Lemonade Analysis

Beyoncé Knowles’s Lemonade video album brings the words of Beyoncé into a visual media and shows the viewer a deeper meaning behind the album. After this video came out many articles came forward analyzing Lemonade. One article, in particular, that was intriguing is Bell Hooks “Moving Beyond Pain.” Hooks starts her article saying that the Lemonade video was created as a money-making, business strategy, but as the text continues the reader can conclude that “Moving Beyond Pain” is actually about African American women, and women in general, standing up for themselves.

Beyoncé Knowles, a well-known singer, songwriter uses two of her songs: “Freedom” and “Formation” to tell the story of herself. “Freedom” is the beginning of her story where she is searching for freedom and equality showing that there is still much inequality and injustice for African Americans in America today. The song slowly transitions to a more positive tone when she seems to have made something beneficial out of her difficult situation. “Formation,” however, has a completely different tone. While she does address negative situations from the past at the beginning of the song, she quickly transitions to a more positive tone full of pride in where she came from, who she has become, and what she has overcome. Together, the two songs

The main purpose of Beyoncé’s songs is to emphasise feminism and invigorate gender equality through her lyrics. She does so by using by conveying feminist philosophy in her lyrics. In Run the World, Beyoncé sings “strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business.” Figurative language is used to express be that women give birth however then after they proceed to work. Throughout the song used is both repetition and rhetorical question as this is how Beyoncé portrays the women empowerment theme, domination as well as confidence in her tone whilst preaching the line “Girls, we run this motha (yeah!)” and “Who run the world? Girls!”. Having expressed the line “My persuasion can build he nation” Beyoncé is building women up by speaking

Double-consciousness, as coined by W.E.B. DuBois, refers to the struggle of oppressed groups in an oppressed society, and viewing those struggles through the eyes of the majority. Despite its incarnation over a hundred years ago, it is still just as relevant to today’s society as America still struggles with racial injustice and oppression. Beyoncé Knowles, one of the most prolific music artists of the 21st century, examines these injustices in her controversial visual album, Lemonade, which highlights the struggle of minorities through culture, oppression, and feminism, using imagery and song.

For nearly twenty years, Beyoncé has lived her life in the public eye yet she has always kept her cool, been submissive, and rather quiet when it came to her personal endeavors however after releasing the film “Lemonade”, we are able to see her in a vulnerable light. In Jeremy Helliger’s article: “Dear Beyhive: Stop Whining. Beyoncé Still Hasn’t Earned Her Album Of The Year Grammy” he addresses the idea that although Beyoncé was able to encourage black women to be proud and free, she also she missed the mark by adding raunchy, over the top content to her vulnerability.

“If life gives you lemons make lemonade.” Beyonce’s Lemonade “made a powerful political statement of feminism and race.” The album is very diverse because it tells a story and it it is very personal to Beyonce. Lemonade is about Jay Z, Beyonce’s husband, who cheated on her, she created a film with all of her corresponding songs.

Over the past few years tragic events seem to be surrounding our society. An array of killings, social protests, police brutality and racism have startled the nation. Lately celebrities have been addressing these issues more and more on TV, in interviews and in the public eye. One incredible artist just used her talent to address all of these issues and more in her new music video "Formation". Beyoncé is an iconic figure in our culture, spreading her talent, feminist views and activism worldwide. This video is one of a kind. It is not centered on her but on Black America. There have been many critics disagreeing with Beyoncé 's video. They felt that she spread negative messages of police throughout her video. Others, however, loved her video. They felt she used her platform to reach out and address issues. Supporters and critics of the video have expressed their opinions in many different ways. In this paper I will analyze this video that has been shared worldwide. The question I ask is: "How does Beyoncé depict the complexity of Black Americans?" In order to answer this question, I will apply Pentadic criticism to analyze this discourse.

When people think about education, they often think about being in a school. A school is a place where education is above all, and is set to high standards of learning. However, people can have a great education and learn in different settings other than a school, such as in a home. In Virginia Euwer Wolff’s Make Lemonade, the narrator, LaVaughn, finds ways to be educated in school and to educate others out of school. Most readers notice LaVaughn’s education through school, but more observational readers notice that other characters are being educated in settings like their home. Through education, LaVaughn learns many new things about herself and about others. In Make Lemonade readers notice how education, both in school and at home, improves the lives and transforms the identities of LaVaughn, Jolly, and Jeremy.

Beyonce is an African American female artist making incorporating empowering messages for women around the world. She is creating work that speaks to an audience that might not receive authentic mainstream. Beyonce ultimate goal is to visually and sonically entice wisdom through her music. Recently in a shocking video release, Beyonce debuted a new song “Formation” as well as a politically charged music video. This song was an uproar in the music industry worldwide. Millions of people around the world negatively viewed this song as a controversy. The music video and song caused many people to debate and cause a worldwide conflict.

The theme for the book “Make Lemonade” is making sour into sweet which means to take something bad and try to make it into something good. This theme is shown through the whole book. LaVaughn and Jolly go through very difficult times. LaVaughn is helping Jolly through her rough times in this book. Turning sweet into sour is a big theme in this book because it shows how Jolly and LaVaughn have to make their lives better. Jolly doesn’t have a very good education but she tries to change that. Also, Jolly is only 17 and she has 2 kids to take care of. This theme could be universal because it shows how even when our life is at the hardest point you can still turn it around.

The political movements spotlighted and celebrated in Lemonade, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement, are subtle, but direct and blatant. Through the album opening of “Pray You Catch Me” with Beyoncé in a black hooded sweatshirt, the article of clothing that many of the victims of police murders were wearing. The mothers of three of the victims holding photographs of their deceased sons, on the ninth track “Forward”. The most powerful and blatant depiction of the movement is the last track,

In today’s society many individuals listen to music. With so many different genres to choose from in the music industry, one of the most popular genres of music is Hip Hop. With the constant urge for new artists, lyrics, and rap styles, it seems as though Hip Hop is the holy grail of music. One of the main problems with Hip Hop is the misogyny of women. Adams and Fuller (2006) define misogyny as the “hatred or disdain of women” and “an ideology that reduces women to objects for men’s ownership, use, or abuse” (p. 939). Popular American hip-hop and rap artists, such as Eminem, Ludacris and Ja Rule, have increasingly depicted women as objects of violence or male domination by communicating that “submission is a desirable trait in a woman” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008, p. 581). These songs condone male hegemony in which “men find the domination and exploitation of women and other men to be not only expected, but actually demanded” (Prushank, 2007, p. 161).

“Where do you go when you go quiet?” Beyoncé asks as the camera cuts to a shot of a black woman wearing a big dress with black bodice, and a “Dream Big” tattoo across her left shoulder. “The past and future, merge to meet us here.” Through spoken word and a beautiful opening sequence, Beyoncé is opening herself to vulnerability, as she lays in a metal bathtub in an open room with still water, she has never felt so naked before. Through the opening chapter to her Visual Album, Lemonade, we can sense that this is going to be an emotionally driven story, and what it means to be an independent black woman in today’s society.

Mayra Diaz Professor Susan Zieger Engl020a November 29, 2017 Fruit of the Lemon Explication Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy “I wanted to add Fondant Fancies to the house shop-ping list, but Marion said they were revolting and that we should eat something more healthy, something more brown not fluorescent pink. Mick didn't like sweet things and Simon had never heard of them and suggested the sickening Battenberg instead. But I could carry on eating Mar-ion's indigestible macaroni cheese with undercooked greens, Mick's egg and chips and Simon's shepherd's pie soup, if I knew that I could go home to my mum and dad's, binge on chicken and eat a Fondant Fancy whole whenever I got desperate”(41). Faith is in deep thought about what her roommates thought about her Fondant Fancies and how she wanted to add it to the list when

The wide rage of emotions that a person can feel while reading is what distinguishes a simple book from a captivating story. When one reads a story, a good one will take you away from the reality you are in and delivers a new experience for you through the eyes of other. The way that authors are able to convey another world to you is through emotion, they build off the elements around them and everything has to do with the tone they are trying to set. Raymond Carver uses the elements around the characters and the characters themselves to pull his readers in, he gets the readers attached to the lives of the these fictional people and the trials they go through, become in sync with the audience.