Planet Zuma Analysis

1122 Words5 Pages

The text is an extract from Mmusi Maimane’s state of the nation address, therefore the text is a political text. The text is aimed at the members of the Parliament and the people of South Africa in general and the purpose is to persuade the members of the national assemble and the society, especially poor, unemployed, and those people who cannot afford quality education believe that the president is no longer fit for his position. This is evident in the speaker’s words “… Planet Zuma is where our President lives, in a galaxy far, far away from the lives of ordinary South Africans". This essay aims to analyse the text by focusing on how the text uses persuasive language to makes the reader believe that the president is no longer fit for his …show more content…

According to the Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary when one is on his own planet, suggests that somebody's ideas are not realistic and that they are ignorant of what is happening around them. The use of the metaphor Planet Zuma creates a rather unusual tone, which is that of informal and humorous. The tone is unusual because words such as, parliament, madam speaker and our people suggest that the speaker is in the parliament, which is a formal place. The use of informal language positions the reader believe that the speaker knows the president's ways of disregarding ordinary South Africans also can suggest that the president is not to be taken serious. The text seems to suggest that the president has no interest in matters affecting ordinary South Africans instead of the president only concerned about his own personal interest, “… we learned more about Planet Zuma than the country we live …show more content…

The speaker exaggerates as to know that the president is not going to talk about matters that affect ordinary South Africans. The use of hyperbole positions the reader to take the speaker's point of view, in this case, to believe that the president has lost touch with the people and that it is time someone else take over. The speaker further says that "Because this is what South African people expect of us. They expect us to be here, in this Parliament, making it work". The speaker positions the reader to believe that he is representing the people of South Africa, whereas is not the case, therefore, making the reader believe in the speaker's point of

Open Document