Rhetoric of a terrorist: a metafunctional thematic analysis of the Unabomber Manifesto

Abstract

ABSTRACT Systemic functional linguistic analyses of texts provide in-depth assessments of an author's strategic choice of metafunctional markers. Specialised applications also serve to examine key rhetorical marker choices in the context of unique groups or communities such as the discourse generated by criminal groups and marginal actors. This study applies an SFL-based analysis of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski’s (1995) manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future. The study examines the use of textual-based markers as a way of exploring the author's imagined connection between his text and its arguments, and to his targeted readers. Analysis deriving from this assessment illustrated that while all metafunctional markers perform many of their typical and associative functions, they also take on a renewed importance within the context of this text and the history surrounding its publication. In this case, Kaczynski's use of the devices also serves to consciously reinforce the text's scientific and academic pretentions. This distinguishes the Manifesto from other forms of discourse produced by criminal or marginal groups and distinguishes Kaczynski as a marginal actor who attempted to justify his actions through appeals to logic and empirical reasoning.