Lamenting, Questioning, and Longing: A Speech Act Approach to Farzana Aqib’s Poetry

Abstract

This research applies Speech Act Theory to examine the contemporary Pakistani poet Farzana Aqib’s two poems such as Where Is My Farmer and Chase (Aqib, 2021). The chief objective is to show how poetic language does actions rather than only expressing emotions. Using a qualitative method, the poems were divided into meaningful sections based on shifts in emotion and meaning. Each section was first interpreted literarily and then analyzed through Searle’s (1969) classification of speech acts, focusing on appropriate contextual conditions. The analysis uncovers that the poems mainly employ expressive speech acts, including lamenting, questioning, longing, and reflecting. Hence, the findings claim that poetry functions as an active form of communication that shapes and moulds readers’ understanding. The study also signals that Speech Act Theory offers a clear and practical framework for analyzing modern poetry, particularly within the field of literary pragmatics and Pakistani poetry in English.