The use of Ironic Discourse: Bassem Youssef's Interview with Piers Morgan.

Abstract

This study examine the use of ironic discourse in Bassem Youssef‘s with Piers Morgan within the media context. The research aims to highlight the significance of irony as a rhetorical strategy used by politicians to advocate for political issues and reveal truths. Employing a qualitative approach, the study delves into the ideological dimension of irony using ―Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive framework‖, which scrutinizes the cognitive processes involved in meaning interpretations. Furthermore, thematic analysis methods are utilized to pinpoint and analyze prominent themes from the interview. The analysis reveals how ironic discourse can challenge prevailing narratives and foster critical thinking among audiences, influencing their perspectives on the ongoing oppression, suffering, and multifaceted violence in Palestine. The results demonstrated that the use of ironic discourse by Bassem Youssef through his discussion of various topics had an obvious impact on people‘s opinions as well as their perspectives. His ironic language contributed to uncover the illegal and the oppressive actions carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip to remove Hamas, and this reflects the transformative power of ironic discourse in shaping attitudes and social perspectives towards the Palestinian issue within media context. This research highlights the pivotal role of ironic discourse in media in catalyzing social change.