HONORING SOCIAL NORMS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE DOCUMENTARY A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS
Keywords:
Compromise, Forgiveness, Honor, Honor Killing, Respect, SocietyAbstract
This research report investigates the documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness using the theoretical lens of Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research report focuses on language use in the documentary to understand the legitimization of honor killing. It also examines how honor killing is justified and how victims of honor killing are portrayed as the perpetrators of the crime. The language of selected characters in the documentary is analyzed at textual, discursive practice, and social practice levels for the intended examination. The analysis of the selected text reveals that for the justification of honor killing, perpetrators make certain lexical choices and use specific pronouns, while blaming the victims for their actions. Societal pressure on victims to forgive the perpetrators further supports this harmful practice. This research report highlights the significance of changing cultural attitudes for preventing honor killing and protecting the rights of victims.
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