Parallelism and Pronouns in Political Discourse as Rationalization Devices

Abstract

The current study is a critical evaluation of the political autobiography named “Daughter of the East (2008)” by a renowned Pakistani political leader Ms. Benazir Bhutto. The evaluation has been focused on the notion that the use of pronouns and parallel structures of sentences serve the purpose of rationalization or justification of one‟s role. The critical analysis was done on the basis of the ideas which were presented by Norman Fairclough (2015) and named as three- dimensional framework. It has been observed that the said author has used pronominal choices and parallel structures to enhance her political position. The said choices seem to create collectiveness and sense of inclusion with the common people of Pakistan. At the same time, these are used to share and claim responsibility on some crucial events and issues. The parallel structures help to influence the minds of the readers and persuade them towards the stance of the author. Besides, the critical study of an autobiography can also help to have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of things and events surrounding an author.