Metaphorical Representation in Social Criticism in Indonesian Comedy (Norman Fairclough Study)

Abstract

Metaphors play crucial role in shaping how to understand and interpret social reality. Through metaphors, speakers or writers can frame subjects or concepts in ways that influence the audience's perceptions and attitudes, perpetuating certain ideologies and power structures. This article aims to investigate the metaphorical representations employed by comedians in delivering social criticism through Indonesian stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy prioritizes the individual performer's voice, but its success relies on the ability to make people laugh by tapping into shared cultural ideologies and societal power dynamics. Abdur Arsyad is an example of an Indonesian comedian who presents stand-up material containing social criticism of various societal issues and ideological assumptions. This research analyzes Arsyad's comedy through Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis model of description, interpretation, and explanation of text, discursive practice, and sociocultural practice. The descriptive dimension examines how Arsyad uses language to construct representations of the world shaped by ideology. The interpretative dimension analyzes how his language perpetuates or challenges power relations and social hierarchies. The explanatory dimension focuses on how Arsyad's representations of social identities are informed by dominant ideologies. A qualitative methodology obtains data from Arsyad's performances on the KompasTV YouTube channel using documentation, library research, and note-taking techniques. The results reveal Arsyad employs a range of metaphorical representations across Fairclough's three textual values to critique and influence social norms and actions. Fairclough's paradigm allows for a detailed examination of how comedy functions as social criticism, providing insights into the complex interplay between language, ideology, authority, and community.