FROM ORMUS AND IND TO THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ: LINGUISTIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF WEALTH, POWER, AND CONFLICT FROM MILTON TO MODERN U.S.–IRAN DISCOURSE

Abstract

Linguistic representations of wealth, power, and geopolitical conflict have historically shaped perceptions of the East. For example, while Milton’s Paradise Lost constructs Eastern wealth through the imagery of Ormus and Ind, contemporary U.S.–Iran discourse frames the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic geopolitical site. However, despite the historical and political significance, limited research examines how language bridges early modern literary imagination and modern political narratives. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how language constructs ideas of wealth, power, and conflict across historical and contemporary contexts. Specifically, it compares Milton’s literary discourse with modern political and media narratives surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Moreover, the study is grounded in postcolonial theory (Said), discourse-power theory (Foucault), and Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough), which collectively inform the interpretation of ideological meanings embedded in linguistic representations of empire, wealth, and strategic control. In addition, a qualitative interpretive approach is adopted, employing a comparative design. Thus, purposively sampled texts include key passages from Paradise Lost and selected political speeches, policy statements, and media narratives about U.S.–Iran tensions. Data are analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis combined with thematic coding, focusing on wealth representation, imperial power, geopolitical strategy, Orientalist representation, and discursive transformation. Consequently, the study reveals that early modern literary constructions of Eastern wealth persist in contemporary discourse, and are transformed into narratives emphasizing strategic control, security, and geopolitical rivalry. Furthermore, metaphors, lexical choices, and narrative framing link historical literary imagination with modern political rhetoric. In brief, linguistic constructions of wealth and power are central to shaping both cultural imagination and geopolitical perception. Finally, future research should include multilingual sources and expand to media discourses from regional perspectives in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Gulf geopolitics.