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Dr. Ziwoya
Final Paper
14 December 2015
Power and Identity struggles in Scandal
Episode 1: Sweet Baby
Introduction:
In this Discourse Analysis paper, we are analyzing the power and identity
issues that are present in the pilot episode of the hit series Scandal. The
main character that we will be focusing on for the majority of the paper is
Olivia Pope played by Kerry Washington. Shonda Rhimes created the series
and the first episode, of which we will be analyzing, was aired on April 5,
2012. The series is now in its fifth season of the hit show, staying steady with
its popularity and power based story lines. Power takes on multiple forms in
just the first episode alone. It is an interesting topic because power is evident
in multiple aspects of life. Olivia Pope, one of the main characters and the
strongest female lead in the series, upholds more power than most
characters in the episode, whether they are male or female. She has a strong
sense of identity and therefore holds herself to a very high standard, which
in turn, forces others to do the same. Power is also connected to an
individuals identity because it is perceived based on the identity that
someone portrays. The different characters in Scandal constantly battle with
their own power and identity. However, there is also a group identity that
they all believe in and contribute to, referred to as Olivia Pope and
Associates. In this paper, we will dissect the multiple theories that play into
both of these themes that are present in the first episode. These include the
Power- Elite Theory (C. Wright Mills, 1956) and the Sociocultural Theory
(Vygotskys, 1997).
Through Conversation Analysis, we coded the transcript for the
episode identifying the differences in how each character behaves in specific
situations and how power and identity are involved. We also went a step
farther and watched the first episode; this helped us because we were able
to see the nonverbal communication that is taking place throughout the
episode, especially between Olivia and the President. Not only are Olivias
words powerful, but her overall presence and the way she carries herself
makes one realize when watching the kind of level she holds herself to in
regards to her power. This topic is worth discussing because while it may not
be something that we consciously think about everyday, power and identity
are issues that students, professors, and people in the workforce struggle
with everyday.
Approaches and Theoretical Scope:
A persons identity is something that shapes how they act, feel, and
communicate in their life. It is a concept that is always forced upon us as we
grow up because our elders want us to develop a good personal identity. The
Sociocultural Theory, which was created by Vygotsky in 1997, describes how
a persons identity can change based on the situation they are put in.
Vygotsky mentions that it is most likely an individuals behavior that will
change due to a situation. However, as mentioned before, identity goes hand
be in it.
Olivia Pope and Associates strive to wear their white hats and be
gladiators in suits (Newbern 2015) in all that they do. Wearing a white hat
means that they are acting admirably and being honorable. While this is not
always true, they are always identifying with wearing their white hats. All
of Olivia Pope and Associates want to build themselves up in order to be the
best possible person that they could be. Olivia wants each of them to identify
with wearing white hats so that other people, clients and the government,
believe they act in such a way that confirms they are indeed being
honorable. This is interesting because each of them actually defies most
ethical standards as lawyers; they scheme, manipulate, and lie in order to
get their way. What is interesting is that they do this in order to help their
clients, so is it really all that bad? When we are talking about an individuals
personal identity, it is not a good thing. When we think about our own
personal identity, we would probably use words like trustworthy, honorable,
and genuine. This brings us to our next point, what being a gladiator in a
suit (Newbern 2015) means. This means that they will always fight for what
they believe in, regardless of what that means for them. They will always
fight and go to war for the people they care for and will be strong in all that
they do. However, all at the same time, keeping on a good face and
appearing to be calm and collected. The associates identify with this and use
it as a motivator each and every day. Harrison continually tells the new
associate, Quinn, that she needs to be a gladiator. This was specifically
interesting in the first episode when Quinn was shocked that Olivia was
asking them to do such things, but it was immediately justified when
Harrison said that they must be gladiators. The Sociocultural theory can be
applied to this point because in each situation the associates are brought
into, they will act in the same way a gladiator would. Identity is such a huge
part in this pilot episode as it is in everyday life.
Another issue we analyzed while watching this first episode was the
relevance of power. Power, by definition, according to Merriam-Websters
Dictionary is the ability or right to control people or things and it is also a
person or organization that has a lot of control or influence over other people
or organizations. In this case, Olivia Pope and Associates is the group of
people that has power over other groups of people, and they use that power
to fix problems for others. Not only does the group have power, but also
Olivia Pope herself has a great deal of power over her associates. In this
episode, one can see that Olivia Pope has illegitimate power, meaning that
she wasnt assigned that power but rather she has gained it through
structural and oppression based ideas. Not only does illegitimate power play
a role in this first episode of Scandal, but the idea of community related
power also is relevant. Community related power focuses on the way
communication influences power in groups, rather than just in the individual
themselves (Nousiainen, Holli, Kantola, Saari, & Hart 2013). This is
something that we see occurring multiple times throughout the episode, as
Olivia Pope and her associates refer to themselves as a whole group, rather
for them. A prime example of this comes in the first episode; Olivia and her
associate Stephen meet with Ukranian mobsters and use their group power
to get the job done for their client. However, later in the episode Olivia uses
her individual power on Stephen to encourage him to propose to his
girlfriend. While Stephen is unsure about the proposal, Olivia uses her power
to influence him into doing something that he normally wouldnt have done,
she even goes as far as helping him pick out the ring and giving him
encouragement up until he actually pops the question. As one can see,
power takes on many different roles and influences people of all different
backgrounds in this series, as well as in life in general.
Gender Roles and Identity
In this article, Sarah Gardner, a counselor for the University of
Maryland, extends W. Glassers findings about the Choice Theory (1998)
through the issue of gender roles and identity. This article explains what the
Choice Theory states and how gender roles relate to identity. First, Choice
Theory states that all human behavior is chosen. Each person has the ability
to choose the way they are going to act.
The social construction of gender is important when trying to
comprehend the relativeness of identity and gender. One must consider what
each gender wants and needs. Gardner points out that traditionally, women
do not believe they are accepted in society or have power. Therefore, they
work to increase their rights and try to identify themselves in order to do so.
Women are notorious for having a low self-esteem, which corresponds with
their identity. Gender is a central aspect of identity all over the world,
especially the workplace. According to the Choice Theory, individuals are
acting in order to satisfy needs. They are choosing to support their needs
and wants. Olivia Pope and Associates have the choice to act how they want
and do what they want to get to where they want to be. They do not have to
be manipulative and lie to get their way, they choose to because they
believe it makes them gladiators in suits. Quinn chooses to identify herself
with Olivia Pope. I believe that Quinn is insecure because she is a female and
new to Olivia Pope and Associates, so she shapes her identity with that.
Power Article: Volubility
The article, Who Takes the Floor and Why: Gender, Power, and
Volubility in Organizations by Victoria Brescoll touches on the issues of
power, gender roles and how they are related or not related to volubility.
Volubility is the amount of time a person talks, or in laymans terms,
talkativeness. Experiments performed within organizations indicated that
while power has a big effect on volubility for men, it does not necessarily
have an effect for women. In most social contexts, women have less power
than men, and as a result, power and gender are naturally confounded.
The Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky, 1997) can be applied to Brescolls
study in many ways. People, whether male or female, change their behaviors
based on the situation they are in. For example, in an organization, when
talking in front of a large group versus in a small group, people will speak
more or less. This means they are changing their behavior based on the
situation. In addition, when people are in a large group, they may feel they
have less power than if they are in a small group, also affecting their
volubility. The Sociocultural theory (1997) reestablishes Brescolls findings
because based on whether someone is a male or female and the perceived
amount of power they have, they will change their volubility based on the
situation they are in. Olivia Pope does indeed seem to speak longer than her
colleagues and in turn has more power. She is the exception to this rule, but I
would conclude that she is most likely the exception to a lot of rules. Olivia
Pope is very powerful and works hard for that power.
act this way because of the fact that he is the president, but rather that she
is vulnerable to him because of the love she has for him. Olivia holds a great
amount of power in every other situation she is put in that does not involve
the Presidents fate, but he is the one person who has power over her,
showing us that power struggles are relevant during this first episode and
continue to be throughout the series.
Bibliography
Beraldi, C. (2015). Intercultural Communication Systems and Discourses of
Cultural Identity. Applied Linguistics Review, 6(1), 49-71.
Doi:10.15.15/applirev-2015-0003
Brescoll, V. L. (2011). Who Takes the Floor and Why: Gender, Power, and
Volubility in
Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(4), 622-641.
doi:10.1177/0001839212439994
Gardner, S. (2015). Choice theory: Gender roles and identity. International
Journal Of Choice
Theory & Reality Therapy, 35(1), 31-36.
Gaventa, Jonathan. Foucault: Power is Everywhere. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2015.
<http://www.powercube.net/other-forms-of-power/foucault-poweris-everywhere/>.