A Discourse Power Analysis of Akiko in My Year of Meats

Abstract

My Year of Meats is a successful work of Ruth Ozeik. Since the publication, the heroine Akiko and hero John's love and hate relationship has been widely concerned by the critics. Based on the theory of discourse power of the French philosopher Michel Foucault, this thesis discusses the loss, and its causes in obtaining of female discourse in My Year of Meats.

This thesis consists of three parts, namely the introduction, main body and conclusion.

The introduction part introduces the life of the writer and the main plot of My Year of Meats，summarizes the research status of this work at home and abroad, and proposes the research objectives and innovations of this article.

The main body briefly describes Michel Foucault's discourse power. This theory is the basis for a concrete study of the dialogues between men and women. First of all, from the three aspects of words, punctuation, and tone, the different representations of the loss of discourse of the Akiko are cited. Secondly, the reasons for the lack of discourse in women are the dual oppression of society and the economy. Finally, the heroine’s obtaining the right to speak is analyzed. 

The paper is about the process of a woman from silence to vocalization. It is also understood that the cause of this situation is the pressure from society and the family: it does not break out of silence and it perishes in silence.

Key Words: My Year of Meats; discourse power; Akiko; female discourse