In 2014, Irish drag queen Miss Panti Bliss presented a 10-minute speech at the Abbey Theatre. She spoke about her own experience as a gay individual living in Ireland, and her sense of internal subjugation. This essay will analyze her speech using JL Austin’s theory of speech acts. Panti tries to create an essential moment based on the “feelings, thoughts or actions of the audience” as she performs a “locutionary act” (Nordenstam, 141). Austin explains that the locutionary act is “to perform or utter a sentence that has a particular meaning, as traditionally conceived” (Langton, 295). The incapability to speak in one’s authentic voice is a persistent theme in a homosexual’s realm (Crew & Norton, 274).
Panti Bliss uses ‘performative utterances’ …show more content…
People also managed to hurt and oppress one another (Hunter, 1720). Panti Bliss's speech depicts an illocutionary act of subordination. The statement “… Have you ever been standing at a pedestrian crossing when a car drives by and in it is a bunch of lads, and they lean out the window and they shout “Fag!” and throw a milk carton at you?” This is a locutionary act: “Fags” refers to homosexuals (Langton, 303). This is also seen as a perlocutionary act: it will affect how homosexuals feel towards themselves. Therefore, the statement shows how homosexuals are treated as subordinates (Langton, 303). Two examples of illocutionary acts of subordination would be that they rank homosexuals as being inferior and that they legitimize discriminatory behavior toward others and rob them of significant feelings (Langton, 303). Throughout the speech, Panti demonstrates these two features. Having a milk carton thrown at you displays others believing that homosexuals are inferior. Being called a “fag” is discriminatory behavior and this places gay people in a difficult situation as they are then not allowed to say publicly what they feel and must keep it suppressed. Panti’s speech helps display the rejection of the idea that we must all perform to certain ideal characteristics of gender. Speech acts can be unhappy, can misfire, …show more content…
To put it bluntly, “powerful people can generally do more, say more, and have their words count for more than the powerless. If you are powerful then there are more things you can do with your words” (Langton, 299). Panti Bliss has an authoritative influence when she speaks on behalf of the helpless and voiceless. Thus those who wield this authoritative power are granted the ability to perform illocutionary acts that are not normally available during normal speeches (Langton, 315). Many who are silent may be so not by choice, but because they have been forced to stay quiet for their own good, or merely because they believe that their words fall on deaf ears. This forces them to be subjugated to others’ beliefs, thinking that any action on their behalf is
Panti Bliss uses ‘performative utterances’ …show more content…
People also managed to hurt and oppress one another (Hunter, 1720). Panti Bliss's speech depicts an illocutionary act of subordination. The statement “… Have you ever been standing at a pedestrian crossing when a car drives by and in it is a bunch of lads, and they lean out the window and they shout “Fag!” and throw a milk carton at you?” This is a locutionary act: “Fags” refers to homosexuals (Langton, 303). This is also seen as a perlocutionary act: it will affect how homosexuals feel towards themselves. Therefore, the statement shows how homosexuals are treated as subordinates (Langton, 303). Two examples of illocutionary acts of subordination would be that they rank homosexuals as being inferior and that they legitimize discriminatory behavior toward others and rob them of significant feelings (Langton, 303). Throughout the speech, Panti demonstrates these two features. Having a milk carton thrown at you displays others believing that homosexuals are inferior. Being called a “fag” is discriminatory behavior and this places gay people in a difficult situation as they are then not allowed to say publicly what they feel and must keep it suppressed. Panti’s speech helps display the rejection of the idea that we must all perform to certain ideal characteristics of gender. Speech acts can be unhappy, can misfire, …show more content…
To put it bluntly, “powerful people can generally do more, say more, and have their words count for more than the powerless. If you are powerful then there are more things you can do with your words” (Langton, 299). Panti Bliss has an authoritative influence when she speaks on behalf of the helpless and voiceless. Thus those who wield this authoritative power are granted the ability to perform illocutionary acts that are not normally available during normal speeches (Langton, 315). Many who are silent may be so not by choice, but because they have been forced to stay quiet for their own good, or merely because they believe that their words fall on deaf ears. This forces them to be subjugated to others’ beliefs, thinking that any action on their behalf is