The Analysis of Mahtumkulu’s Poems in Terms of Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Mahtumkulu, who used the pseudonym "Firâkî", is accepted as the founder of the Turkmen written literature. Mahtumkulu is a common value and a unifying person for the Turkic world as well as for the Turkmens. Mahtumkulu lived in the 19th century, the Turkmens were subjected to heavy pressure by the Iranian Shah and the Khanate of Iran. Mahtumkulu wrote impressive poems, which praised the souls of the Turkmen and kept their national feelings alive in order to keep their heads upright and to ensure their self-confidence. In the study; in the face of the hegemonic identity imposed by the Iranian Shahism and the Khanate of Khiwat, the Turkmens were told that the 18th century, the paradox formed by the will of authentic decision-making based on the right of self-representation to develop. The poems of the poet have been studied in the context of power and ideology, which are the main arguments of critical discourse analysis. As it is known, critical discourse analysis is also closely related to linguistic analysis and social theory. Critical discourse analyse, which claims to take social theory as a starting point. In order to analyse the relations between discourse and power relations, firstly we must resort to specific forms of discourse or the source of power. Secondly, we need to analysis the behavior controlled by our mind. As a result, Mahtumkulu was not only a powerful poet who founded Turkmen written literature, but also an ideologue and an activist with a discourse that influenced the masses.