Name: Sohaila

Enrollment No. S20/BS-Eng_67

Course: Discourse Analysis
Assignment Topic: Face View of Politeness.
Teacher Name: ma’am Humaira
Summary of Comedy:
"The Caretaker" is a darkly comic play by Harold Pinter. It tells the story of an encounter
between two brothers, Aston and Mick, and a tramp named Davies, whom Aston has taken in to
be his caretaker. The play explores themes of power, identity, and the human condition. As the
story progresses, the three characters engage in a power struggle, with each trying to assert their
dominance over the others. The play is known for its complex characters, sharp wit, and
ambiguous ending, which leaves the audience to conclude the fate of the characters.
Application of Four Strategies of Politeness:
The idea of politeness, as defined by Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson, is focused on
efforts to correct insults to a person's self-esteem or to effectively assert good societal ideals in
social interactions. Brown and Levinson expanded the theory of Goffman and said that the idea
of face-saving or politeness is culturally universal. The four strategies are briefly defined and
analyzed in the comedy. The comedy has been divided among the group members and my task is
to study final pages (pages 49-56) of part 3 and analyze and locate the 4 strategies of politeness.
1. Bald on Record:
Bald on the record means to say something without an apology, any adornment, or hedging. In
simple terms, it means to say something without beating about the bush. Or in other meaning it
means brutal honesty or radical transparency. For example, being a guest of someone who has
cooked something (Mutton karahi) that you don’t like, but, one is proud of one’s cooking skills.
The least polite way of saying this is that the beef never tastes good.
Succeeding statements showcase bald on Record Politeness.
MICK. I don’t want you to pick it up. I want a first-class experienced interior decorator. I
thought you were one. DAVIES. Me? Now wait a minute— wait a minute—you got the wrong
man.
MICK. You mean you wouldn’t know how to it teal-blue, copper and parchment linoleum
squares and have those colours re-echoed in the walls?
MICK. You’re a bloody impostor, mate!
MICK. You got two names. What about the rest? Eh? Now come on, why did you tell me all this
dirt about you being an interior decorator?
MICK. What a strange man you are. Aren’t you? You’re really strange. Ever since you come
into this house there’s been nothing but trouble. Honest. I can take nothing you say at face value.
Every word you speak is open to any number of different interpretations. Most of what you say is
lies. You’re violent, you’re erratic, you’re just completely unpredictable. You’re nothing else but
a wild animal, when you come down to it. You’re a barbarian. And to put the old tin lid on it,
you stink from arse-hole to breakfast time. Look at it. You come here recommending yourself as
an interior decorator, whereupon I take you on, and what happens? You make a long speech
about all the references you’ve got down at Sidcup, and what happens? I haven’t noticed you go
down to Sidcup to obtain them. It’s all most regrettable but it looks as though I’m compelled to
pay you off for your caretaking work. Here’s half a dollar.
ASTON. Anyway, I’m going to be busy. I’ve got that shed to get up. If I don’t get it up now it’ll
never go up.
ASTON. You better go.
2. Off Record:
It means we don’t say the face-threatening act directly but hint at the face-threatening act. We
allow people to understand what we make inferences about. Here we are paying respect to the
listener.
Keeping our previous example in mind, to act politely one would reply that I have never eaten
Mutton Karhai before. Here only an intelligent mind would understand my dislikes of the dish.
3. Positive Politeness:
While interacting with a person having a positive face, the use of language would aim to bolster
the confidence of the hearer to get him connected to a group. For instance, by asking an office
colleague for a letter of recommendation, I would use positive politeness to get things done. For
this reason, I would use words that would result in increasing his self-esteem, i.e. I am asking
you for a letter of recommendation, as you are an expert in the field, you are very much familiar
with my work, and you would be a perfect person to write a letter of recommendation. Following
statements are taken from comedy indicating positive politeness.
DAVIES. But listen. I’m with you, I’ll be here, I’ll do it for you! Pause. We’ll do it together!
ASTON. You make too much noise.
4. Negative Politeness:
To protect the negative face or try to lessen the threatening act, one would try not to impose
anything on the person who wants to be independent. For instance, by asking for a letter of
recommendation from a person who is having a negative face, I would use my words wisely.
You are free to say no, I know the deadline may not work for you, and I am sure you are very
busy, but if you had the time, it would be great of you to write a letter of recommendation of the
letter for me.
DAVIES. What? What I’m saying is, you got ideas for this place, all this … all this decorating,
see? I mean, he’s got no right to order me about. I take orders from you, I do my caretaking for
you, I mean, you look upon me … you don’t treat me like a lump of dirt … we can both … we
can both see him for what he is.
MICK. Well, you say you’re an interior decorator, you’d better be a good one.
ASTON. Any time he stays here. This is my bed. It’s the only bed I can sleep in.
DAVIES. No, no, not me, man. I’m not an interior decorator. I been too busy. Too many other
things to do, you see. But I … but I could always turn my hand to most things … give me …
give me a bit of time to pick it up.
Conclusion:
It takes just a few years to learn any language, however, it takes decades to use them
appropriately in order to be considered as some who is poised and safe to interact with. The idea
of face and politeness help us in choosing words fittingly so as to be considered as a polite
member of any social group. Radical Honesty, though very harsh and cruel, suggest to speak
truth, come what may. This radical honesty would result in impolite view of the speaker.
However the concept of face view of politeness suggest to use your language in a proper way.
One can conclude that in a society where we live, one should study and apply these four
strategies of politeness. This would help us maintain good relations with whom we interact.