Ideological Criticism

An Ideology is a group of ideas that reflect different goals and social needs of a particular group or culture. In an ideological analysis the critic will look past the surface to find the beliefs, values, and assumptions that the artifact is trying to imply. According to the book Rhetorical Criticism by Sonja K. Foss, “an ideology is pattern of beliefs that determines a group’s interpretations of some aspects of the world.” These beliefs are reflected upon a particular group’s social, economical, and political interests. It is a framework of thoughts and ideas that people use to define a certain aspect in the world, or the world itself. Evaluative beliefs are the primary components of an ideology. These are beliefs which can have different views, opinions, or judgments. Several Ideologies, or patterns of belief, can be present in any culture and can be in rhetorical artifacts. Some beliefs, even if people have opposing views, are dominant and this certain view becomes the correct belief, this is called hegemony. Hegemony is an important characteristic of Ideology.