A 2000 word written linguistic analysis which describes the magic and power of language and in-cludes analysis of a selection of poems /dialogues /songs/ spells from YouTube.
Spoken Language is the form of communication unique to the human race that arguably sets us apart from every other species with whom we share planet Earth. The power of language comes from the endless possibilities that can stem from any single use of language. Language possesses power due to the range of purposes it can be used for: to persuade, to motivate, to inform, to inspire, to comfort or even to change the status of relationships, amongst many more. The magic of language relates to the creativity of its use; very rarely will we ever see an utterance utilised more
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Stemming from its roots in the streets of New York in the 1970’s, Hip-Hop music started as a grassroots musical movement amongst African-Americans as a way to express their feelings towards political, economic and ethical issues. The genre has come under criticism and created controversy since its conception as a result of some of the themes highlighted within the lyrics of this form of music, with crime culture amongst African-American youths in the United States being linked to the themes discussed in Hip-Hop songs. Despite this, the reality of the issues being discussed in many of these songs allow for powerful uses of language. Hip-Hop music combines musical rhythm along with poetry to convey a message, using the creative aspect of language use to convey a powerful …show more content…
These techniques are weaved together to produce rhythmic lines discussing the artist overcoming criticism to achieve success. Another closely related technique to this is consonance; this is the same as alliteration in that similar sounds occur nearby one another; however these can occur anywhere within a word (Bradley, A. 2009, p.66). This can be found throughout Lil Wayne’s verse from the song ‘Look at Me Now’, below is an extract (consonance underlined):
“I'm out of my head, bitch I'm outta my mind, from the bottom I climb
You ain't hotter than mine, nope, not on my time and I'm not even trying”
Source: ‘ChrisBrownVEVO’, 2011.
The flexibility of language allows for a variety of creative features in rap music beyond rhyme to achieve a variety of purposes; aid the rhythm, emphasise a lyric, or simply make a verse more enjoyable. In the song ‘Gin & Juice’ performed by Snoop Dogg, we see a technique known as chiasmus used, a form of repetition. This is the linguistic equivalent of a mirror effect, with words following the basic pattern of (A B C: C B A) in the techniques most basic form (Engel, W. 2009, p.2). This technique is exemplified in the following lyric from ‘Gin &
Both poems use repetition of phrases and anaphora to establish a pace for the speaker’s voice. The repeating syllables provide a pseudo-break in
In Adam Bradley’s “Rap poetry 101” he shows us how rap is more than just songs being sung, it is poetry; it is something that has an empowering ability to make the familiar unfamiliar.In this chapter Bradley creates a new viewpoint too rap. Bradley shows us how rap and poetry has become a very similar piece of art that should be further appreciated. In the chapter poetry 101 Bradley describes how rap is a form of public art, and how rappers have become our greatest public poets. The importance of rap as poetry is shown throughout Bradley's book as well as the evidence behind the reasons rap is poetry.
Hip-Hop became characterized by an aggressive tone marked by graphic descriptions of the harshness and diversity of inner-city life. Primarily a medium of popular entertainment, hip-hop also conveys the more serious voices of youth in the black community. Though the approaches of rappers became more varied in the latter half of the 1980s, message hip-hop remained a viable form for addressing the problems faced by the black community and means to solve those problems. The voices of "message" hip...
Rhymes are two or more words that have the same ending sound. Songwriters and poets often times use rhymes to help their piece flow better, or keep the audience or readers engaged. Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is filled with rhymes, with a rhyme in almost every single line: “Brando, the King and I, and the Catcher In The Rye / Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new Queen / Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye” (line 6-8). Billy Joel uses the rhymes to move from one topic to the next, and the song is even in chronological order from 1950 to 1989. The rhyme schemes of the song are end rhymes as well as perfect rhymes. On the other hand, the poem is completely free verse, or without a single rhyme. This makes the poem less artistic and harder to remain engaged and interested. In addition to rhyming, allusions are another way of displaying artistic
The mighty river flows through the mountains with liquidity and nurture providing life for all those who wish to take a sip from it. Yet the river is powerful in its own force destroying even the largest rocks, crumbling them into small pieces. People may be able to stop the river for a short time or even dry it up but the water always comes back in one form or another, every dam is bound to fail. Some people have been able to harness the power of the river, redirecting the mighty water making it flow in constructive ways. Similar to the river, language is influential. Its true power is not seen by the naked eye but by those who study it, those who use it as their ally in a war of linguistics. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, Birmingham City Jail he is able to use all three rhetorical appeals to prove that demonstrations lead to negotiations and benefit for both sides of an argument.
Words have the power to affect people in many ways from empowerment or to taking upon action. Words are able to make huge changes in the lives of many and can make good or bad changes. In history, people used words in both good and bad function from making a promise to a nation or even manipulating multitudes of people within a nation. Words definitely have the ability to take situations a far distance but despite the fact that evil can manipulate the majority of people, individuals too can realize the true actions and evil buried inside the perpetrator. People can be both ugly and beautiful at sometimes with weapons along their sides. A novel called The Book Thief illustrates the power of words in a multitude of ways, showing the potential
Hip hop is both a culture and a lifestyle. As a musical genre it is characterized by its hard hitting beats and rhythms and expressive spoken word lyrics that address topics ranging from economic disparity and inequality, to gun violence and gang affiliated activity. Though the genre emerged with greater popularity in the 1970’s, the musical elements involved and utilized have been around for many years. In this paper, we will cover the history and
Toni Morrison makes a good point when, in her acceptance speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature, she says, “Narrative . . . is . . . one of the principal ways in which we absorb knowledge” (7). The words we use and the way in which we use them is how we, as humans, communicate to each other our thoughts, feelings, and actions and therefore our knowledge of the world and its peoples. Knowledge is power. In this way, our language, too, is powerful.
This will then open up the discussion about the how this has influenced society, and the impact it has had in terms of race issues which hip hop itself often represents through music. Hip hop originated in the ghetto areas of New York during the 1970’s and is a mixture of DJ, MC, B boy and Beat boxing. In his studies of defining hip hop, Jeffries concluded that these mixtures of art forms do not define hip hop but rather that hip hop itself is a culture of these elements. “Hip-hop is like a culture, it’s a voice for black people to be heard. Our own style, our own music” (Jeffries). 2011; 28).
Throughout American history there has always been some form of verbal acrobatics or jousting involving rhymes within the Afro-American community. Signifying, testifying, shining of the Titanic, the Dozens, school yard rhymes, prison ?jail house? rhymes and double Dutch jump rope rhymes, are some of the names and ways that various forms of raps have manifested. Modern day rap music finds its immediate roots in the toasting and dub talk over elements of reggae music (George, 1998)....
Hip Hop’s according to James McBride article “Hip Hop Planet” is a singular and different form of music that brings with it a message that only those who pay close attention to it understand it. Many who dislike this form of music would state that it is one “without melody, sensibility, instruments, verse, or harmony and doesn’t even seem to be music” (McBride, pg. 1). Though Hip Hop has proven why it deserves to be called music. In going into depth on its values and origins one understands why it is so popular among young people and why it has kept on evolving among the years instead of dying. Many of Hip Hop values that make it unique and different from other forms of music would be that it makes “visible the inner culture of Americas greatest social problem, its legacy of slavery, has taken the dream deferred to a global scale” (McBride, pg. 8). Hip Hop also “is a music that defies definition, yet defines our collective societies in immeasurable ways” (McBride, pg. 2). The
Repetition of words and phrases makes lyrics more memorable and catchy - in “Last Nite” the chorus repeats the phrase “they don’t understand” four times. Similarly, in “Castles Made of Sand”, in the second verse the word “Indian” is repeated three times and the refrain “And so castles made of sand, melts into the sea eventually” is repeated after every verse. Furthermore, both “Last Nite” and “Castles Made of Sand” make slight changes to their chorus/refrain - in “Last Nite”, the beginning of the final line of the chorus changes each time it is sung; “On top of this, I ain't ever gonna understand...” becomes “And me, I ain't ever gonna understand...”. In “Castles Made of Stand”, the adjective used in the refrain changes each time; castles made of sand “fall”, “melts” and finally “slips” into the sea. These slight alterations are unexpected to the listener’s ear and so catch their attention, keeping them engaged and
At a young age, I listened primarily to rap music. I was always attracted to the bumping bass in my speakers, the rapper’s loose lyrics and smooth cadence, and the mood the music gave me. Since then, I’ve explored artists across several rap subgenres, from Blu’s old-school style, to XXXTentacion’s rock fueled project, to A$AP Rocky’s electronic mixtape. Within my exploring, I’ve closely listen to freestyle battles on the radio and at rap jams, and I’ve always wondered how artists generate their lyrics on the fly so creatively.
Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts,” and it becomes increasingly evident throughout history just how much impact words have, they have power, they have influence, they have in some cases caused reprehensible damage. Language creates the platform from which we derive our ways of communication that allow us to spread values, customs, beliefs as well as build societies, divisions, racecraft, and barriers between individuals. Taking a look at the
Hip-hop music is portrayed by an entertainer rapping over a track that regularly comprises of loops or specimens of other music woven together (Selke INT). Hip-hop originally appeared in the Bronx around the 1970s and steadily turned into the predominant mainstream music structure by the 1990s, representing a multi-billion dollar industry today (Selke INT). Hip-hop music can additionally have some positive impacts. For example, its verbal imagination can motivate audience members to play with dialect, and acknowledge musicality and rhyme (Selke INT). Just like poetry, hip-hop can be a way of expressing oneself.