The Everyday Language and Power Structures: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Poems by Billy Collins and Wendy Cope

Abstract

Abstract

This research examines the hidden ideologies in accessible, humor-tinged contemporary poetry by applying Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to Billy Collins’ Forgetfulness and Introduction to Poetry and Wendy Cope’s The Orange. Using a qualitative design, the research incorporates (1) textual analysis — close readings of diction, metaphor, tone, and narrative voice — with (2) discursive practice — examination of production and reception contexts, including poetic conventions, authorial intent, and reader interpretation — and (3) social practice, which positions poems within wider institutional and ideological formations. Focusing on representative poems by Billy Collins and Wendy Cope, the findings demonstrate that ostensibly apolitical, user-friendly verse both reproduces and destabilizes prevailing power relations, reflecting the subtle ideological work performed by accessible lyric forms. The study therefore exhibits CDA’s adaptability as a literary-analytic tool and highlights modern poetry’s capacity to reflect and contest social discourse