LANGUAGE, LOVE AND

POWER IN MAFIA
From The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Chiara Santoro mat. CP/03954

 • What variables play a relevant role in
PURPOSE OF people’s language, attitude and relationships?
RESEARCH • What effects does Power produce over people
and how does it change them?
 THE GODFATHER:
EXTERNAL CONTEXTUALIZATION
The Godfather is a 1972 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola and inspired by Michael Puzo’s homonymous
novel. The film stars Al Pacino and Marlon Brando and it is considered one of the greatest of cinema history. It is
the first film of The Godfather trilogy, which primarily evolves around the rise of Michael Corleone to the criminal
Mafia empire of his family, built by his father Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather, in the New York of the later 40s.
The ‘first act’ of the film introduces Michael as a war hero who seems to embrace all the aspects of American way
of life: devoted to his nation, for whom he has fought in war, he is truly in love with his girlfriend Kay Adams, who
at the beginning is respected and beloved by Michael. Michael distances himself from his family, although he
respects all his relatives, especially his father. However, after the attempt to the life of Don Vito, carried out by
another New York mafia family, Michael decides to avenge his father and kills those responsible for the attempt to
Vito’s life, then escapes to Sicily but comes back to New York after the murder of his oldest impulsive brother
Sonny. Vito recognizes the wit of his clever son Michael, who was also a soldier, differently from his other
children, and decides to more involve Michael in the business affairs of his family: Michael is meant to succeed
Vito in his role of godfather. As Michael turns into the ‘War general’ of the Corleone family, from being devoted to
Kay and to all of ideals of freedom and happiness he becomes loyal only to his family and eventually distances
himself from the attachment he had for Kay. Although the two get married, he keeps her out of his business and
starts behaving for the sake of his relatives but mostly for power, becoming the ‘patriarchic’ ruthless leader of the
Corleone’s family.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO ANALYSE
(methodology)
The characterization and evolution of Michael Corleone through
language

The way he behaves with his girlfriend – then wife – Kay before and
after becoming the new ‘Godfather’, by analazying Politeness and
Impoliteness strategies (Brown and Levinson’s model).
The social variables that change him from a loyal and caring to
ruthless and despotic person
SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 1 INTERNAL CONTEXTUALIZATION
KAY   • This and the following sequence are taken from the very first
scenes of the movie. It’s Michael’s sister’s wedding and his
Nice to meet you.   family is there, so he decides to come with his girlfriend Kay to
(after Tom exits)   introduce her to his family’s relatives. Kay obviously wants to
get to know Michael’s family as better as possible, but he does
If he's your brother, why does he have a different not want to really make her know about what the family has
name?  
done/does to be so rich.
MICHAEL  
• Moreover these two sections are absolutely important to
Oh, ah, that – when my brother Sonny was a kid, understand Michael’s characterization in the first part of the
he found Tom Hagen in the street. And he had no movie, before he gets involved in the Family mafia business, as
home – and so my father took him in – and he's he really distances himself from his relatives and he is more
been with us ever since . He's a good lawyer. Not a attached to his girlfriend than to his family.
Sicilian, but – I think he's gonna be consiglieri.  
KAY  
What's that?  
MICHAEL  
That's um, like a counselor – an advisor – very
important to the family.  
(then)  
You like your lasagna?  
 SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 1
• In this first sequence, Michael has just introduced his step-brother Tom to his girlfriend. After he has left, Michael tries to explain to
her Tom’s role in the Family business, where everyone plays a role in the hierarchical structure built by Michael’s father. Tom is a
counselor, he advises Don Vito about business choices. But in this part of the film Michael constantly makes himself distant from his
family and he decides not to show Kay any kind of attention towards his Family’s business, so, at the end of this section, he flouts the
maxim of relevance, by politely asking Kay whether she likes lasagna, with a smile on his face: he supports her positive face, he
knows she is an ‘outsider’ in the context, as they are surrounded by all Michael’s Italian relatives and his family’s friends, most of
them involved in mafia affairs of his father, so he really doesn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. So conversation between them
is quite balanced.
• Positive politeness strategies employed by Michael to Kay’s face are:
1. Attending to Kay’s interests and wants
2. Being optimistic
3. Intensifying interest to Kay.
• Michael’s language here is quite vague but for good purposes
1. Obscure language: he doesn’t truly explain what a counselor is for the family (he is kind of flouting the maxim of manner )
2. He understates Tom’s role in Don Vito’s mafia affairs (so he’s also violating that of quantity)
He hides what Tom’s role is about, to separate him and Kay from his family life and members, but probably also to make her understand
that he is not very keen on talking about his family members’ occupation.
• We can also observe some dispreference markers (oh, ah, that… and delays) which suggest us more about his characterization: he
doesn’t want to involve his girlfriend in his Family business, nor he wants to be involved.
 SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 2
INTERNAL
MICHAEL   CONTEXTUALIZATION
• In this sequence, Michael is explaining to Kay the relationship
My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse. that his family has with Johnny Fontana, a popular American
KAY   singer, also known by Kay, who is now performing at Michael’s
sister’s wedding. As Kay asks him how Johnny knows the
What was that?   Corleone family, Michael is obliged to explain that his father
helped Johnny to get rid of his manager, by menacing the
MICHAEL   manager to sign the contract of dismission.
Luca Brasi held a gun to his head, and my father
assured him that either his brains – or his signature
– would be on the contract.  
(then)  
That's a true story.  
(then)  
That's my family, Kay. It's not me.  
 SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 2

• This sequence as well is important to better know Michael’s character and

there is a segment which is relevant for his characterization.
• The end of his monologue contains two moments of meaningful silence, so it
is definitely clear that Michael does not want to talk about his family affairs
and puts himself out of his family business, which does not represent him.
• This and the previous sequence allow the audience to understand the role of
‘outsider’ that now Michael has towards his family, as his intentions are those
not to get involved in the family business, but to have a completely different
life from his siblings, based on the American model of life of the early 50s: he
wants to respect his wife and to lead a normal life.
 MICHAEL  
Just lie here, Pop. I'll take care of you now. I'm with you now. I'm with
you...  
 

A BRIEF ANALYSIS…
INTERNAL
CONTEXTUALIZATION
This segment is uttered by Michael at the hospital to his father Vito, after
another important Mafia family has tried to kill him.
This event will change Michael’s fate, as he feels a strong sense of attachement
to his family, whose sake he now wants to protect at all costs.

• Michael performs a very significative committive speech act: he is promising

to take care of his father, but also of his family. It sounds like the return of the
prodigal son.
• There are also some positive politeness strategies employed:
1. Intensifying interest to Vito (the hearer)
2. Being optimistic
3. Giving sympathy
4. Attending to Vito
• The repetition at the end of the utterance emphasizes Michael’s
committment
 SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 3

MICHAEL  
MICHAEL   Tom, wait a minute. I'm talking about a cop – that's mixed up in drugs. I'm
They wanna to have a meeting with me, right? It will be me – McCluskey – and talking about ah... ah... a dishonest cop – a crooked cop who got mixed up
Sollozzo. Let's set the meeting. Get our informers to find out where it's gonna be in the rackets and got what was coming to him. That's a terrific story. And
held. Now, we insist it's a public place – a bar, a restaurant – some place where we have newspaper people on the pay roll, don't we, Tom? (Hagen nods in
there's people so I feel safe. They're gonna search me when I first meet them, the affirmative). And they might like a story like that.  
right? so I can't have a weapon on me then. But if Clemenza can figure a way –
to have a weapon planted there for me, then I'll kill 'em both.   It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.  
Clemenza, Tessio and Sonny laugh. Tom shrugs.  
SONNY  
INTERNAL
Hey, whataya gonna do, nice college boy, eh? Didn't want to get mixed up in the
Family business, huh? Now you wanna gun down a police captain, why, because
CONTEXTUALIZATION
This sequence takes place after the attempt at Don Vito’s life. As said
he slapped ya in the face a little bit? Hah? What do you think this is, the Army, before, this event really touches Michael, as he understands that the
where you shoot 'em a mile away? You've gotta get up close like this and bada- lives of the members of his family are seriously at risk, so he realizes
bing! you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit. Come're...  You're that he has an important role to protect them.
taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very
In this scene, Michael talks to his brother Sonny and his step-brother
Tom and suggests directly killing the responsible for the attempt on
very personal.
his father’s life, Sollozzo, and the corrupted policeman McCluskey,
 MICHAEL  
who works for him and who has punched Michael on his face.
Where does it say that you can't kill a cop?   This scene is important because it is the first step to Michael’s
HAGEN   character evolution from war hero to the head of the family, as his
Come on, Mikey...   intelligence, which he immediately shows also in this scene, will be
  the reason why he is meant to become the next Godfather.
SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 3

• In his first turn, Michael uses a very colloquial language. He makes a couple of directive Speech Acts (let’s set the
meeting, get our informers…), so he is very bald in communication: he is giving orders to his father’s men. He wants to
put himself on the same position as that of his brothers, though he has never been involved in his father’s business. This
occurs because he wants to avenge his father, but also because he has been punched by an American policeman without
a legitimate reason: he has becoming to lose faith in his ideals, in the power of the country that he has served in war.
• We can also say something about Sonny’s turn. He uses a lot of sarcasm towards his younger brother, because he was the
clever son and the righteous soldier who now wants to revenge for personal reasons, by killing men. He commits Face
threatening act towards Michael’s positive face:
1. He makes Michael feel uncomfortable
2. He is unsympathetic
3. He uses inappropriate identity markers, mocking Michael’s positive traits of his personality
4. He clearly excludes Michael from the Family business, as he was never involved in it.
• In the last Michael’s turn we can observe how Michael still tries to believe in his values as he wants to punish a corrupted
policeman who works with Mafia; however, he explains that the murder of the two people can help the family to
legitimate itself, so Michael shows his smartness: he wants to sacrifice himself for the good of his family, then disappear
from it to protect the family but also himself. Nevertheless, he is obliged to come back, as Sonny will be killed;
consequently, Michael’s calculator and smart personality will eventually make him the leader of the family business.
SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 4
MICHAEL  
KAY  
She's hysterical – hysterical.
KAY   (whispering)  

Michael, is it true?   Is it true? – Is it?  

MICHAEL    

Don't ask me about my business, Kay...   MICHAEL  

KAY   (quietly, shaking his head)  

Is it true?   No.  

MICHAEL     INTERNAL

Don't ask me about my business...   CONTEXTUALIZATION

This sequence takes place at the end of the film, after a dialogue in
which Connie, Michael’s sister, has come to him after discovering that
KAY  
his husband has been killed. She hysterically blames Michael in front of
No.   his wife Kay, then he impolitely orders her to get out of his office. Kay is
MICHAEL   shocked and cannot believe to Connie’s accusation, so she asks Michael
(as he slams his hand on the desk)  Enough!  
whether Connie is right or not.
In this sequence we can observe a complete change of attitude by
(then)  Alright. This one time Michael points his finger – this one Michael towards Kay, who is cut off from him. Michael’s older brother
time I'll let you ask me about my affairs...  
Sonny and father Vito died, so he is at the head of the family. He has
  ordered the killings of the bosses of the other mafia families and he
has also ordered the murder of Connie’s husband.
 SEGMENT ANALYSIS PT 4

• Michael behaves with Kay in a completely different way, if we compare his attitude in the previous sections.
Now, he is not distancing himself from his family, but from his wife Kay, to whom he orders not to ask him about
his business.
• In this segment, Michael employs some positive impoliteness strategies that are quite evident:
1. He is excluding Kay
2. He is dissociating her from his activity
• On the other hand, the segment “enough!” (7) consists of a pure face threatening act to Kay’s negative face,
which is something shocking, as Michael has never made Kay really feel uncomfortable as this time.
1. He is frightening her
2. He is interrupting her, and he imposes himself as the most powerful member between them
• All of his turns consist of directives, from the point of view of Speech Act theory, and this reveals something
absolutely relevant about his characterization: he has assimilated the traits of a rude, patriarchic husband.
• Finally, when he allows Kay to ask – only for once - about his affairs , he lies to her. He violates the maxim of
quality. He’s not sincere to her about the murder of his brother-in-law Carlo, Connie’s dead husband.
• We can observe the total unbalance in this conversation, as the aim of Michael’s language is that of standing
out on his Hearer.
 PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

RECAP
• What variables play a relevant role
in people’s language, attitude and
relationships?
LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
VARIABLES
•First and second scene analyzed
• Third scene analyzed
• Fourth scene analyzed
The last scene consists of an overturning if we
In the first scene, Michael truly respects his lover Kay: compare it with the first two situations.
In the third sequence, Michael is with his
that’s why his affection towards Kay influence his use of Now Power is the strongest variable in
brothers and trusting men; he can
language the employment of politeness. He is a little conversation, as Michael has also gained
directly talk, as he is affectionally
socially distant, as we can understand that they have social/institutional power: in the patriarchic
attached to them, furthermore he is
been in love for not so long; however, personally speaking Sicilian family structure, he has become a
truly intentioned to protect his father, by
this second variable is not so relevant as the first one. husband, and he is also at the head of the
sacrificing anything. He can observe the
Furthermore, he is not interested in showing any power family, therefore he believes that he can
variable of Power involved, particularly
to her: he has a institutional power, as he is a marine, a
despotically behave also towards his wife, who
personal power, as Michael has a sort of
is shocked of the change of Michael’s behavior.
war hero, but this does not affect conversation at all. charisma, due to his smartness, that
However, riskiness has a weight in conversation
Riskiness intervenes, as he tells Kay about his family makes him convince the others that
again, as Kay asks him whether he has truly
business, and this leads him to change topic (do you like what he says is right. He is becoming
killed a man; this riskiness pushes him to lie to
lasagna?) and to be oscure in conversation. more and more self-confident and this is
her, by not being sincere. Finally, there is also a
evident starting from this dialogue with
little of affect employed, as Michael feels a bit of
Sonny and Tom Hagen.
regret after rudely yelling at Kay, so he allows
her to ask him about his business.
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

CULTURE and
GENDER in language
• Culture is another important social variable that plays an important role in the use of language.
• In the film two different cultural systems of the later 40s confront with one another:
- American culture,
- Sicilian culture.
In the American cultural system, women have a more legitimate status. Kay is representative of this
system: she is a teacher, she is an independent woman and this is shown also in her use of
language: she makes questions, at the end of the film she also questions his husband’s business
affairs, which is something that a ‘respectful’ Sicilian wife would never do. Her independence
makes her a tragical character, as she has to deal with the patriarchal Sicilian system that Michael
will represent.
During the film, Michael goes into ‘exile’ in Sicily, after killing Sollozzo. There, he marries Apollonia,
a young Sicilian woman who becomes his first wife and dies in a car bombing attempt. She is a
completely different female woman than Kay: she is silent, she does not work, she hardly talks to
his husband.
Therefore, culture significantly affects language, other than education, and several years ago it also
created a gender discrepancy in the use of language.
 PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

RECAP
• What effects does Power produce over
people and how does it change them?
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

POWER IN
LANGUAGE
• The variable of Power changes Michael’s attitude towards the
others (especially Kay) and also his way of speaking.
• As he gains more Institutional Power within the hierarchical
structure of his family he starts adopting impolite strategies
that make him perform direct FTA to hold his dominance in
situation and to divide himself from his affections.
• He adopts the vision of the traditional Sicilian rural culture of
the early 20th century, where men still had more Social Power
over women, who were kept out from the Mafia organization.
So also this aspect changes his way of communicating and
using language.
• Besides, as we have told before, Michael’s cleverness makes
him a charismatic character and allows him to show a certain
Personal Power, expressed by a certain assertiveness but also
by the many pauses that he does when he is talking, which is
another demonstrations of his authority.