FCDA of dua e reem Feminist critical discourse Analysis of Dua e reem lyrics of Dua e Reem TRANSLATION of Dua e Reem PRAYER OF BRIDE TRANSLITRATION OF DUA E REEM ANALYSIS of Dua e Reem ANALYSIS of Dua e Reem

1. Submitted to: Ma'am Rahat Ch.
Subject: Language and Gender
Topic: Feminist Critical Discourse
Analysis of Dua - e- Reem (prayer of
Bride)
Submitted by:
Abdul Rehman
bsf1703714
BS English (Linguistics)=
University of Education Lahore
( Multan Campus)

2. Lyrics:
Dua-e-Reem (Prayer Of Bride)
Part-01:
Lab Pe Ave Hai Dua Banke Tamanna Meri,
My Wishes come to my lips like a prayer.
Zindagi Amma Ki Surat O’ Khudaya Meri,
May my life be like my mother’s share.
Mera Iman Ho Shauhar Ki Taa’at Karna,
May my faith be to submit completely to my husband.
Unki Surat Ki Na Seerat Ki Shikayat Karna,
Never complain about the looks or character of my husband.
Ghar Mein Agar Unke Bhatakne Se Andhera Ho Jave,
When his lapses cause darkness in our house.
Nekiyan Meri Chamakne Se Ujale Se Ujala Ho Jawe,
My blessings may sparkle to light up the house.
Dhamkiyan De Toh Tasalli Ho Ke Thappad Na Pada,
I should feel blessed that it was just a threat, not a slap.
Parhe Thappad Toh Karun Shukr Ke Juta Na Huwa
If slapped I should be thankful it was not a shoe.
ho Mera Kam Naseebon Ki Malamat Karna,
Cursing my fate is what I should do.
Biwiyon Ko Nahin Bhave Hai Baghavat Karna,
As rebelling is not what good women do.
Mere Allah Ladayi Se Bachana Mujhko,
My God protect me from every fight.
Muskurana Galiyan Kha’ke Sikhana Mujhko,
At every swear word, teach me how to smile.
Part-02:
Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua Banke Tamanna Meri,
My Wishes come to my lips like a prayer.
Ghar Toh Unka Ho Hukumat Ho Khudaya Meri
The house may be his, but my rule should be there.

3. Main Agar Batti Bujhaun Ke Andhera Ho Jaye,
I control the switch to speared the darkness.
Main Hi Batti Ko Jalaun Ke Ujala Ho Jaye,
And it’s me who turns it on to spread light.
Mera Iman Ho Shauhar Se Mohabbat Karna,
To love my husband should be my conviction.
Na Ita’at, Ba Gulami, Na Ibadat Karna,
Not worship, slavery or total submission.
Na Karun Maike Mein Aa Kar Main Shikayat Unki,
With my family about him I shouldn’t squeal.
Karni Ati Ho Mujhe Khud Hi Marramat Unki,
I should know myself the art of how to deal.
Admi Toh Unhe Tune Hai Banaya Yara,
You have created him a man my Lord.
Mujhko Sikhlao Unhein Insan Banana Yara,
Now teach me to make him a human, my Lord.
Ghar Mein Agar Unke Bhatakne Se Andhera Ho Jaye,
When his lapses cause darkness in our house.
Bhad Mein Jhonkun Unhein Aur Ujala Ho Jaye,
I plunge him in hellfire and it lights our house.
Woh Ho Shaheen Toh Maula Main Shahina Ho Jaun,
If he is a falcon, may I become she falcon too.
Aur Kamine Ho Toh Main Badh’ke Kamina Ho Jaun,
If he is a rascal, I should become a share rascal too.
Lekin Allah Mere Aisi Na Naubat Aye,
Though my lord it should not come to this.
Woh Rafaqat Ho Ke Hum Dono Ko Rahat Aye,
Exemplary companionship & happiness bliss.
Woh Mohabbat Jise Andeshaye Sawal Na Ho,
That love which does not fear a low,
Kisi Jhidki Kisi Thappad Ka Bhi Sawal Na Ho,
Let alone a question of slap and blow.
Unko Roti Hai Pasand, Mujhko Hai Bhawe Chawal,
If he likes bread and I like rice.
Aisi Ulfat Hoke Hum Roti Se Khave Chawal,
Our love should be such that we eat bread and rice.

4. Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Dua- e-Reem (prayer of
Bride)
Abdul Rehman
University of Education Lahore
bsf1703714@ue.edu.pk
Abstract
The purposeof this paper is to illustrate gender differences, gender ideologies and
relationship between people and people’s social and personal identities in language
use in the Pakistani song prayer of bride. The media have signifying power that is
the power to represent things in particular ways largely a matter of language use.
The media are not simply representational, but can be seen as sites for the
discursive construction and contestation of knowledge, beliefs, values, social
relations and identities. Media discourseworks ideologically. The meanings
produced serve as a system of power relations. The actual representations of
women and men are often stereotypical.
Key words: gender, femininity, media, language use, gender differences.
Introduction
Music has been part of many historical movements for centuries. Dr. Martin Luther
King considered music as the soul of civil right movement. Many musicians use

5. their music to address the inequitable treatment they received. Media play
important roles in society. Media can be important actor in the promotion of
gender equality in the representation of women and men and the use of neutral and
non-gender specific language. Fair gender portrayal in the media should be a
professional and ethical aspiration similar to respect for accuracy, fairness and
honesty. Yet unbalanced gender portrayal is widespread.
Women are often portrayed in the media through their physical attributes as sex
objects as mothers and wives in passive or supportive roles and as victims. Men are
overwhelmingly depicted as strong, active independent. Heterosexual romantic
relationships in media, particularly in film, often romanticize intimate partner
violence wherein the woman is the victim. This conflation of abuse and romance is
widely attributed to the prevalence of abusive tropes in popular media. In media
featuring a male protagonist, women's pain, suffering, or even death are often used
as plot devices to further the male protagonist's narrative arc. This is known as the
“referred pain” plot device. It involves a situation wherein a woman undergoes a
traumatic event, often (but not always) of a sexual nature, but her pain is referred
to a male character. This male character's grief and anger due to the trauma
experienced by the female character are explored in depth. The female character's
emotional or physical response is only addressed briefly or cursorily. The media is
generally regarded as playing an important role in defining prevailing social
norms concerning sexual harassment, especially television, which is "widely
accessible and intentionally appealing and engaging, [making] massive use of
stereotypical messages that the majority of the people can easily
understand" Media affects behaviors and is "of prime importance for adolescents'
general ideas of romance, sex, and relationships" Thus, objectifying media has
important social consequences, among which is greater acceptance of stereotypical
attitudes. Studies have found that exposure to objectifying media can be linked to
increased probability of male viewers engaging in sexual harassment, abuse, or
acts of violence against women.
However, in this paper gender Stereotypes, gendered language and gender
inequality will be critically analyzed particularly from the song prayer of bride.

6. Method
In this paper FCDA (Feminist critical discourseanalysis) method is used to
analyze the bride’s prayer. In this method these things are considered; how gender
ideology and relations of power are reproduced, negotiated and contested in
representations of social practices in social relationship between people and
people’s social and personal identities in text and talk.
Literature Review
Music has been part of many historical movements for centuries. Culture is the
way of life and music is part of the way people chooseto live their lives (Kortaba
and Vannini, 2009). Some theories claim the following characteristics that
differentiate men with women:
men interrupt women more than vice versa, women are more communicative, men
curse more than women and women gossip more than men.
Deborah Tannen, 1990. YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND:WOMEN IN
CONVERSATION
 Women speak a language of connection and intimacy
 Men speak a language of status and independence
Stereotypes are also prevalent in every day media. Women are often portrayed
solely as homemakers and carers of the family, dependent on men or as objects of
male attention. Stories by female are reporters are more likely to challenge
stereotypes than those filed by male reporters (Gallagher et al.,2010). As such there
is a link between participant in media and improvements in the representations of
women. In a content analysis in 1970 by Courtney and Lockeretz,
researchers who study women roles, it was suggested that there are four
very commonstereotypes that women are seen under:
1) A woman's only place is in her home.
2) Women have no ability to make their own decisions or important ones.
3) A man must always protectwomen as they are dependent on them.
4) Men only see women as housewives and as sexual objects.

7. In another study, Souha R. Ezzedeen found that career-driven female characters in
film were negatively represented as having conniving personalities, being isolated,
and being unable to balance work and family.
Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Dua-e-Reem (prayer of
Bride)
Pakistani television and film director Shoaib Mansoor has collaborated with
Mahira Khan to pay tribute to women on international Women's Day 2020 by
releasing a new video song titled Dua - e - Reem (Bride's Prayer).
Dua - e- Reem is set in the pre partition era when Allama Iqbal's poem "Lab Pe
Aati Hai Dua Ban Kay Tammana Meri" had become popular in India.In the
opening scene, we’re told how the classic “Lab pe ati hai dua ban ke tammanna
meri” by Allama Iqbal had been taken by local wedding singers and changed from
a child’s prayer for their country to a bride’s prayer while she goes into her new
home.
In this song it is explained that what people expectyoung girls getting married
should do is totally different what young girls anticipate their new life after
marriage.
Mahira Khan beautifully plays the role of a girl about to get married but she is
disturbed by the thinking of women around her. This song is shot in Haveli that
depicts a kind of Mughal era where women had to abide by the rules and in
every condition she had to follow the instruction of the men of the house.
There are two parts in this song. In the first part singer is praying to God that the
girl's life would be like her mother's. She is cursing her fate. The prayer says
“May my faith be to completely submit to my husband”
We see the bride shake her head in disappointment.
“Nevercomplain about the character of my husband" She again looks disappoint.
“If he threatens me, I should feel blessedit’s not a slap. If it’s a slap I should
be thankful it’s not a shoe"
Here the bride is seen getting angrier “Cursing my fate is what I should do, As
rebelling is not what goodwomen do"
“At every swear word, teach me how to smile"

8. Here Mahira Khan perfectly embodies any bride of 2020, and yells out BUS!!
(ENOUGH!!)
In the second part girl is praying to God about love in relationship and she prefer
equality over subordinate position. The bride gets up here, saying “It’s my
prayer, I’ll do it myself”
She changes up each line.
“To love my husband should be my conviction – not worship, slavery or total
submission”
This highlights how it’s more important to be in love with your husband, to have a
loving relationship rather than being his submissive slave.
“I shouldn’t have to complain about him to my family, I should know how to deal
with him myself”
Reinforcing the idea of having a positive relationship within your marriage. If
something upsets you, you should be able to deal with it peacefully amongst
yourselves without any outside forces.
“Aadmi toh tu ne unhe banaya hai Ya Rabb, mujh ko sikhla unhe insaan banana Ya
Rabb”
There is rejection the idea of "Mijazi Khuda". Husband is husband wife is wife
and actual Khuda is real God. The best lines which shows the equality between
husband and wife are:
"If he like roti and I prefer chaawal
Let our love be such that we eat, Roti with Chaawl"
The song should be appreciated for two reasons:
Firstly, it highlights the issues of the women againstwomeninstead of Men
against women. Women also behave patriarchy. Men are not to be blamed and
majority of our womenare equally to be accusedfor unequal treatment. They
their selves want hegemonic relationships.
Secondly, The songhas covered almost all the disputes such as domestic violence
and emotionalabuse.
Mahira disapproves the thought of wives bowing down to abuse and domestic
violence to save their marriage. She talks about the equality in marriage.
One cannot deny that eachline from the first part of the song are the slogans
which our girls have to listen in the society. Dua - e - Reem is about a woman
who explains how she would handle any injustice after marriage. Furthermore,it
shows the lack of self awareness and stereotypes we all are victims of.

9. Conclusion
It is concluded that women are often portrayed in the media through their physical
attributes as sex objects as mothers and wives in passive or supportive roles and as
victims. Stereotypes are also prevalent in every day media. Women are often
portrayed solely as homemakers and carers of the family, dependent on men or as
objects of male attention. The song has covered almost all the disputes such as
domestic violence and emotional abuse. In this song it is explained that what
people expect young girls getting married should do is totally different what young
girls anticipate their new life after marriage. There is rejection the idea of "Mijazi
Khuda". Husband is husband wife is wife and actual Khuda is real God. it
highlights the issues of the women against women instead of Men against women.
Women also behave patriarchy. Mahira disapproves the thought of wives bowing
down to abuse and domestic violence to save their marriage. She talks about the
equality in marriage.
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