Analysis: The Black Lives Matter Movement

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Beyoncé, a popular recording artist, released her new song “Formation,” drawing massive amounts of attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement originating in the African-American community. Members of the movement regularly organize protests following the deaths of innocent Black people and instances of racial profiling and racial inequality. The Black Lives Matter movement started in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen. A year later, the movement grew nationally after two men, Mike Brown and Eric Garner, were killed by police officers. The media has spread the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” giving communities the chance to understand the movement and gain knowledge …show more content…

Songs are replayed often and are catchy, making the issues stick stronger. When using music, one has a prodigious voice and ability to portray a deeper message that could not be done by just speaking. In the song “White Privilege” by Macklemore, he uses logic and common sense to get his point across. Logos is a Greek word meaning logic. Logos is a literary device that can be defined as a statement, sentence or argument used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason or logic. Macklemore uses his privilege to talk about the illogical counter to the Black Lives Matter movement, which is All Lives Matter. In his song, he says, “If there’s a subdivision and a house is on fire… the fire department wouldn't show up and put water on all the houses because all houses matter, they would show up and turn on their water on the house that was burning, because that's the one that needs it the most.” Macklemore uses this analogy in his song to get the point across that all lives do matter, however black lives are the ones in danger. After the song is played so often, people subconsciously remember the words and are persuaded by what the singer says, connecting it to real …show more content…

Writers are typically passionate in what they write, making pathos prevalent in their writing. Whether they are for or against the Black Lives Matter movement, the authors use words that appeal to emotions to persuade people to think their way or do something. In an article called “Black Lives Matter, Sometimes” written by Dolores Puterbaugh, the author uses words to make a person feel angry at the injustice. She states, “If black lives (really) mattered to the mainstream media, we would hear as much about the deaths of African-American teenagers and young adults as we do when something bad happens to a white person… The local pro football team's latest, predictable loss is on page one of the news section. A story about an innocent (brown or black) child dying in a drive-by shooting probably is in Section B, on page two or three--the smaller local section.” She uses words to make images come to mind and force a reaction. The reaction she is going for would be rage. She wants readers to feel outraged that a simple football game can get more coverage than a death. On the other side of the spectrum is an article entitled “The Rise of Black Lives Matter.” Sara Sidner, the author, appears to be neutral in the topic with a slight pull toward the

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