Rhetorical Analysis Of Lemonade

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

One of the most prominent visuals in Lemonade is the setting of New Orleans, Louisiana. In current times, New Orleans is most closely associated with the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2004, in which a strong hurricane devastated the city and left many killed, injured, or homeless. There was national criticism of the government’s handling of Katrina, stating that the government took too long to respond to the crisis due to the city being mostly populated by blacks. However, this is not the only aspect of New Orleans that is central to Lemonade’s narrative. The video also shows staples of the old American South during the time of slavery, such as plantation homes and slave quarters. In this setting, Beyoncé indulges a fantasy of an all-black utopia dominated by women, who dress up, take photographs, and

This denotation to the silent cries supports for an emotional appeal to an example of the silent cries in African American women. As stated in the title, Powell is aware that black women are merely being betrayed in the hip-hop industry and simply states that the choice of words that hip-hop artist chose to rap about is simply “the ghetto blues, urban folk art, a cry out for help.” (298) and it is rubbing off on almost every man in our American society and giving them a different perspective of women all because women refuse to speak out and speak up. “As a result, female rappers are often just as male-identified, violent, materialistic, and ignorant as their male peers.” (298). Over 100 years ago, women were not even allowed to vote, the closest they got to voting was sitting there and watching. They were not allowed to work, they were forced to be stay at home wives while their

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.

Alicia Keys is reiterating an identity that is universally accepted by most African-American women (Harris-Perry 184). This is the cultural identity of the Strong Black Woman (SBW): self-reliant, tough, and hardworking. Stuart Hall defines cultural identities as, “[A] sort of collective ‘one true self’, hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed ‘selves’, which many people shared history and ancestry hold in common” (Hall 223). SBW is a self-construction manifested by black women in the Americas. It is used a coping mechanism in response to pervasive sexism and racism. The SBW construct dates back to slavery because the image projects traits of all three stereotypes established during the era of slavery: She looks like the Mammy but is loyal to the black community; She does not require physical and emotional security from men, thus, she resembles the Jezebel; She is angry, just like the Sapphire (Harris-Perry 187). This paper unveils the unfavorable impact of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) cultural identity in the Americas. The argument is centered on the effect of this cultural image on the private sphere, public sphere, and the health of black women. The paper also proposes

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.

The title of this piece informs the reader about what the content will hold and suggests that the author feels strongly about the injustice of black women in the hip-hop scene. Jennifer Mclune, the author, is an activist, librarian, and writer that resides in Washington, D.C. This particular piece appeared in Z Magazine Online, which is an independently founded magazine whose mission is to publish articles that go in depth when critiquing the social structures of society and pride themselves on being a predominant activist webpage. With these factors combined, it is clear that the author is qualified to have written such an essay. After reading the information presented about the

Although the critically acclaimed album titled Lemonade received positive feedback for the way its visuals captured the struggles of black Americans, specifically black women, there is one song off the album that obviously emphasizes the adversities they are facing. In the beginning of the first verse of Freedom (featuring Kendrick Lamar), she uses the imagery of storm to reference her struggle towards being free. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the song, she continues to use words that are synonymous to disaster and generally negative.

In an article called ‘ladies first’: Queen Latifah’s Afrocentric feminist music, it talks about issues raised by feminist rap; rap that focuses on women’s importance, and the demand for equal treatment, and for the need to encourage each other. “Queen Latifah's feminism draws on the patterns of rap to assert the importance of women promoting themselves and other women. Rap, like all other forms of popular music, is not inherently feminist, but in this genre, as in other popular genres, female performers use specific generic qualities to promote a feminist message. Rap is noted for its emphasis on lyrics, and through the lyrics, female rappers make explicit assertions of female strength and autonomy.” Women talk about how they need to be seen as equal to a man through their lyrics and for women to encourage other women. That will push back the negativity from the male rappers toward the female rappers. For an example in a song called U.N.I.T.Y by Queen Latifah she said “Every time I hear a brother call a girl a b*** or a h*, trying to make a sister feel low, you know all of that got to go” Throughout her song she is letting male rappers know that they can’t be calling women those types of names, no matter what. Through time, the hip hop community is and will keep pushing back the misogyny and violence that rap

The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Malcolm X speech is very powerful because it makes the point that being a black woman is the most oppressed the one that suffers most. This is why then throughout the film only African American woman are show and they are also shown as powerful woman because usually they are seen as less. Beyonce did do a great job of demonstrating the real African American women as women who deserve being respected by making them look warriors because throughout their lives they had to work extra hard when the rest of the people are

Queen Latifah’s “Ladies First” argues that women are strong in society through her visual and lyrical components of the song. During the beginning of the video, the video displays pictures of influential black females. These women include Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, and others (0:00 - 0:05). These are strong influential women who impacted history. By showing these women, Latifah shows

The identification of this issue is represented in Queen Latifah’s song U.N.I.T.Y, as she raps about the misleading comments men say to women who are trying to act “gangsta”, tough or powerful in order to be heard (Zichermann, 2013). In the documentary, it is noted that there is an increased sexual objectification of Black women in hip-hop, since the category of hip-hop strongly factors heterosexual relationships. However, the way female artists are portrayed in the media, and to men is crucial. Because stereotypes of underrepresented Black females in hip-hop are so commonly depicted, this produces the audience to unconsciously take malformation as the truth. Women are seen as objects rather than humans; this causes their messages and interpretations of political activism to be taken lightly.

Beyoncé is the singer and songwriter of her song "Flawless. " She's speaking as a confident, ambitious, and empowered woman. This text reveals her fearlessness and self-assurance that is widely recognized by her audience. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an awarded Nigerian writer, is also a speaker in this text. Various parts of her TEDx talk "We should all be feminists" appear in "Flawless."

Music is a very dominate tool to connect with listeners and get across the intended message they are singing about. Using a music video, the song is brought to life and gives viewers a visual image of what the song is portraying. Beyonce, a singer, songwriter, and actress, uses this idea to illustrate an issue that is so close to her. Although born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyonce comes from parents raised in Alabama and Louisiana. Coming from a family in the South, she is very aware of her cultural originality and very passionate about it. With this in mind, she uses her music video for “Formation” to get across the issues of Black Lives Matter and police brutality, knowing millions of fans would see. Formation, meaning the evolution

Throughout this visual album Beyoncé has included personal images and videos of her family as a way of tying together her message of perseverance, hope, and love. One of the most significant of these personal videos is one the makes reference to the the title of her visual album. It is one in which Jay-Z’s grandmother, Hattie White, states "I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade" as she is surrounded by the love of her family. The significance is not in the words but rather in the inclusion of these different generations of strong, Black women that all look different from one another. This strongly relates to the spoken word used for the interlude between