A Comparative Study of the Manifestations of Freedom in the Poetry of Malek osh-Sho'arā Bahār and Ahmed Shawqi based on the Analysis of Van Dijk's Discourse

 

Introduction

Discourse analysis is an interdisciplinary method that analyzes and studies the functions of language in the field of society and politics. In this process, language is an ideological and social phenomenon and emphasizes the way of reproduction of social and political power through text. From the point of view of Teun Van Dijk's, discourse analysis deals with a methodical research in the direction of language communication in social and cultural contexts. Among the key aspects of Van Dijk's approach to discourse analysis, we can mention things such as: emphasis on the role of context, analysis of power relations, interdisciplinary approach, critical perspective and the need to pay attention to cognitive processes. Sincerely, Van Dijk's discourse analysis provides a nuanced and critical approach to understanding the complex interplay between language, power, and social context. Critical discourse analysis is also an interdisciplinary approach that studies the way of applying, reproducing and social resistance through text and speech in the field of society and politics and focuses on how language as a social phenomenon can create unequal power structures and social relations preserve and legitimize it. The main issue of this article is to investigate and compare the concept of freedom and its manifestations in the poems of the two mentioned poets, and to find the roots of the discourse of freedom using Van Dijk's discourse analysis approach, as well as to identify the similarities and differences in the way the concept of freedom is addressed in the poems of these two Iranian and Arabic poets. Examining the social, political and cultural context of the time of writing poems, analyzing the power relations and the social status of poets, as well as distinguishing the goals and intentions of the two poets in question are other topics that we will pay attention to. In the following, we will discuss the cognitive analysis, that is, the examination of the perception and representation of the concept of freedom, and the examination of the poets' arguments and mental constructions about freedom, and finally, the examination of the role and effect of poems in society and its reflection in public opinion, as well as the analysis of how the poems relate to each other. We will mention the poet with the social issues of the day.
 

Methodology

 From Teun Van Dijk's (2003) point of view, discourse analysis deals with methodical research in the direction of language communication in social and cultural contexts. Among the key strains of Van Dijk's approach to discourse analysis, we can mention things such as: emphasis on the role of context, analysis of power relations, interdisciplinary approach, critical perspective and the need to pay attention to cognitive processes. Sincerely, Van Dijk's discourse analysis provides a nuanced and critical approach to understanding the complex interaction between language, power, and social context.  
       In this article, relying on the American school of comparative literature and in the form of discourse analysis, and relying on Van Dijk's socio-cognitive perspective as one of the basic and efficient methods, we first evaluate the concept of freedom in the two great Iranian and Arab poets, Bahār and Shawqi, Attention has been shown; Then, we have examined the topic from the point of view of ideological strategies. Relying on Van Dijk's critical discourse analysis approach, we will compare the manifestations of freedom in the poems of the two mentioned poets, and by emphasizing the role of context, power relations and cognitive processes, we will identify and compare the way the concept of freedom is represented in the poems of the poets.
    Discovering interdisciplinary connections between language, power and socio-political contexts of the two mentioned poets is one of the other goals of this research. Then, using the theoretical framework of Van Dijk's discourse analysis, we try to present a critical and interdisciplinary perspective on the theme of freedom in Bahār and Shawqi's poems.
 

Discussion

In Bahār and Shawqi's poems, freedom is repeatedly mentioned as a high value and a transcendent goal. Both of these poets have praised and glorified freedom and its manifestations and considered it a gift from God, which, as a noble ideal and a vital desire, plays an important role in the destiny of the nation. The word freedom is in the sense of "breaking the determinism of one chain of causes and effects with the help of another chain" (Haghshenas, 2004: 56). In Latin, the word Liberation or sometimes Freedom is derived from it. The interpretation of freedom means the ability to use the goals that a person or social system undertakes at its own will. If a person is able to realize all his choices and no person or organization threatens his work, he enjoys unconditional independence. At first glance, absolute freedom seems very desirable, but the truth is that because humans live socially, they cannot fully benefit from it; Because the unlimited freedom of one person causes the waste and destruction of the freedom of other people. That is why every society, by formulating its own social, political and legal norms, both protect the freedom of the members of the society and consider an end for it. Freedom has two positive and negative aspects: "Negative freedom means that we have certain rights that impose limits on the amount of government intervention in our lives. Positive freedom also means that we have certain opportunities and choices with which we can realize our human capabilities" (Robinson, 2021: 164). The word freedom is a common interpretation, among its types in the world today, the following can be mentioned: freedom of religion, economic freedom, social freedom, freedom to vote and free elections, political freedom, ethnic and national freedoms, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of the media and press and freedom to criticize the power. A considerable part of the mentioned types is reflected in the poetry of Bahār and Shawqi, which we try to compare as much as possible and express their commonalities, in addition to dealing with its most prominent cases. 
 
4.Conclusion
Both poets have praised freedom seekers such as Bahār Mamdouh,s Sattar Khan and Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani. Shawqi also praises Saad Zaghloul. Bahār's view in this field is completely national and patriotic and his heroes are Iranian; However, Shawqi went further and chose his admirers from Arab fighters - both Egyptian and non-Egyptian. Bahār and Shawqi, with a reformist and critical point of view, have put their poetry in the service of generalizing freedom and favoring it. Also, the issue of women's freedom is one of the common concerns of Bahār and Shawqi, with the difference that its frequency is more in Shawqi's poetry than in Bahār's poems. Shawqi and Bahār envision an ominous fate for the enemies and opponents of freedom. Based on the findings of the research, Bahār and Shawqi, as two popular/patriotic poets, have never been indifferent and passive to the socio-political transformations of their time. These two have continuously fought against these changes and have reacted positively to them. Based on the most concrete socio-political discourses, Bahār and Shawqi's poems can be described in the description of the unconditional and petty society towards the government of the time and passive intellectuals, as well as various manifestations of freedom. Examining the socio-political aspects of the poems of the mentioned poets based on Van Dijk's critical discourse analysis approach, it is determined that the great approaches of Bahār and Shawqi are in favor of their own discourse and in contrast with the discourse of others in several strategies of Van Dijk's ideological square such as: negative presentation, emphasis and reduction, polarization, positive appearance. The goal is the positive self-arrangement of oneself and the negative presentation of others. Shawqi uses allegorical stories to show the results of the terror ruling the society and censorship. In these allegories, animals and birds are symbols of human society.
Women's freedom is one of the common concerns of Bahār and Shawqi. Bahār is against women's observance of the outer hijab and considers chastity and honor to be the true hijab of an Iranian woman. Ahmed Shawqi also mentions the Prophet's way of respecting women's rights and activities such as learning science, business, politics, etc. on his part. Shawqi's sensitivity about women's hijab and the extent to which it is addressed in the poem is much more than Bahār's.