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Jon swain

English 102

Dr. Wynne

April ,5th,2017

Genre Analysis

How an individual is feeling can be interpreted through lyrical expressing as well as

visual messages that aim to inform or influence. Through these genres an artist can

express their thoughts or beliefs and feelings on a specific topic while sharing those

expressions to their audience. Genres have the ability to put the listener into various

moods and provide influential actions or emotion. Songs, an oral genre, were and can

still be used today to tell previous life situations and or stories. Although songs are an

effective way to express viewpoints, video recordings/film, a visual genre, are capable

of portraying images told in song. Through songs and video, the world can be told the

story of poverty, and tell or show the viewer how things look and are done in

impoverished areas. All across the country, poverty and low income communities are a

major issue in the black community. Twenty seven percent of African American men,

women, and children live below the poverty level (Black Demographics). Artist that have

lived in such conditions or have sympathy for the impoverished population use certain

genres to express the emotional experiences of these African Americans. Although the

poverty rate has began, and continued to drop, African-Americans are still rising in such

areas. Music and videos/film are used to educate, and influence.

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Songs use lyrics to relay a message. A song by Tupac Shakur called Changes,

discusses the effects of growing up in poverty. A song, being an oral genre, is to many,

the best genre out of the two I have chosen. This could be because of the way music

resonates with emotion, the left brain, and musical influence. Houston has stated in his

article Music And Language, I find it reasonable to believe that any exposure to highly

structured sound patterns (such as music) will be, to some extent,dependent upon the

way in which we process language (and vice versa). Tupac uses language to express

his views and personal experiences in order to act as a voice for the poverty-struck

families and individuals of specific neighborhoods. The way in which Tupac uses

language, targets certain audiences. These audiences connect with how he flows

through lyrics and causes an emotional aspect within one's body. Pathos is used

throughout Tupacs lyrics by using certain words that cause fixed emotions.

Stories are used in almost every situation given that the topic dealing with any genre,

given further explaining is needed. With a story the topic can then be explained through

an analogy type scenario, or with either pathos, logos, or ethos. The oral genre

standpoint attacks the most relevant, meeting all pathos, logos, and ethos, giving it all

the rhetorical devices. Similarly, with the visual genre a video/film, one could recognize

one or all of the modes of persuasion through the images it captures. Just as Pathos is

used in oral genres to appeal to emotion, it can be used in visual genres such as music

videos or videos that aim to inform the audience of certain issues, such as poverty in

black communities as Tupac did through his music. Visual genres can provide more

influence to individuals in a variety of ways, such as expressing emotional aspects. This

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is done by assuring a reaction in the visual interpretation through Images that depict

what it is like to be amongst those who suffer from poverty. While expressing ones

emotion is one of the main avenues used to reach an individual, it is still only one of the

three with emotion affecting pathos. Logos affecting logical, and ethos with ethical, in

being the other two strategies also used widely with songs. Logos also being shown

throughout the song Changes. He says a line my stomach hurts, so i'm looking for a

purse to snatch. This line uses language to give an example of what one living in

poverty must do in order to eat. This example provides explanations for why a person

would react in a particular way, however it may not justify the action done. In this case

particularly, the logical thing to do is to use crime in order to receive what you need. For

these African Americans, it may be their only outlet. Although, with a visual genre the

video/film aren't as lyrically enunciated, but instead giving more importance to the visual

itself. In other words not exemplifying all rhetorical aspects as well as a song would.

Overall, oral genres could be more appealing than visual for many reasons. For

example, the effects a song could leave on an individual's mind. Providing to people all

over the nation with personal stories about the complexities of living life in their world.

Individuals that have experienced the same stories as told in songs they have heard.

This giving one a stronger connection to an oral genre, and can spread this experience

towards opening eyes of others. Oral genres meet the requirements I feel that are most

important, given visual and oral, this is being done through song.