UNVEILING POWER THROUGH WORDS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF RACE AND GENDER IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Abstract

This study explores a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of Harper Lee's seminal work To Kill a Mockingbird, aimed at investigating how language shapes and contests notions of race and gender within the socio-historical framework of 1930s Southern America. Utilizing theoretical perspectives from Norman Fairclough, Teun van Dijk, Judith Butler, and Roger Fowler, the research delves into courtroom exchanges, narrative perspective, and character dynamics. Through this examination, the study emphasizes the presence of power dynamics, racism, and gender discourse within the novel, illustrating that literature can act as a platform for both ideological reinforcement and opposition.