really care for” (El Saadawi, p. 98).

            From this expression, El Saadawi explores her feelings that people whose position as religious and political leaders in her surrounding are not working properly. Moreover, they likely misuse their positions, remain Western hegemony and oppress of Muslim women. Therefore, this novel portrays a construction of distrust in religion and political position in Egypt. El Saadawi explicates her conviction of a strict separation of politics and religion and this conviction comes to the fore in the novel’s exposure of religious and political leaders’ hypocrisy. The spirit of separating politics and religion then become an ideology movement to face the hypocrisy condition, especially women’s movement to struggling their powers.

b.    Upper and Lower Class  

“… he never beat her, or spoke to her in a loud voice. He was extremely polite, but treated her with the peculiar kind of courtesy devoid of true respect which men preserve for women” (El Saadawi, pp. 22-23).

            Upper class society is shown by the wife of Firdaus’s uncle, while she and her uncle represent lower class society. Her aunt position, economically and politically is higher than his uncle. Despite of it, her uncle’s neither angry nor speak aloud or does something impolitely. Firdaus then notices that this privilege granted to women from the upper classes. It is in contrast with commonly couple in which the husband has higher position than the wife. Such as happened to her when she became a wife of Syeikh Mahmoud, an old-rich man. Since Firdaus is coming from lower class, her husband treats him unwisely (verbal-nonverbal abuse and often hit/punch (physical abuse) as he wants. However, this behavior is then legitimized by the law of their religion. Thus, upper and lower societal status construct a social ideology which scarcely to be changed.   

c.    Marriage, Work, Prostitution; Sphere of Society

“that men force women to sell their bodies at a price, and that the lowest paid body is that of a wife. All women are prostitutes of one kind or another” (El Saadawi, p. 99)

            This exposure displays a condition which women in Egypt at that time facing dilemma situation and multiple roles/professions; as wife, as workers (honor and dishonor). When they are wives, their positions are being oppressed by their husbands. When they are honor workers, their jobs are always in question and needs to be ensured by male intervention, men’s honor as compromised by their treatment of women is nevertheless never in question. While they are prostitutes, men’s power is increasingly hinged on the notions of a shameful and dangerous female sexuality and their economic superiority, women are denied independence and subjected to exploitation resulting in the loss of ownership over their own physical existence and the denial of honor.

d.    Capitalist and Patriarchy Position

“it was as though money was a shameful thing, ... an object of sin which was forbidden to me and yet permissible for others, as though it had been made legitimate only for them” (2006, p. 73).

            Money is the most appropriate symbol of capitalism as well as the patriarchy system; both are like two sides of coin. Their interrelationship of capitalism and patriarchy distribute in strengthening power positions, oppressing lower-class women and reinforcing men’s hegemony. As Firdaus says that money is forbidden for her and women as well, yet it is permissible for men. Therefore, money is the most important stuff for capitalist and patriarchy system as their ideology to establish strong position, particularly toward women, and hegemony in the societal structure.

e.    Woman Inferiority

“a virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband. Her duty was perfect obedience” (El Saadawi 46-7)

            Saadawi’s expression in this sentence reveals the culture which is existed there. A wife is regarded as a virtuous woman, if she has no objection on her husband decisions. Inversely, if she is impolite or even rejected her husband commands, she will treat as a slave. Badly, this inequality culture is legitimated by their religion belief, moreover they claim it is rooted in Islamic values. It is also underpinned by the practice of their patriarchy system and political rules.

“were guileless enough to offer their bodies ... every night in return for a meal, or a good yearly report, or just to ensure that they would not be ... discriminated against, or transferred” (El Saadawi, p. 82)

           

            In this part, it portrays Firdaus’ employment in an unspecified company who elicits her realization of women’s inferiority is an inevitable reality in all societal spheres. She has to work homily and at the same time she has to work unhomely. 

f.     Men Superiority

“men well versed in their religion . . . beat their wives. The precepts of religion permit such punishment” (El Saadawi, p. 46). “they’re all the same, all sons of dogs, running around under various names. Mahmoud, Hassanein, ... ” (El Saadawi, p. 55). “all women are victims of deception. Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so low, bind them in marriage and then chastise them with menial service for life, or insults, or blows” (El Saadawi, p. 94).

            Accordingly, it is getting clear that men’s hegemony is occupied by Egyptian, moreover within the traditional perception in understanding a verse of Al Qur’an. In this case, no matter their names are Mahmoud, Hassanein, etc (probably good name refers to good man), even from upper or lower class, they are just the same. Accordingly, Firdaus builds a generalization on women’s victimization and men’s vilification stemming from her exclusively abusive treatment by men.

III. CONCLUSION 

Djajanegara (2003) says that one branch of feminist criticism study is ideology-feminist criticism. This criticism appeals woman in her persona and also the stereotypes embedding in literary works. Based on the discussion above, El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero has succeed revealing women persona, including the stereotypes. Through the social analysis referring to van Dijk CDA theory, the writer has appealed not only the societal structure but also the stereotypes on some aspects; religious and political leaders, upper and lower class, marriage, work, prostitution; sphere of society, capitalist and patriarchy position, woman inferiority, and men superiority. In addition, Kammampoal (2014) tells this novel is a call and an appeal for genuine Islamic religious texts to convince bigots to revisit, create and contrast discourse  around  religion  and  an  outdated  social  patriarchal structures,  which  relegate  the  woman  to  the  position  of  inferior  being.

            Finally, social analysis can be used by the readers, particularly from the insight of feminist ideology, in striving to understand more about the societal structure, the stereotype, the class hegemony and inequality occurred in certain country.

REFERENCES

Coin, F. (2006). On  the  Condition  of  the  Colonized  Woman:  the  Nervous Conditions of Firdaus in Nawal El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero (1983), Giunti, Firenze 2001. DEP, 5(6), 429-434.

Darma, Y. A. (2009). Analisis Wacana Kritis. Bandung: CV. Yrama Widya.

Dijk, T. A. v. (1988). News Analysis:  Case Studies of International and National News in the Press. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dijk, T. A. v. (1995). Discourse Analysis as Ideology Analysis. In C. Schaffner & A. L. Wenden (Eds.), Language and Peace (Vol. 17-33). Dartmouth: Aldershot.

Dijk, T. A. V. (1998). Critical discourse analysis.   Retrieved from http://www.hum.uva.nl/teun/cda.htm

Djajanegara, S. (2003). Kritik  Sastra  Feminis  Sebuah  Pengantar. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

El Saadawi, N. (2006). Woman at Point Zero. Adios Barbie.

Kammampoal, B. (2014). A WOMAN’S REVISITATION OF SOCIAL NORMS: BIGOTRY VERSUS FEMINISM: THE CASE OF NAWAL EL SAADAWI’S WOMAN AT POINT ZERO. RSIRJLE, 2(1), 15-31.

Sheyholislami, J. (2001). Critical discourse analysis. Retrieved March, 10, 2009.

Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Principles of critical discourse analysis. Discourse & society, 4(2), 249-283.