While reading Van Dijk’s article concerning critical discourse analysis, I learn a lot about the role of discourse in the world and how powerful text and talk can be. The article describes the many different forms of power that are commonly expressed on a daily basis, then elaborates on the role discourse played in separating the controlled from the controller. Thus, when separated, the controller has the ability to decide which matters will be discussed and limit the ways in which the controlled is allowed to commit to that discussion. Prior to reading the article, I had not noticed how important political discourse is in legitimizing the power of a person or government. Similarly, I had not noticed how severely the media can impact the public’s views on a certain event by emphasizing particular parts of the story in order to gently express the author’s “hidden opinion”. With that in mind, I can see why power often resides with the group that is in control of the most influential discourse.
Van Dijk’s article informed me on what critical discourse analysis is and what it is used for. The goal of a critical discourse analysis is to “understand, expose, and ultimately resist social inequality”. Critical discourse analysts examine specific situations in which inequality is present, then discover how that inequality can be eliminated and prevented from recurring in the future. CDA treats language as a form of social practice the analysts achieve their ultimate goal by focusing on the ways social and political domination are reproduced in text and talk.