At the 2013 MLB All Star game Marco Antonio Muñiz, who goes by the artistic name of Marc Anthony, sang “God Bless America” for the audience. Irving Berlin wrote this song with the intent of spreading harmony during a time when people were getting over the First World War and the rising of Nazi Germany was leading to the second. The live performance of this song was posted on YouTube and became accessible to those who did not watch the live performance at the game or through television. This made it easier for Marc Anthony to receive more negative, racist, and discriminatory responses through social media, particularly Twitter, in which users expressed their anger over a Hispanic man singing a traditional American song. In this essay, I will …show more content…
analyze the responses to Marc Anthony’s performance of “God Bless America” and define what it means to be an American. This incident was one of a couple in the same year that incited controversy over a famous figure’s actions and whether or not it was truly depictive of American values. The other controversial event involved Cuban-born baseball player Yoenis Céspedes, who spoke Spanish during an interview after being handed the Derby trophy, as reported by the Huffington Post (“Home Run Derby”). In both cases, baseball fans took to Twitter to express their anger, betrayal, and disgust over Muñiz and Céspedes’ actions, which they deemed to be “un-American”. In order to understand the importance of the comments made on social media, we need to understand the intended message of the artifact.
This artifact is the YouTube video, which is also the main medium for the message. Other media that will be addressed in this essay includes Twitter, Buzzfeed, and other common social media websites, since these are the media used to respond to Marc Anthony’s performance. This essay will examine the YouTube video as the primary source of media because of its rhetorical importance—YouTube videos are shared if the person feels like the message in the video is important and/or entertaining. Even when the video is uploaded mainly for the sake of entertainment, there is usually a message or symbol in the video that resonates with the person and made them feel it should be posted for hundreds, thousands, and maybe millions of people to see. We only share that which is important or special to us. This leads us to believe that the person who posted Marc Anthony’s performance of “God Bless America” felt that it was beautiful, meaningful, or important. Using YouTube as the primary medium also makes the audience broader because anyone, even people outside of the United States, can access it and its videos. Whereas only baseball fans would have seen the live performance at the game, the YouTube video can be found by anyone, even if it is under the suggested videos …show more content…
tab. In this artifact, the rhetor is Marc Anthony, who did not expect that others would think of him as un-American, seeing that he was born and raised in New York, as he clarified in the LIVE with Kelly and Michael Show according to a Huffington Post article (“MLB All-Star Game”).
It is also reasonable to believe that he did not expect this reaction since he was hired to sing, he did not volunteer on his own. Anyone that has been requested to perform a certain task would reasonably conclude that the person who asked believes they are the right person for the task. In this case, the requirements to sing “God Bless America” were American nationality and a good singing voice. It is also reasonable to think that Marc Anthony was chosen precisely because of his Hispanic ethnicity, not in spite of it, since the United States prides itself in being a “melting pot” of cultures and ethnicities. This is proven by the fact that the audience shown on camera did not seem to respond with surprise or outrage, but simply sang along and enjoyed the festivities, proving that the original intent was not to invoke discrimination or racism, but to celebrate patriotism, the love of country that unites us
all. As Marc Anthony began to sing, the ideological intent of the video became very clear seconds after Marc Anthony began to sing and the camera focused on the American flag. The focus of the camera changes from the flag to the audience, the majority of which is wearing the colors of the American flag and from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. One of the most important symbols in the video is shown the moment that the cameraman focuses on the American troops stationed in Afghanistan as a way to portray patriotism and sacrifice. Another important aspect of this to keep in mind is that the soldiers that were shown were not only white men, but men—and women—of different colors and ethnicities, further helping to prove that the United States is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, as mentioned above. However, the message that was received was not the one portrayed by the audience in the artifact. Although the intent was to evoke a sense of patriotism, Marc Anthony was instead met with a lot of nationalism. What’s the difference between these two ideologies? While “the former [connotes] pride and love for country…the latter refer[s] to chauvinistic arrogance and desire for dominance in international relations” (Li and Brewer). A lot of the comments argued that Marc Anthony should not have been allowed to sing an American song because he’s a “Mexican”, “spic”, or “Spanish” man. Not only is this chauvinistic arrogance because it shows that the commenters feel they know who best represents America, but it shows their ignorance of United States’ history—that Puerto Rico has been a commonwealth of the United States for almost a century, therefore making Puerto Rican United States citizens. In addition, Marshall McLuhan argues that media is an extension of who we are—that is, what we post about social media is not a separate entity, but a part of our beliefs, values, and ideologies. We do not post things we disagree with or that we feel incorrectly represent the image we continually try to build. This is why the comments posted on Twitter regarding Marc Anthony’s ethnicity are controversial; they were not separate from the citizens of the United States that made them. The people who made these comments truly believed what they were saying, even if they did not understand the depth and meaning of their comments. With their tweets, they made themselves to be nationalistic people, not patriotic. Instead of aligning themselves with the ideology that is being portrayed through the artifact, and the ideology the Berlin tried to portray through his lyrics, they created their own community. It became a matter of patriotic people that support the idea that the United States is a melting pot versus the nationalistic community who doesn’t even understand the history of the country they claim so much loyalty to and its symbols. They also raise an important question: what does it mean to be truly American? According to Peter Ferrara “An American is English…or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek”. In other words, being American is more than a certain ethnicity or a particular skin color. This is the belief of the patriotic community represented by the artifact. This is also the same belief the nationalistic community rejected. Their belief is that American people—meaning “white” in this case—need to be the ones representing America in traditional American events. So if not every ethnicity can be American, then what characteristics are needed to be considered American? Ferrara goes on to say that Americans are “generous”; Americans are those that do “not have to obey the mad ravings of ignorant, ungodly cruel, old men”. Most importantly, Americans “are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American”. This means that everyone can be American, even people from different countries.
“The land of the free and home of the brave,” the infamous line from America’s national anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, but how much did this ring truth for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Era? On October 16, 1968, gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos challenged “the false vision of what it meant to be black in America.” (Pg. 108, John Carlos story) Although John Carlos and Tommie Smith ridiculed and ostracized because of their defiant act, which respectfully recognized as an iconic, powerful image labeled as the “black power salute” in the summer Olympics of 1968 in Mexico City. Carlos and Smith used the Olympics’ medal ceremony stage to challenge and bring recognition to the racism within sports and the United States in a silent gesture. This significant moment of their act of bravery, courage and willingness to sacrifice their sport careers and life to call attention to the segregation, racism and white supremacy back home for those who did not have a platform. “Smith and Carlos opened a unique symbolic space for dialogue and debate about these issues.” (Pg. 26, Douglas Hartmann) Without saying a single word, they captured the nation’s attention.
The article “The Coddling Of The American Mind”, written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, was written about how teachers are afraid of what they are allowed to say during in class because of the emotional effect on the students. While writing the article the authors have many examples of logos, ethos, and pathos. The logos of the article appeals to logic by presenting facts and statistics. The writers provide definitions of words such as microaggression and trigger warning. While explaining the definitions they go on to give real world examples to further the understanding of the words. Also statistics of the amount of mental health issues are provided to enhance the logos. Secondly to make the article more appealing is adding an emotional
The authors of “Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, use ethos, logos, and pathos convey their negative stance regarding trigger warnings and the effect they on education. Lukianoff and Haidt’s use of rhetorical appeal throughout the article adds to the author’s credibility and the strength of the argument against increasing the use of trigger warnings in school material. The authors, Lukianoff and Haidt, rely heavily upon the use of logos, such as relations between conflicts surrounding trigger warnings and other historical conflicts impacting student ethics. Examples of the use of these logical appeals are the relation between the Columbine Massacre and the younger generations ideology. The author goes on to mention other societal turning points such
Despite there being hundreds of video game releases every year, most of these games are unoriginal and therefore unplayable. There are countless video game genres, but one of the most popular genres in the past few years have been the zombie games, also called survival games. I was thoroughly convinced that all the games in this genre were clichéd and overdone, until I played the video game The Last of Us. Even though it is a survival game, the focus is not on gruesome zombies or gratuitous violence, making it already vastly different from the others. Instead, the focus is on telling a story. Between the gorgeous graphics, serene music, and flawless acting, it already goes beyond being just another “zombie game,” but this isn’t even accounting
Remarks by President Obama at the eulogy for the honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney; A man who was killed when an another man rushed into a church in South Carolina and killed 9 people while they were immersed in an afternoon mass. President Obama created different appeals and feelings through the use of different Rhetorical Devices such as Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. The use of logos ethos and pathos help the president convey his central idea which is to ensure the people of South Carolina and the people of the United States that not only are they safe, but they will unite to take this opportunity to create a more united U.S. This will happen through the establishment of new gun reforms.
Many people have transformed, or changed, throughout their lives, either in a positive or a negative way. But what does it mean to transform? That can be different between people and the way they think. Some think it's something unacceptable and you should try avoiding it, others want to transform themselves. To transform, you just need to see the true meaning of things and be happy. It is possible to change, but you need a reason to change. You need motivation, just like how you need the motivation to do the things you love to do.
Rhetorical Analysis: The Declaration of Independence. Our Declaration of Independence, was penned most notably by Thomas Jefferson in response to the atrocities committed by the British Crown against the citizens of the American Colonies. At the time of the drafting of The Declaration, Jefferson was widely known to be a successful practitioner of Law as a lawyer, and an eloquent writer. It is due to this, that although Jefferson was a member of a five-man committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was tapped to be the main author. After enduring “a long train of abuses and usurpations” the colonists decided to declare themselves free of British rule (para 2).
Patrick Henry used several ways to get his point across, and get it across clearly. The understanding of Henry's rhetorical situation is extremely important in understanding everything he is trying to prove to his audience. Patrick uses several different strategies to make the audience know what he is saying is very important. One of these strategies is the way Henry uses references to God all throughout the speech. Another strategy Patrick used was showing the importance of the colonist going to war against England. Lastly, Henry proves to the audience in several ways how England has betrayed them. All of these strategies are important to making Henry’s speech successful. Henry knows that he needs to do a good job at getting his point across because there are undecided voters listening to his speech that he is trying to
Many people hail “The Star Spangled Banner” as the greatest piece of American music. The audiences of America’s national anthem seem, instinctively, eager to express their respect by embracing the notion to remove their hats and stand up. However, not many people ponder over the question of what “The Star Spangled Banner” truly means. What does it mean? Why does it deserve so much reverence and honor? What exceptional difference allows it to prevail over the masterpieces of prominent composers like Mozart and Beethoven? The answer is fairly simple. “The Star Spangled Banner” symbolizes America’s perseverance, its set of moral laws and ethics, and its history that constitutes what America truly means.
John Quincy Adams once said that, “It is among the evils of slavery that it taints the very sources of moral principle. It establishes false estimates of virtue and vice: for what can be more false and heartless than this doctrine which makes the first and holiest right of humanity to depend upon the color of the skin?” John Quincy Adams be of the opinion that slaves were equal to the “white man” and should not be treated like animals but as equals. Agreeing with John Quincy Adams, he discusses inequality, a point that needs to be emphasized, since the Declaration of Independence “that all men are created equal” and that it is not followed completely by all fellow “Americans”. According to him, “we have
Colonial life in America was very difficult for the hopeful settlers who came to escape poverty, persecution, and to gain religious freedom. Later came the adventurous explorers and those sent by European Nations to begin business ventures in this uncharted new land.
President Obama’s Inaugural Speech: Rhetorical Analysis. Barrack Obama’s inauguration speech successfully accomplished his goal by using rhetoric to ensure our nation that we will be in safe hands. The speech is similar to ideas obtained from the founding documents and Martin Luther King’s speech to establish ‘our’ goal to get together and take some action on the problems our country is now facing. As President Barack Obama starts his speech, he keeps himself from using ‘me’, ‘myself’, and ‘I’ and replacing it with ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘together’ to achieve his ethos.
Thomas Jefferson created a mastery of word precision in writing the Declaration of Independence. The document, although having over 1300 words, is economical in its verse by enlisting the use of descriptive and connotative language throughout. In the Declaration, Jefferson readily charges King George III of tyranny, the Kings’ government of despotism and their British brethren of ignoring their pleas, while subtly appealing to the world for empathy and understanding in their predicament. The Declaration of Independence is not only Jefferson’s formal announcement of freedom from British rule, but also his justification for the birth of a new Nation. Breaking the document down into sections, you can see how Jefferson so eloquently persuaded
The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to announce and stress the separation of the thirteen colonies to Great Britain. The tone was extremely straightforward, direct, and critical. They wanted to make sure that King George III and Britain understood its terms of severance from the mother country. The speaker of the Declaration would include both, the population of the colonies (or the new United States of America) and Thomas Jefferson, the main writer of the declaration.
Music videos originally served the purpose of creating an outlet through which artists could generate publicity for their work, broaden their popular appeal, and reach wider audiences with interesting audio-visual content (Berry & Shelton, 1999). Over the years, the visual imagery in music videos has increasingly become as significant as the music it represents, as music videos have now become major outlets for propagating views and stereotypes that influence popular culture.