The Discourse of Rebellion: an Analysis of a Punk Text

Abstract

The present article describes the results of a larger research conducted throughout the year of 2008. This research aimed to analyze the speech of Brazilian punk movement manifested in the lyrics of songs of six well-known punk groups from different regions of the country, which are: Ratos de Porão – São Paulo, SP; Cólera – São Paulo, SP; Garotos Podres – Mauá, SP; Camisa de Vênus – Salvador, BA; Mukeka di Rato – Vila Velha, ES and Replicantes – Porto Alegre, RS. For analytical purposes, we have adopted the theoretical assumptions defining the concept of language and discourse advocated by the Russian thinker, Mikhail Bakhtin, and by other authors of the so-called Bakhtin Circle. The analysis was based particularly on the dialogical composition of discourse. In this sense, we focused on excerpts where dialogism was shown, in the texts, in other words, where the discourse to which the punk movement explicitly responds was given evidence, in its enunciation process. By the analysis of a song, we shall show some aspects of the general character of the punk movement, without losing sight of the larger context of all manifestations of punk supporters. We expect this article to offer the reader a characterization of the punk discourse and especially to reveal its oppositional nature, since the movement in which it falls is part of the cultural reality of Brazil and as such, there should be more studies about the punk movement in the academic realm.