Last modified: 2023-11-30
Abstract
This study seeks to analyze the short story titled "Bully." The approach employed in this study is content analysis. The writers used close reading to identify sentences highlighting societal injustices during the data collection process. The writers used Appraisal theory to analyze the sentence during their data analysis. Upon careful data analysis, the writers made interpretations and drew connections using Norman Fairclough's Approach. The study's findings indicate that the short story encompasses all aspects of the appraisal theory. The primary social issue depicted in the short story "Bully" is the unequal power dynamic between the narrator, the victim of the bullying, and the individuals responsible for the persecution. Fairclough's four-step process highlights the power imbalance between the narrator and the perpetrators as the social injustice in the story. However, it has been observed that society hinders rectifying this social injustice. The community persists in the belief that it is permissible to oppress individuals with less authority, and those who recognize this societal wrong are reluctant to intervene, fearing the complications it may entail.