A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF IDENTITY CRISIS IN TREVOR NOAH’S BORN A CRIME

ABSTRACT

This study examines the theme of Identity Crisis in Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Fairclough’s three- dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) comprising textual analysis, discursive analysis and social practice serve as the theoretical framework for the examination of the dynamics of power, race, language and religion within the primary text Born a Crime. The objective is to understand how these elements collectively Influence and shape the formation of individual identities in the work. This study reveals systemic manipulation within a social hierarchy and uncovers how racial hierarchies are demonstrated in the text. By conducting a critical discourse analysis of Noah’s personal narratives, this research elucidates how apartheid’s systemic racism built on racial hierarchies construct the character’s sense of self and their place within this divided society. The primary source of data for this study is Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.This study finds that the characters struggle with identity, mirror the broader societal struggles of inequality and systemic racism ultimately leading to range of psychological problems for individuals. Faced with systemic discrimination, lack of access to resources, and limited opportunities, individuals within the racially divided South Africa depicted in the memoir, struggle with feelings of despair, low self-esteem and identity crisis.