Rhetorical Practices In Political Discourse: A Comparative Analysis Of Joe Biden And Boris Johnson’s Election Speeches

Abstract

This research article is about discourses used by two politicians Boris Johnson and Joe Biden in their selected pre-election speeches. Both politicians have presented themselves to win general elections in their respective countries, Boris Johnson the UK in 2019 and Joe Biden in the USA in 2020. In this research article, the researchers have included one speech from each politician. Norman Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model (1989) of Critical Discourse Analysis has been used in this study. This model is based on three stages, which are based on text, discursive practices, and social practices, also known as the description, interpretation, and explanation [1]stages. The analysis of the speeches has been carried out based on three main themes, i.e., the requirement of the election, the importance of the election, and future of the nations after the election. Findings of the study revealed that Joe Biden emphasized the third theme, i.e., future of the nation after the election which shows his importance regarding the election. However, Boris Johnson emphasized the first theme, i.e., requirement of the election, over the other two themes, which shows his priority for the election.