Critical Discourse Analysis: Ellen Page Full Speech on Time to Thrive

Ambar Nurul Ansari Dwi Firli Ashari Nurul Noviana

Widya Laksmawati Yulia Sari Riyanti

Overview of the Video

• Title: Ellen Page Joins HRCF's Time to Thrive Conference

• Speaker: Ellen Page

• Topic: LGBT

• Duration: 08:37

• Event: Time to Thrive Conference

• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hlCEIUATzg

Who is Ellen Page?

• Boyish, Actress, Buddhist, Lesbian

• Western homosexuals believe that homosexual is accepted in Buddhist countries (http://www.buddhanet.net/homosexu.htm)

Ideology and related issue

• Ideology behind this speech: Liberalism and Gender Equality

• LGBT issues in United States of America

- Obama’s regulation

- Hillary Clinton (Foreign Ministry of USA) in Genewa, 2011.

http://indonesian.jakarta.usembassy.gov/mobile//news/embnews_15052012.html

Facts about LGBT in US

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/15/what-percentage-of-the-u-s-population-is-gay-lesbian-or-bisexual/

• https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-lgbtq-life-america

Background of the speech • Arguments that homosexuals are emotionally

disturbed.

• In the West, many homosexuals suffer from psychological problems, abuse alcohol, and indulge in obsessive sexual behavior.

• As a group, homosexuals have a high rate of suicide.

• It is very likely that homosexuals in the West are wounded more by society's attitude.

(http://www.buddhanet.net/homosexu.htm)

Analysis of Eight Principles of CDA

• Addresses social problems

In the Ellen Page speech, the social problems to be addressed is how LGBT are treated differently and Ellen comes out with the spirit that LGBT should be treated same as other humans.

Critical Discourse Analysis: Utterances

“It’s weird because here I am an actress representing at least the substance an industry that places crashing standard on all of us. And not just young people, everyone. Standard of beauty, of good life, of success, standard that I hate to admit have affected me.”

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker believes that as an actress there is certain rules to be followed exactly like what it is.

Relational value The speaker might be experienced the different standard of life.

Expressive value The speaker shows the expression how it feels as person who is famous and lives in the certain rules that might be she does not like.

“… Standard of beauty, of good life, of success, standard that I hate to admit have affected me.”

“And I know that there are people in this room who go to school every day and get treated like shit for no reason. Or you go home and you feel like you can’t tell your parents the whole truth about yourself.”

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker believes that most of LGBTs experience that kind of thing.

Relational value The speaker probably experienced it or heard from her mates stories.

Expressive value The speaker cares about LGBTs and wants to make others aware of the situations.

“…and get treated like shit for no reason…”

• Rather than saying “treated badly”, “treated differently”, etc.

“I try not to read gossip as the rule, but the other day a website ran an article with the picture of me wearing a sweat pants on the way to the gym. And the writer asked “why does this petty beauty insisted upon dressing like a massive man?” Because I like to be comfortable”

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker believes that it is a stereotype and the speaker feels nothing is wrong for a woman wearing a suit like a man.

Relational value There was a news as such probably because the media knew that the speaker is a gay.

Expressive value The media wanted to push the speaker into the corner. They wanted public to believe that the speaker is a gay.

• “….Their prove serve stereotypes about masculinity and femininity on how supposed to act, dress and speak and they serve no one. Anyone who device this so cold of norms become worthy of comments and LGBT community knows this all too well. Yet there is courage all around us. The football hero, Michael Sam, the actress, Laverne Cox, the musician, Sarah Queen, the family that supports the daughter or son who is come out and there is courageous room, all of you, and I’m inspired in this room because every single one of you is here for the same reason. You are here because you have adopted as a core motivation, the simple fact that this world will be a whole lot better if we just make an effort to be last horrible to one another. If we took just five minutes to recognize each other’s beauty instead of talking each other because our differences, that’s not hard. It’s really an easier and better way to live and automatically, it saves life….”

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker believes that this world will be a lot better if people just stop disturbing each other and try to see others’ beauty

Relational value The speaker probably heard some news and stereotypes about LGBT and people talked about this as something wrong.

Expressive value The speaker wants people to stop talking bad about LGBT and just see something special and beautiful inside others.

Look at this sentence.

And I am here because I am gay.

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker says what the biggest secret that she has been kept and she tries to convince other participants to be brave to say their identities

Relational value The speaker says the statement to say that she has a relation to other gays in the world that is represented by her coming to the conference.

Expressive value The speaker wants to show to the world although she is gay and she can stand up and make achievement

Look at this sentence.

And because maybe I can make a difference

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker shares her willingness to make a difference with other gays that many people think gays cannot do anything like “normal” people can do

Relational value The speaker wants to say that she is here maybe can create a betterment for gay people through make a difference together

Expressive value The speaker wants to convince other people for making a difference together

Look at this sentence.

I suffered for years because I was scared to be out.

The Discursive Analysis

Experiential value The speaker believes that gay is not accepted in the society, so she suffered for years to hide her identity

Relational value The speaker wants to express that she has same experience like other participants have in the society and she wants to say that each of them is not alone who gets same treatment from society

Expressive value The speaker wants to say to other participants that as gays do not be scared to show the identity to the society

Look at this sentence.

• Some of you young people yourself and which case is even weirder for a person like me to be speaking to.

The Discursive Analysis

Experien

tial value

The speaker admits that she is a “weird” person like the other participants.

Relation

al value

The speaker wants to show that she has same feeling like the audience that

judged by “normal” people as weird person.

Expressiv

e value

The speaker wants to say that there are more people like her that more

suitable to become the speaker for the campaign

Look at this sentence.

• Loving other people start with loving ourselves and accepting our self, and I know many of you are struggle with this.

The Discursive Analysis

Experie

ntial

value

The speaker wants to express that she has same feeling like other participants which

need to be accepted and loved by others

Relatio

nal

value

The speaker wants to say that she has same experience and also strugle in accepting

herself like other participants

Expressi

ve

value

The speaker wants to say to other participants that not only as a gay but also as human

being we have to accept and love ourself first before love other

• Mostly uses “we” or “you” to show solidarity as LGBT community