Review our Discussion Board instructions so that your replies can shine.
Discuss the following questions:
1. What messages/ themes does Beyonce express through the song and video?
2. Are those messages/ themes similar to your initial reaction to the song and video?
3. How did Matsoukas help Beyonce convey those messages/ themes?
4. Find at least 2 examples of emotive language or rhetorical devices? What role do they play in the song?
5. Why do you think the song and video became controversial?
Replies: Read your classmates’ posts. Reply at at least 2.
49 thoughts on “Discussion Board Post 2: Language”
Beyonce in her song called “Formation” express various messages. Not only by lyrics itself, but also by the music video. I think that the main aspect is police brutality among black people. The scene when a child puts their hands up, and the line of policemen do the same, instead of shooting. Shows how the real world should look like. But we all know how it is now. There is also a mural shown on a video that shows “Stop shooting us”, which to Beyonce means stop shooting us (black people).
Beyonce’s video director Melina Matsoukas helped Beyonce express pain, and bad times that people had to go through after Hurricane Katrina. In the video, Beyonce is sinking in the water seating on the top of police car. This scene reflects how people’s lives were “sinking”. Someone could ask, why the police car? It shows well, how people got not enough help from police and government during and after the Hurricane.
I must admit that after watching this video for the first time, I totally didn’t look or think about it as I do now. My first thought was that the video shows Beyonce’s attachment to her roots, and that she is proud of being who she is. What is more I thought that she is showing how confident woman she is. How wrong was I? I am glad that I understand it better now.
The singer uses different kinds of emotive language. She used euphemism “I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress”, to show how confident she is and who she is. What is more she uses Hyperbole ” Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper”. What she means by that is to always be kind, do what you really want to and don’t care what others say. Because at the end if you work hard, you will have money and that is a great reward.
In my opinion, this video got a lot of criticism because first of all police force took it as insult to their work. As the scene where bunch of policemen points a gun at a little boy was brutal. Maybe they felt like Beyonce was insulting them or she was anti Police? Second, I know that there are a lot of people around the world who are racist, and Beyonce showing her roots and confidence in being black, could make them angry.
Hi Aneta, I agreed with the entire post. I liked when you said that “Beyonce is sinking in the water seating on the top of police car. This scene reflects how people’s lives were “sinking”. I truly agree with this as families are continuing to loose loved ones at the hands of the police.
hello Aneta
Your response to the video makes a great sense of perception and understanding. You also explain the body language and images that are used to send messages to the public liking sinking in water and seating in the police car. This comes back to my definition that language is a device used for communication.
Hi Aneta,
I enjoyed reading your post. I feel like water represent purity at the same time she was sitting on top of the police car and it was sinking. People out in there are sinking because of poverty, racial discrimination just to name a few.
Throughout the song and video, the first message I thought about that was expressed by Beyonce was, “we are still here”. It is no secret black people have suffered and faced discrimination for generations. To this day, they still do, however, we have witnessed many black, male, and female icons who have risen to become a positive force. The message is similar to my initial reaction to the song and video. In the video, Matsoukas showed us what resembles a plantation house, as well as the police force. Murals were plastered saying “stop shooting us”. We know how blacks were treated during slavery and by the police. To this day we see black people get killed while cooperating. The themes that follow with these actions are sorrow, pain, and heartbreak.
An example of dysphemisms would be “El Camino with the seat low, sippin’ Cuervo with no chaser”. According to Genius, the lyric is a nod to when Beyonce was seen illegally riding in the back of an El Camino, a car, sipping on Cuervo, tequila, which is breaking another law.
Hyperbole is used when Beyonce said, “I twirl on them haters, albino alligators”. Beyonce is seen here flexing on her doubters. She does so by wearing boots that are made from the skins of albino alligators.
This video and song are controversial to others because they see a woman of color having the utmost confidence, success, and happiness which bothers them.
hey Arif, you are right and I like how you explain everything to its best. a lot of the video is about black women like Beyonce herself being successful and happy and having confidence not only that its also about rascism and young black men/boys getting killed by the police the singer is spreading awareness and becoming a positive force in able to bring a stop to this discrimination that black people are facing. but no matter what its just won’t stop! after so many fight so many generations its still going on.
Hi Arif, I agree that the video was seen as controversial because it had women of color celebrating their features and having the most confidence in themselves. I also want to add on that many did not like the fact that there were more darker skinned women than light skinned because colorism is rooted deep in this type of video and majority of the time when discussing Black issues, lighter skinned women are shown.
I agree with you 100% it is nothing new to us that black people, and in this case black women are deprived of power and fairness. Beyonce’s song and video serve as a reminder of what our ancestors went through and what we and our children might have to experience as well. It is quite encouraging how she promoted the idea that we suffer, but we slay.
I agree with you. It’s hard for societies to accept that women are capable of achieving all this success along with the side of man. When some people saw how she broke all the outdated societies rules and regulations some people may pint point out some issues. Regardless, Beyonce did keep their mouth shut by putting this song out.
The theme Beyonce expresses through her song and must video of “formaation” is women hard work independence, racism, police brutally and the non equality, that we know experience a lot in this world. My initial reaction to the song/music video was a bit different but similar at first I thought Beyonce was speaking of her self as a hard working black women and how hard she’s worked to get where she at but its actually goes deeper than that. Matsoukas helped Beyonce express her feelings and show awareness of everything that has happened like hurricane Katrina and all the police shootings by pointing them in the music videos like Beyonce sinking in water on top of a police car and the writing on the wall “stop shooting us”. examples of 2 emotive language in this song is ”I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress”. And “you know that that b**ch when you cause all this conversation”. This last line plays the whole role of the song because a conversation is whats going to happen after the song and videos is released. Thats why I think this song/music video went controversial because of the messages it had in them some people didn’t like It or agree with it. Due to racism and the police might have felt offended because in the video it made it seem as they don’t much to help.
Hello Kadiatou, I agreed with you when you mentioned that “Matsoukas helped Beyonce express her feelings and show awareness of everything that has happened like hurricane Katrina and all the police shootings by pointing them in the music videos…” I personally felt that Mrs. Matsoukas wanted us to not forget what happened in the past and hope for a better change in the future. It was quite understandable that law enforcement agencies were displeased with the music video because of their past involvement with the Black Panthers group decades ago and the shootings of unarmed black people.
Hello Kadiatou, I agree that Matsoukas did an excellent job of bringing the video to life. Hurricane Katrina devastated the south which is where Beyonce’s mother was from, Louisiana. The police in front of the child was a heavy scene that depicts what goes on in real life.
Hi Kadiatou, I agree that people found Beyonce’s song and video controversial because it showed how situations that involve the Black community and police are cases of discrimination and abuse of power. There are many people who simply refuse to accept the fact that not every police officer has good intentions and believe that police officers have every right to treat people of color poorly.
hello Kadiatou
Your response is brief and has great content. you spoke much about the black people and their feelings. I see from your perspective that others feel boarded with the content of the video., but I feel she is speaking her mind. she is passing the message of awareness that black lives matter.
Hi kadiatou, I agree with your controversial statement in the end of the paragraph. There wouldn’t be any other way to put it to explain the behavior they have brought on other races no matter how bad they feel offended by it.
Beyonce’s video expresses many themes and messages throughout the music video. Throughout the video, the message was clearly showing what African-Americans were experiencing in the past and present. This includes slavery and police shootings of unarmed African-Americans. As for the themes, there’s a lot such as black empowerment, black pride, and police brutality (in conjunction with Black Lives Matter movement). The visuals that I saw in the video matched with what I had mentioned in the previous question. The video doesn’t shine away from the truth of the current issues that black people face today. Mrs. Matsoukas made a recreation of past events such as Hurricane Katrina in ’05 that impacted New Orleans and unarmed black youth raising their hands up. Mrs. Matsoukas wanted to show the viewers the true pain that African-Americans were going through. It also showed that in the video, a child raising their hands, which suggested that children are fearing for their lives. Beyonce used euphemism when she said in her lyrics “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros. I like my n***o nose with Jackson Five nostrils”. She was proud of the natural features that her young daughter and Jay-Z have. Beyonce also used hyperbole when she said in the “Paparazzi, catch my fly and my cocky fresh”. What she meant was that she felt fresh in her outfit and herself. I think that the music video was extremely controversial because it was anti-police according to some law enforcement agencies in a few states. Police officers found this music video disturbing as some dancers were wearing black panther uniforms.
Hello Nicholas, I agree with the messages and themes you presented. The theme of violence in regards to the police versus black people has been going on for generations. To this day we still see the same issues happening. Beyonce who is a powerful woman is just shedding light on them for the world to see.
Hello Nicholas!
I did agree with you. When you wrote in your post that “the video doesn’t shine away from the truth of the current issues that black people face today.” yes, I found that’s so true because we all know what we’re facing in everyday life as Black people what we encounter in daily routine. It’s so related
Hey Nicholas,
I agree with you that the message was clearly showing what African Americans were experiencing in the past and present especially during Hurricane Katrina. Many were impacted negatively and officials did a poor job of helping them. The city of New Orleans was hit with poverty, destruction, and segregation.
Hi Nicholas,
You couldn’t have said it any better. You really touched on some great points including the fact that African-Americans has been and still suffer from injustices like police brutality and racial discrimination. The struggle is real and I’m hopeful that at some point it will get better.
I agree with you on this. The relationship between the police and black people is very bigoted. What black people face every day is very relatable.
Language is the main device we use as humans to communicate using symbols and signs. In her song formation, Beyoncé expresses themes such as feminism, the pride of black people, the power of black people as well as sexism. Generally, the song explores something more than the brutality exercised by the police and the prevalent racism. Also, the song explores the interpretations of the past of this city as well as the future thus creating a platform for celebrating the resilience that black people have shown all through.
2. Well, these messages are somehow similar to my initial reaction to the song. Initially, I felt that the song was targeting racism and trying to make the voice of Black people known.
3. Matsoukas played a great in Beyoncé’s song formation, which helped her deliver the message of the song. As indicated initially, this song touches on feminism, black pride and racism. To start with, Matsoukas helped Beyoncé cover the theme of feminism. After Beyoncé explained to her what “ Lemonade was going to be all about, Matsouka wanted to portray the impact that slavery in history has had on what show referred to as black love as well as families of black people. By pointing out that the white society was shaping black women and men not to be together, Beyoncé captured a subject for her song formation. She, therefore, took the role as a feminist in this song, gearing feminism of Black women.
4. The song formation by Beyoncé utilizes several rhetorical devices. This use of language brings about a particular effect on the audience. At the start of the song’s refrain, she continues to say, “Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess; papazzi catch my fly.” She says this to persuade or convince the audience that she is not what people think she is and shows them who she is.
5. I think Beyoncé’s song “Formation became controversial because of its performance, video as well as the general content of the song. Looking at the video, for instance, it seemed as if Beyoncé was passing an anti-police message, perhaps, encouraging people to rebel against the police. The image of Beyoncé in the police triggered Hurricane Katrina’s image and a condemnation to the police.
. In her song formation, Beyoncé expresses themes such as feminism, the pride of black people, the power of black people as well as sexism. Generally, the song explores something more than the brutality exercised by the police and the prevalent racism. Also, the song explores the interpretations of the past of this city as well as the future thus creating a platform for celebrating the resilience that black people have shown all through.
2. Well, these messages are somehow similar to my initial reaction to the song. Initially, I felt that the song was targeting racism and trying to make the voice of Black people known.
3. Matsoukas played a great in Beyoncé’s song formation, which helped her deliver the message of the song. As indicated initially, this song touches on feminism, black pride and racism. To start with, Matsoukas helped Beyoncé cover the theme of feminism. After Beyoncé explained to her what “ Lemonade was going to be all about, Matsouka wanted to portray the impact that slavery in history has had on what show referred to as black love as well as families of black people. By pointing out that the white society was shaping black women and men not to be together, Beyoncé captured a subject for her song formation. She therefore took the role as a feminist in this song, gearing feminism of Black women.
4. The song formation by Beyoncé utilizes several rhetoric devices. This the use of language brings about a particular effect on the audience. At the start of the song’s refrain she continues to say, “Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess; papazzi catch my fly.” She says this to persuade or convince the audience that she is not what people think she is and shows them who she is. . I think Beyoncé’s song “Formation became controversial because of its performance, video as well as the general content of the song. Looking at the video for instance, it seemed as if Beyoncé was passing an ant-police messages, perhaps, encouraging people to rebel against the police. The image of Beyoncé in the police triggered Hurricane Katrina image and a condemnation to the police.
In her song formation, Beyoncé expresses themes such as feminism, the pride of black people, the power of black people as well as sexism. Generally the song explores something more than the brutality exercised by the police and the prevalent racism. Also, the song explores the interpretations of the past of this city as well as the future thus creating a platform for celebrating the resilience that black people have shown all through.
2. Well, these messages are somehow similar to my initial reaction to the song. Initially, I felt that the song was targeting racism and trying to make the voice of Black people known.
Matsoukas played a great in Beyoncé’s song formation, which helped her deliver the message of the song. As indicated initially, this song touches on feminism, black pride and racism. To start with, Matsoukas helped Beyoncé cover the theme of feminism. After Beyoncé explained to her what “ Lemonade was going to be all about, Matsouka wanted to portray the impact that slavery in history has had on what show referred to as black love as well as families of black people. By pointing out that the white society was shaping black women and men not to be together, Beyoncé captured a subject for her song formation. She, therefore, took the role of a feminist in this song, gearing feminism of Black women.
4. The song formation by Beyoncé utilizes several rhetoric devices. This the use of language brings about a particular effect on the audience. At the start of the song’s refrain she continues to say, “Yall haters corny with that Illuminati mess; paparazzi catch my flight.” She says this to persuade or convince the audience that she is not what people think she is and shows them who she is.
. I think Beyoncé’s song “Formation became controversial because of its performance, video as well as the general content of the song. Looking at the video, for instance, it seemed as if Beyoncé was passing an anti-police messages, perhaps, encouraging people to rebel against the police. The image of Beyoncé in a police triggering Hurricane Katrina image and a condemnation to the police.
. In her song formation, Beyoncé expresses themes such feminism, the pride of black people, the power of black people as well as sexism. Generally the song explores something more than the brutality exercised by the police and the prevalent racism. Also, the song explores the interpretations of the past of this city as well as the future thus creating a platform for celebrating the resilience that black people have shown all through.
2. Well, these messages are somehow similar to my initial reaction to the song. Initially, I felt that the song was targeting racism and trying to make the voice of Black people known.
3. Matsoukas played a great in Beyoncé’s song formation, which helped her deliver the message of the song. As indicated initially, this song touches on feminism, black pride and racism. To start with, Matsoukas helped Beyoncé cover the theme of feminism. After Beyoncé explained to her what “ Lemonade was going to be all about, Matsouka wanted to portray the impact that slavery in history has had on what show referred to as black love as well as families of black people. By pointing out that the white society was shaping black women and men not to be together, Beyoncé captured a subject for her song formation. She therefore took the role as a feminist in this song, gearing feminism of Black women.
4. The song formation by Beyoncé utilizes several rhetoric devices. This the use of language brings about a particular effect on the audience. At the start of the song’s refrain she continues to say, “Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess; papazzi catch my fly.” She says this to persuade or convince the audience that she is not what people think she is and shows them who she is.
5. I think Beyoncé’s song “Formation became controversial because of its performance, video as well as the general content of the song. Looking at the video for instance, it seemed as if Beyoncé was passing an ant-police messages, perhaps, encouraging people to rebel against the police. The image of Beyoncé in a police triggering Hurricane Katrina image and a condemnation to the police.
Language is the main device we use as humans to communicate using symbols and signs. In her song formation, Beyoncé expresses themes such as feminism, the pride of black people, the power of black people as well as sexism. Generally, the song explores something more than the brutality exercised by the police and the prevalent racism. Also, the song explores the interpretations of the past of this city as well as the future thus creating a platform for celebrating the resilience that black people have shown all through.
2. Well, these messages are somehow similar to my initial reaction to the song. Initially, I felt that the song was targeting racism and trying to make the voice of Black people known.
3. Matsoukas played a great in Beyoncé’s song formation, which helped her deliver the message of the song. As indicated initially, this song touches on feminism, black pride and racism. To start with, Matsoukas helped Beyoncé cover the theme of feminism. After Beyoncé explained to her what “ Lemonade was going to be all about, Matsouka wanted to portray the impact that slavery in history has had on what show referred to as black love as well as families of black people. By pointing out that the white society was shaping black women and men not to be together, Beyoncé captured a subject for her song formation. She, therefore, took the role as a feminist in this song, gearing feminism of Black women.
4. The song formation by Beyoncé utilizes several rhetorical devices. This use of language brings about a particular effect on the audience. At the start of the song’s refrain, she continues to say, “Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess; papazzi catch my fly.” She says this to persuade or convince the audience that she is not what people think she is and shows them who she is.
5. I think Beyoncé’s song “Formation became controversial because of its performance, video as well as the general content of the song. Looking at the video, for instance, it seemed as if Beyoncé was passing an anti-police message, perhaps, encouraging people to rebel against the police. The image of Beyoncé in the police triggered Hurricane Katrina’s image and a condemnation to the police.
hello Adama
After reading your post on the topic of Beyoncé I right away agree with your present responses on your understanding. of the topic.
Hello Adama, I also agree that Beyonce expressed themes of feminism and the power of black people throughout the music video and in the lyrics. I believe that she wasn’t trying to convey an anti-police message but instead was trying to protest against police brutality and this was seen in the video, when on the wall it said “stop shooting us”
Beyonce expresses themes of Black pride, feminism, police brutality, and racism in her song and video “Formation,” every one of them has a big part in our modern society My initial reaction to the song was that Beyonce was speaking about her accomplishments and her Black pride, but after watching the music video I realized that she had placed multiple themes and messages throughout the choreography. Matsuoka helped Beyonce covey these messages and themes by representing Hurricane Katrina and how it deeply affected Black lives, as well as showing the fear of being a victim to police brutality. Beyonce uses euphemism with the lyrics “I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress,” as she speaks on how proud and confident, she is with herself. Beyonce also uses emotive language in the line “I go hard, get what’s mine, I’m a star” as she expresses how hard working, she is and always achieves her goals. The song and video became controversial because there are many people who disagree with the themes of police brutality and racism against Black people, instead of blaming the systematic oppression, they attack artists who speak on the matter. It is also well known that there are certain groups who are troubled and angered for the sole reason that Black pride is being shown and celebrated, as they can’t diminish their pride or crush their accomplishments.
Hi Kelly, I agree with the theme you listed form beyonce’s song. It really grasp the aspect of the whole song itself about women empowerment and the way police officers act towards races.
Hi Kelly,
I agree that people rather blame the artist than the source and that certain groups hate seeing black pride so they try to put an end to it.
Hello Kelly, I also agree that Beyonce was showing off how confident and proud she is. I also noticed the themes of feminism, black pride, and policed brutality and how the choreography helped convey these themes. I think that the settings in the music video as well helped to convey these themes.
Hi Kelly! I thought same thing after watching the video for the first time. And I agree 100 % with everything you wrote.
1.Beyoncé expresses messages on the historical effects of slavery on black love and how it has affected the black families, feminism, police brutality, black culture, especially her creole heritage, racism, and Hurricane Katrina rememberings. Moreover, she passes a message to dispel the rumor that she’s in Illuminati.
2.No
3. Matsoukas coveys messages by the use of imagery. The use of tools such as a police car slowly sinking in the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, a blackified plantation house, and French Renaissance-style portraits, among others, help convey resonating messages
4.The lyric “always stay gracious, the best revenge is your paper,” (Beyoncé et al., 2016, 0: 03:13) Beyoncé encourages listeners always to put business before feelings.
In the lyric “…if he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J’s, let him shop up….” (Beyoncé et al., 2016, 0: 01:43) Beyoncé speaks about her marriage to Jay Z and shows that she has power in her relationship, unlike societal norms.
Also, Beyoncé performs on top of a squad car that slowly sinks into the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. The police car shows that the police didn’t show up for the black people at that time and that she was still on top and she was one with the people who suffered (Okeowo, 2017).
5. The song and video became controversial because it was misinterpreted. The song was accused of spreading Anti-police, Anti-American, and racist messages; hence it became controversial.
Shahriar you also made a great point about controversial that it was misinterpreted, people view things differently so watching the video people would get the wrong idea if they are not put in the shoes themselves. Until its happened or been put out there its misinterpreted to what the message is trying to be set.
The is a great post! I really like how you referred to Beyonce’s marriage and the power she has in their relationship. As there were rumors ( which personally I believe in, that he cheated on her). Although she still is on top and has the power.
The song “Formation” from Beyonce expresses the terrorism of black people, police brutality, inequality and the work of independence from women. My first initial reaction to song and video was beyonce being a boss in life and being successful with all the accomplishes she has done. But I didn’t really take into an account with the police car sinking into the car and police officers being lined and a kid dancing because there are stories behind it. Matsoukas helped Beyonce convey those messages/ themes by expressing the things that happened in the music with the police car sinking in the flood of water of hurricane Katrina stating they haven’t done anything to help or show up to help. Also demonstrating kid dancing infront of the officers toward black people in general. Two examples of emotive language or rhetorical devices in this song is ” Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, ’cause I slay Prove to me you got some coordination, ’cause I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated and “Girl, I hear some thunder
Golly, look at that water, boy, oh Lord. This last line plays a role in the ending of the song stating the whole situation of the hurricane Katrina and black culture. I think the song and video became so controversial because the image it puts on police officers since it made them look bad and because that they would disagree to that fact since the scene that was shown of the car drowning and all the messages that came from the song itself.
In formation Beyonce is displaying society problems including racism, police brutality, sexism etc. She displays her culture and woman empowerment showing her confidence. Watching the video and listening to the lyrics expressed many feelings , like confidence and pain. “Ya’ll haters corny with that illuminati mess, paparazzi catch my fly and my cocky fresh.” Explaining she isn’t going to let people on the internet affect her.
Matsoukas helped Beyonce show police brutality by having the police and a kid raise their arms, while the next clip is “stop shooting us” on the wall. Two examples of emotive language is “I twirl on my haters, albino alligators” and “You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation”. Expressing people complain when you’re at your best.
I believe the song is seen as “controversial” because anyone or anything that talks about or expresses the real problems in life there will always be that group that disagrees. Beyonce showed racial injustice against the black community and confidence in her culture, the reason why many disagree is because they’re racist and ignorant.
I totally agree with your explanation on controversial because when real problems are talked about there’s always people that disagree and have something to say. Racial injustice was definitely explained all in the video and people can be very ignorant and be opinion based when it comes to these serious issues going on such as black lives matter, people turned that into a controversial issue of why only black lives matter? and I feel like more education and clarification should be put out.
Lissett you hit it right on the head , Beyoncé certainly displayed confidence in her culture as I mentioned in my response as well as the racial injustice against her people which I truly loved. And YES the controversy only arises like that for REAL world issues that bothers the individuals that don’t really want to hear it
While watching Beyoncé’s video A lot of things came up that she was trying to send out a message of Black peoples sufferings, Women empowerment, and getting to a higher place from where it used to be. The struggles of Blacks are still occurring today, however the change, the empowerment, and strength has come a long way and I believe that was expressed in the video. My reaction to the video wasn’t the deeper meaning because in reality I listen to the song more than understanding and going into debts of what the video is trying to tell, the video definitely showed me that there’s a bigger picture to what she is trying to say is going on. Matsoukas helped Beyonce convey these messages by using the police car sinking with Beyonce on top of it, the scene with the police standing and putting their hands up with the kid there. It was excellently broken down showing the things that mattered and has happened. The sinking car, police being an issue, the water from many of those that have died and suffered during Katrina was well agreed. It has become controversial because people aren’t liked how some are portrayed to be such as the police being looked at as a problem or the targets of blacks. Beyonce uses emotive positive words such as repeating “I slay” “work hard” these things are positive and showing the strength and confidence she is feeling. “I twirl on them haters, albino Alligators” was hyperbole.
Beyoncé expresses many vital messages through her song “Formation.”
Beyonce created the music video “Formation” to convey a solid message to the people in favor of Back lives matter. These vital messages are simple racism and police brutality among Back people in the United States. This song also delivers messages about feminism, Creole culture, Beyoncé pride, Black pride, Black power, sexism, LGBT, Hurricane Katrina remembering’s, and Beyoncé’s intention to dispel the rumor that she is an Illuminati.
My initial reaction to this song and video is about racism that occurred to Black people in the United States. However, it reminds me of the most recent police brutality story in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When a policeman murdered a back man in the street after his murder, protests against police brutality, especially towards black people, quickly spread across the United States and globally. The Backman dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry for black people. Honestly, after this crime, I felt so mad that it’s only Back people who can be killed in such away. It was so hard for us Back people to cope with that situation, knowing that we still face police brutality.
Melina Matsoukas helped Beyoncé convey those messages/ themes by expressing some excellent representations of black womanhood and their struggles, such as pain and challenging time of identity resulting from historical influences of slavery on Black people. She also shows awareness of everything that occurred, like “Hurricane Katrina.” This representation shows how Black people were “sink.” In the actual video, Beyoncé is sinking in the water, sitting on the top of a police car.
It’s explicitly straightforward how Black people didn’t get the help they needed from the police during Hurricane Katrina.
In the song “Formation” by Beyoncé, I found the first example of emotive language in this part of the music lyrics. She used a euphemism when she sang, “ I’m so reckless…” she used hyperbole for this part “Paparazzi, catch my fly and my cocky fresh.”
I believe Beyoncé’s song “Formation” became so controversial because of how it’s been made and the powerful messages it carries. Precisely, it displays racism that might insult the police because we have viewed how they show us carelessness through the video.
Yes I definitely agree , the criticism for the piece definitely came from the power in which the song and video held … it shook a lot of feathers and gave people something to think deeply about
Through the song and the video Beyoncé expressed the celebration of her culture, success and her well known career. The messages and themes are indeed similar to my initial reaction to the song the praise for Beyoncé’s lyrical preferences for this piece is no secret. I grew excited initially off of the pride B expressed for heritage. It is displayed clearly when she states “Earned all this money but they never take the country out me” referring to her being raised in the Houston area. She used euphemism to show and display her confidence in who she is and who she became . It was stated Matsoukas role In “Formation was her evocatively conjuring a circuit of deep south black worlds with aplomb, switching formats from HD to grainy 16mm to blurry, near-surreal VHS, while tagging set pieces that have iconic power. I believe the video received plenty of criticism because it was a powerful piece that grabbed millions of peoples attention
According to the article the theme Beyonce wanted to express through the song and video was female and black empowerment. In the video there is also a theme of black sisterhood. Beyonce used this song as an introduction to her new aesthetic, which is being vulnerable and political.
The theme of female and black empowerment, in which was the theme that Beyonce wanted to express was what I initially noticed when I first viewed the video and listened to the song. I instantly noticed a theme of feminism.
Matsoukas helped Beyonce convey the theme of female and black empowerment and black sisterhood by making sure the dancers were all black women. She helped convey the theme of black empowerment through many different scenes, an example of the black empowerment theme being conveyed was when the little boy was shown dancing Infront of the police and even in the scene where Beyonce was shown in a black dress standing with the black men who were all wearing suits.
An example of emotive language being used is seen in the line where Beyonce says, “I dream it, I work hard, I grind till I own it”. This line was meant to add a sense of motivation in the song. Another example of emotive language being used in the song is in the line where she says, “Sometimes I go off, I go hard, get what’s mine (take what’s mine), I’m a star”. This line was used to show how confident she is.
I think the video became controversial because it was very unique and representational.
Hey, Sofia I agree with you that the video and song is about black empowerment. I would like to add it promotes social mobility and economic prosperity. Racial injustice was a big issue and the way Beyonce conveyed this was on point and very accurate.
1. In her song “Formation” one message Beyonce expresses is black people facing discrimination, racism, and police brutality. Another message she expresses is she is empowered by her cultural identity and talks about how hard she has worked to get to the top. She is trying to reach Black Lives Matter Movement and Feminism.
2. Yes, those messages are similar to my initial reaction to the song because I expected the song to display so much meaning and to talk about her roots and how she made her way to the top. I had a hunch the song would mention racism and discrimination.
3. Matsoukas helped Beyonce convey those messages/themes through things that have happened like Hurricane Katrina, the casualties, and the tough times people went through with systematic inequality.
4. 2 examples of rhetorical devices and emotive language in the song are hyperbole and emotive language. An example of hyperbole is when she says “I twirl on them haters, albino alligators.” This is a hyperbole because it is using extreme exaggeration because there cannot be an albino alligator. It shows her unique fashion statement and the albino alligators refer to her expensive boots. An example of emotive language is “I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’).” By this, she means she has worked hard for her money and worked her way to the top.
5. It became controversial because many people look down on a successful wealthy woman. They also look down on a black woman who is as independent and strong as she is. Also, many police supporters took offense to her video when she referenced police brutality.
I believe the message Beyonce express through the song and video is one of highlighting the struggle that African Americans are faced with. It also convey message becoming a strong and successful individual through hard work and perseverance. The color of ones skin and physical appearance should not define you, but yet it does. I can relate to the line that said “I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow-boned it, I dream it, I work hard, I grind it t’ill I own it, are all emotive language.This goes to show that women are strong, hard working and independent. It’s a bit complicated to figure out her mindset in this song therefore people can read into it whatever way they choose.
“Formation” is a song Beyonce used to celebrate black women’s excellence, she also promoted culture and identity. Beyonce exemplifies black excellence and proved in her song “Formation’ that your origin doesn’t matter, you can be a successful black woman. Just slay!
I noticed that Beyonce focused on promoting black excellence, she also focused on identity, culture, stereotypes, and success. The language is the song is cemented through the lens of identity; it is vague and speaks directly to one audience. An audience of black women. The message that Beyonce wants to convey is that we should slay and celebrate our culture, identity, and our originality. We should also embrace our “Afro” and “Albino – alligator skin”.
My initial reaction to the song and video was quite similar to the messages/themes. I experienced ‘Black Joy’ while watching the video. Seeing people with the same skin color and understanding exactly the pain and distress we have to go through.
As Matsoukas develops an idea for the ‘Formation’ video, she spends hours browsing online and through art books and magazines, looking for images that resonate.
For the “Formation” video, she found ideas in the work of Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Octavia Butler. She began to conceive scenes of black history, from slavery through Mardi Gras parades and the Rodney King protests. “I wanted to show—this is black people,” she said. “We triumph, we suffer, we’re drowning, we’re being beaten, we’re dancing, we’re eating, and we’re still here.” She wrote out a treatment and sent it to Beyoncé in the middle of the night. Within hours, the singer had written back to say that she loved it.
Matsoukas, looking for a set that resembled a plantation house, rented a museum in Pasadena and decorated it to summon “Gone with the Wind” and “Twelve Years a Slave.” Then she had her art director “blackify” the house, hanging French Renaissance-style portraits of black subjects. Films about slavery “traditionally feature white people in these roles of power and position,” she said. “I wanted to turn those images on their head.”
Matsoukas planned technical details to create a sense of verisimilitude, shooting some scenes with a Bolex camera—for a “grainy look,” like that of documentary footage—and others with a camcorder. She hired a camera operator named Arthur Jafa, who had been the cinematographer of “Daughters of the Dust,” an iconic 1991 film about Gullah women in South Carolina whose focus on black sisterhood echoes throughout the “Formation” video.
She devised a scene of Beyoncé performing on top of a squad car, as it slowly sank into the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. “I wanted it to be a police car to show that they hadn’t really shown up for us,” she told me. “And that we were still here on top, and that she was one with the people who had suffered.” She shot the scene on a Los Angeles soundstage, with an artificial lake backed by a blue screen made to look like New Orleans. A crane on a barge suspended a camera overhead while a lift lowered the police car, and Beyoncé, into the water.
A few rhetorical devices were used in the song. Anaphora, Beyonce never ceases to repeat “ I slay (Okay)”. Another identified rhetorical device she used is Antiphrasis, Beyonce stated in the lyrics of her song “albino alligators” to highlight the truth surrounding how albino people are discriminated against without actually putting a deliberate meaning to albino people having skin with the characteristics of an alligator.
The song and video became controversial because a lot of the ideas and scenes in her music video were also captured in previous works, including the feature she had with Big Freedia. It was even mentioned that she illegally made use of footage she got from Bagheri which sparked a lot of controversies.
Beyonce wanted to express her thoughts on what’s going on right now, how she feels about police brutality and black awareness. The reading from this article was similar to what I was thinking when I first saw the video. The way I analyzed the video was in combination with the lyrics. Her lyrics describe how much she has worked to become who she is now even though she’s black. The way Matsoukas put this video together was first using the black people community that’s like the main focus. I think one emotive example of this song is when she says “I like my negro nose with Jackson’s five nostrils” I believe this one is emotive because Jackson’s five was such a great band and all integrant was black. She’s saying “Oh I have a black nose just like all the famous artists in the band Jackson Five” It makes you think about the band and go back in time and remember them. I believe the song became controversial because of all the black references and how Beyonce puts like a personal feeling in this song saying how much she has worked for what she has now.
The song “Formation” by Beyonce gives us a rebellious vibe. This video sends straightforward messages about upbringing diversity in skin tone, body positivity, feminism, and the” Black lives matter” movement. Within the first streak, Beyoncé is defiant, ripping down her backbiters. As the song goes along she highlighted some important injustices, and the crucial sides of the world especially the US administration with her gravelly tone. Now that I analyze the song because of this assignment I’m shocked how I missed the little important symbolic messages that are hidden throughout the song. I really like how the writer, Matsoukas, helps Beyonce deliver this message not only in the form of lyrics but also by illustrating it in the video, for example, the drowning of the police car. This single expression was so creatively handled that it provided several messages to the audience like how the Government didn’t help the people during Hurricane Katrina, and how the US police system is injustice toward the black people. The way she expresses her feelings through emotive language when she states,” What happened at the New Wil’ins?”.The lyric is a perfect example of Evaluative because she talked about a momentous natural disaster in New Orleans, that resulted in plenty of casualties. The government’s failure to rescue the individuals of New Orleans is also seen by many as the trigger for a reinvigorated era of activism sermonising the systemic inequality and racism that yet lives in the US.another example of emotive language was used when she states,” Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, ’cause I slay. Prove to me you got some coordination, ’cause I slay . Slay trick, or you get eliminated”.This is a beautiful example of both positive and negative emotive words. By this Beyonce is trying to tell all the black women to get educated which is an example of positive emotive words. At the very end of the verses, she warned us by saying that if we don’t become successful then our existence will get eliminated which is an example of a negative emotive word. I feel like the song got more attention /controversy because of how she pointed out the US political injustice and inequality through her lyrics. Overall the song is extremely well produced and it is extremely empowering.
In her song “Formation” Beyonce wanted to convey many messages. One of the messages are female and black empowerment and the other is about police brutality. The second message was similar to my initial reaction of the song and video as there is a scene with a little black boy dancing in front of a line of police officers. Matsouka helps Beyonce convey these messages with various scenes like one of them being the scene I mentioned earlier with the boy dancing in front of the police officers along with graffiti saying ” stop shooting us”. Another way to help convey the message was a scene near the end where Beyonce is on a police car while it slowly descends into water. Before reading the article I thought the water was just that and nothing special but, it is actually meant to be water from hurricane Katrina. This is tied into the theme of police brutality as it was meant to show how police had done nothing for black people. One example of a rhetorical device is a hyperbole which is the lyrics,” I twirl on them haters, albino alligators.” This is a hyperbole as albino alligators can be interpreted as her haters who are white so she is exaggerating on what they are. An example of a emotive language would be,” I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces.” This is an example of negative emotive language as being seen as possessive is not a good thing. The hyperbole plays a role into the song as it ties into the theme of female empowerment as it shows that she does not care about what her haters think. The emotive language doesn’t tie into any themes in the song but is there to help show her fans that despite being a celebrity she is also human and she gets jealous as well. I think the song and video became controversial due to the scene involving the police car going down into the water with Beyonce being on top of it. The police might have taken it to be a message that the police are not needed or that she hates the police and wants them gone. Another reason might be because of how the song is meant to be about female and black empowerment so people who don’t like the message didn’t like the song or message as they don’t want women or black people to be proud of themselves.