A Critical discourse analysis of Season 2 Arrow, Episode 1-2

A Critical discourse analysis of Season 2 Arrow, Episode 1-2

Critical Discourse Analysis, according to Van Dijk, is a kind of discourse analysis which primarily studies “the way social power abuse, dominance and inequality are enacted, reproduced and resisted by text and talk in social and political context. With such dissident research, critical discourse analysts take explicit position, and thus want to understand, expose, and ultimately resist social inequality.” CDA’s main focus is to discuss about the issues which the minority group faces when they are under the influence of a powerful groups. Discourse analysis may also discuss that how power has become a central notion in this kind of study and how power is being controlled and accessed by the groups in power and how by using it and abusing it those groups are successfully controlling the minds and acts of the other groups which are powerless.

CDA probably seems to be a study which is biased in a sense that it takes side with the groups who may have no voice or may have no power to express their views. These groups are known as the minority groups because their views might not be discussed and focused in any kind of discourse as they have no power and no importance. Therefore, CDA possibly tries to give voice to those groups and focuses on their problems which are having no voice. Not only that, it also tends to discusses the fact that why are they the  minority groups and what are the reasons and techniques which the powerful group adopts to make them the minority group and themselves as the powerful group.

Van Dijk is likely to be considered as a very important theorist of critical discourse analysis. He suggests that the group which has the power to control the other group has the ability to have a control on the money, fame, status, force, and along with this it also may have the ability to control the media and the other forms of public discourses and communication. Van Dijk in his socio-cognitive model discusses that how society, discourse and cognition are interrelated and interlinked with each other. He while discussing about the discourse comes to the point that it consists of two levels: macro level which is the larger level and micro level which is considered to be the smaller level. Each macro level is made up of several different micro levels which the discourse analyst has to encounter in his research.

This paper might possibly discusses that how in Arrow different groups dominate themselves by different means and how they are been portrayed throughout the two episodes. It might attempts to explain that by applying the theory of Van Dijk, Arrow acts as a visual discourse to constructs the identity of different characters in the season. The paper might also attempt to explain the power abuse and social power prevailing among the society. How the kind to dominance is expressed or enacted in the society and how the social power is a form of control.  It will try to explore the way power has been created through the creation of an identity and how that identity has been used and abused by the bourgeoisie. It will also try to explain the kind of power existing in different forms among the elites and how dominance is created through identity over the common masses.

Arrow is a British ongoing drama serial on Star World which started in 2012 and is easily accessible on the internet. The story of this serial revolves around the Starling City which is shown to be an important city in terms of the political and social happenings taking place in the city. Starling City is shown as a city where almost all the elites are in power to decide things for the common people and in doing so they are doing no good to them instead they are polluting and destroying the city due to their evil plans and ideas. The serial clearly shows that how the people in power control the issues and have power to create the consent.

 In season two the first episode opens showing the glimpses of those events and happenings which took place in season one. The main protagonist in the serial is Oliver Queen who belongs to the elites as his family is the wealthiest families in the city. He is the owner of Queen Consolidated state from where he earns millions of dollars. He has also opened a bar with the name “Verdant”. He also has a membership in different renounce places. Not this only but Oliver’s family has also donated a lot of money in different welfares and donation centers which makes his family famous among the common people. In short, the Queen’s family is holding an important position in the Starling City and controls different means of production.

In the beginning of the season two the viewers are been told about Oliver Queen who was a play boy initially but after the horrified and tragic event of sinking of his ship and his survival on an hellish Ireland for five years turned him into a changed man. Now he is more practical and realistic towards life unlike he was before. The identity of Oliver Queen after returning from the Ireland, in the Starling City, has been created of vigilante or a hood. Ironically whatever goes wrong in the city he tries to make it right wearing a green hood and hiding his identity from the people.  As he is the member of elite class so whatever disturbance or chaos is created within the city is due to his family or the people belonging to the upper class due to their access and control over the city and different important mediums which are linked in governing the city.

Season two opens showing the viewers about the arrow, Oliver Queen, who was trying to save the city from the massive destruction which was planned by Malcolyn Merlyn. The purpose of Malcolyn Merlyn was to destroy the glades and everyone under it just to take revenge of his wife’s death which according to his believes was caused by the common people who lived under the glades. Malcolyn Merlyn, same like Oliver Queen belonged to the elite class and was the owner of Merlyn global groups. He believed that he had the power to decide about the common people, to control their lives and due to his horrible plan about five hundred people were killed under the glades.

Not even Malcolyn Merlyn, who was also the father of Oliver’s best friend Tommy, was involved in this disastrous planning but Oliver’s own mother was also involved in the undertaking with Malcolyn Merlyn. Moira Queen, after realizing her mistake of the horrible undertaking, in front of the media admitted that she was involved in it but the architect behind the plan was Malcolyn Merlyn. As Moira Queen also belonged to the elite so she had a control on media and the time she wanted to admit her mistake she immediately called them at her palace and admitted what she did. Media delivered her speech on air live because media also is under control of these people in power and do as they desire them to do.

It is very clear in the serial that whatever action is taken place in the Starling City is taken by the elites and no voice is given to the common people. Even if they have any voice it is not shown and even if it is shown in the serial it has been shown in a very negative sense and it has also been crushed and compressed by the elites there and then. It has also been shown that due to the destruction in the city caused by the combine planning of the people in power, Tommy who was the son of Malcolyn Merlyn and the best friend of Oliver Queen died in the glades. It was revealed in the serial that whoever died in the glades were the people who belonged to proletariat class and were common people except Tommy Merlyn who also died in the glades with them saving Lourel Lance who was a Lawyer.

Tommy Merlyn, was the one with few other people who believed that arrow was a serial killer and whatever Oliver was doing, being an arrow, was wrong and to honor his friends memory arrow decides to be not the killer he was but he tries to be “someone else”, “something else”. He and his family created a lot of problems for the city and still after doing that Oliver felt that city was still in a need to be saved. But this time not by being the hood or the vigilante. This time he decides not to kill anyone but to adopt a different way. He further says that he does not want to e called as the hood anymore.

Oliver Queen is a male figure who is shown as brave, daring, intelligent, and further he possesses all those qualities which a hero should have. In his place we could never imagine a girl playing the role of Oliver Queen because the society won’t accept it. As from the name of Oliver’s family is clear that he is a noble and belongs to elite class. He is from the family of Queens which carry a certain status and is a symbol of honor and respect among the society. He single handedly fights against evil powers, facing danger and risks his life. On the other hand, Oliver belongs to the white class. It has been made clear that if there is a hero he will always belong to the white class and will never be from blacks. Initially he was a different man but as he understood the meaning of his life he changed himself into a different man. This shows that Oliver has the capacity of changing and intending himself into something good and useful.   

Oliver Queen has two identities, one which is his real identity of being elite and controlling the masses through is power of wealth, fame, status and Second identity is of arrow which he created on his own. Fame has been acquired by Oliver in both the ways. Being a billionaire and being an arrow. He is successful in creating an identity which gives him a lot of importance and fame. Everyone in the city is talking about the arrow or Oliver Queen. Day one when Oliver returned home after the destruction of glades, the local news channels was occupied by the news of returning of the Oliver Queen. His steps and actions were been noted and captured and shown on the news channels which shows his position and power he holds in the society.

According to Oliver Queen the justified excuse of taking an identity of arrow is to save the city but actually he is doing no good for the city as he couldn’t stop Malcolyn Merlyn from saving the city from the disaster he did to the city. His made up identity is just for earning him fame and power among the masses but apparently after the death of his friend he said that he was done being a vigilante but couldn’t stop himself of being a hero. It has been depicted in the episode one that after the massive upheaval Oliver returned to the hellish Ireland to stay away from the Starling city as he believed that he was the one who could only stop Malcolyn Merlyn and because he couldn’t do so, he left the city out of guilt and shame.

He at one place presents himself as a hero in hood but at the same time he is the cause of this up evil in one way or other. He being a hero and being Oliver Queen made a lot of mistakes in his life which he shouldn’t have made being a hero. He couldn’t save the Starling City, he couldn’t help saving his company, and even he couldn’t help saving his father from dyeing and mother being into prison. Not only that he couldn’t even do any good for the common people because he was so busy being a play boy and trying to be a hero which he actually wasn’t. He himself said that he failed in his mission of saving the city and because of that he is not going to wear the hood again but even in wearing the hood or not wearing it couldn’t help people to think of what Oliver’s family has done to the city. In short, being vigilante was an excuse to pertain power but actually Oliver Queen is good for nothing and no one.

After the destruction of thousands of people under the glades John Diggle and Felicity Smoak, who are the partners of the vigilante in the mission of his to save the city, arrives at the Ireland on the helicopter to take Oliver Queen back to the Starling City as his company was falling after the destruction done by Oliver’s mother to the city. They convinced Oliver to return back to the city not as vigilante but as Oliver Queen just to save his family and company. This shows that apart from being guilty he returned to the city just to save his family. He wasn’t concerned about the people suffering after the destruction of glades. He clearly made a distinction between himself and the other people.

Apart from that, the working members with the vigilante aren’t the common people. Felicity Smoak is a hi-tech professional who could access and control whatever she wants to. She could even hack anyone’s personal details and locate any person easily. Other than this, John Diggle is a military personal and Oliver’s personal body guard. He is powerful and intelligent. Hence, Oliver has the power of doing anything and getting into anything easily without anyone’s help from outside. He has created a team which is fully equipped with hi-technology which helps him to get onto anything he likes.

Ironically in the serial it has been shown that Oliver, in the Ireland and in the city both, is a person who is continuously indulged in some activities but that doesn’t turn out to be good enough. Each time he leaves a loop hole for the evil guy to harm the country and the people.  Even his being vigilante gave others to steal the idea of being one, copying him and then turning up to be like him. As many people did after the destruction of glades. They turned themselves into hood like the vigilante and used the power in the possible way they could. They once said to Oliver that there was no justice for the people like Queens till the arrow showed them how to get it. On the same time they also told him that he was a murderer which means that arrow was the one who taught them how to forcefully take the justice and to do so give and take whatever it costs. On the other hand there are some who admire him for being what he was. Roy Harper is one of them who admired him, wanted to be like him and wanted to do something for the city.

 The life of Oliver is shown to be difficult and busy as he leads double life. In the morning working for company and at night busy locating and haunting bad guys around the city. But any effort of him is not bringing any fruitful result for the common people instead it is just providing him with more and more fame and power. Apparently it has been shown that being vigilante he takes on traits which at some places may cost his life, he has to fight the enemy, he has to kill people to save his own life, and he has to even face a huge risk of his own life but neither of that could compensate for the destruction caused by his father and mother to the Starling City.

While discussing about Oliver being a vigilante, one should keep in mind about his appearance as well. Viewers are been shown that Oliver, while he was on Ireland, faced lots of difficulties and torture which in return gave many bruises and cuts on his body which signifies his hard survival on the Ireland but that is not the justification for what he does with the other people. He is powerful, knows how to use a bow and an arrow, knows how to fight and survive. Apart from doing all that he also manages to take all the responsibility of deciding for the people of the city.

Interesting fact is that elites are the cause of the sufferings and disaster and on the same time they are shown grieving, and being sorrowful on the loss. Among those there are people like Oliver who tries to make it better but is unable to do so. On the other hand we could also see that all the institutions are being governed by the elite whether it is police, judiciary, law, or investigation department.  The power in all forms is in control of elite not the common people.

The Family name of Queen is enough for the people to obey whatever they say because they are in power. It is due to the cultural conditioning that people tend to obey whatever is coming from the elites. They are considered to be legitimate and acceptable. Along with that a clear boundary has been created between the elites and the common people without power. Due to the control over the institutions by the elite they tend to create this kind of boundary and in return results in social inequality in the society. By doing so and by controlling the production means they create their dominance over the common people.

We could notice the same issue of inequality in the serial when it is known that the applied science of Queen consolidated built the machine of earthquake but nobody was there to question them and ask them about that. And when the common people tried to question the Queens they were stopped by the vigilante. Even a little voice against the elites was suppressed and stopped and it was done by the hood himself.

Hence, this dominance is exercised by social power by elites, institutions and groups which in turn results in social inequality such as political, cultural, racial, and gender inequality. As we see in arrow the elites, institutions and certain groups plays an important role in generating this kind of inequality whether it is Oliver Queen, Inspector Lance, Slade Wilson, Malcolyn Merlyn or any other character in the novel, all are helping in creating the inequality in the society through their power and dominance over the common people.