The Batle of Maldon: A Critical Discourse Analysis Regarding Heroism Loyalty and Power

Abstract

The Old English heroic poem The Battle of Maldon is examined in this study using Critical Discourse Analysis, or CDA. CDA is used to investigate how power, loyalty, and heroism were constructed in the sociopolitical context of Anglo-Saxon England. To find out how language choices, interpersonal positioning, and story structure function as discursive instruments to uphold social hierarchy, physical heroism, and ideological patriotism is the aim of the present research. The three-dimensional CDA paradigm developed by Norman Fairclough, which combines sociocultural interpretation, discourse practice, and textual analysis, is used. After analyzing this poem, as the results, this poem represents that the poem uses metaphor for bravery and steadfast loyalty to the ruler's system. While power can be proven by the hierarchical standing between the troops and their leaders, integrity and loyalty are created as moral imperatives. Since, Viking invasion threats, the glorification of sacrifice and death are used as a rhetorical tool to maintain political unity and cultural identity. The findings indicate that The Battle of Maldon function as a power discourse that influences cultural norms and national ideology.