This article has been subjected to double blind peer review

This article has been published in: Ocula 22, Be cool. How a Cultural Icon is Born

author: Flavia Cavaliere (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (IT))

BECOMING MICHELLE, a Contemporary Cultural Icon. Decoding the Different Ways Leading from the South Side of Chicago to the White House

language: english

abstract: Mythological representations have always symbolically embodied human beings’ ancestral fears and wishes. Yet today the reading of the languages of new myths can convey the key to an understanding of the historical period we are living in. Nowadays one of the most popular cultural icons is Michelle Obama. First Afro-American FLOTUS, Michelle is still serving as a highly influential role-model, whose recently published autobiography, Becoming, is a record best-selling book. By drawing on the theoretical approach of Appraisal Framework (Martin and White 2007), I intend to investigate how her ‘becoming Michelle’ was accomplished. The AF explores the way language is used to evaluate and/or adopt stances and to construe textual personas, and how affective involvement can be conveyed through a set of indicators. Accordingly, qualitative examples are analysed to show how, in Michelle’s autobiography, the lexico-grammar options are significant in the process of the shaping of her status of a modern cultural icon.

citation information: Flavia Cavaliere, BECOMING MICHELLE, a Contemporary Cultural Icon. Decoding the Different Ways Leading from the South Side of Chicago to the White House , "Ocula", vol.21, n.22, pp.79-95, April 2020. DOI: 10.12977/ocula2020-9

Ocula.it publishes articles and essays in semiotic research, with a particular eye on communication and culture; it is open to dialogue with other research fields and welcomes contributions from all the areas of the social and human sciences. See the Editorial Board and the Editorial Board.