Summary
Beyoncé wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on black love. The video for "formation" would hold special significance for women and black people. I originally thought that the song and video illustrated female empowerment, showcased Beyoncé's black roots and how proud she is of being a mixture of creole and "negro", her strength and money. Beyoncé also addressed police brutality in the video which I missed when I watched it, mainly because I was more focused on reading the lyrics than looking at the visuals, but I was surprised to see Matsoukas explanation for the last scene of the video. I can't believe I didn't connect the dots with the police car sinking in the water.
Matsoukas conceived scenes of black history, from slavery through Mardi Gras parades and the Rodney King protests to reenact the message of the historical impact of slavery on black love that Beyoncé wanted to show. Matsoukas had her art director "blackify" the rented museum (that looks like a plantation house) by hanging French-renaissance style portraits of black subjects. She made the video appear realistic/authentic by shooting some parts with a Rolex camera to give it a grainy effect to resemble some kind of documentary, other scenes were shot using a camcorder.
One example of rhetorical device would be this hyperbolic speech: "I twirl on them haters". She's exaggerating by saying that because she can't actually twirl on haters but instead she's saying that she's happily disregarding their negative opinions in a confident manner.
This phrase from the lyrics "I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag", is a form of positive emotive language. Beyoncé is showing how confident she is of her heritage and also relating to black people in the south who also have the same experience of carrying hot sauce in their bag. She's saying it with a sense of pride and stating that it's "swag", in this case meaning that if you can't relate, you're lame.
I think the video is overly political in terms of portraying police brutality and what happened after the Hurricane Katrina. I think some people might've found it offense or too bold and felt uncomfortable by the graphics. Others may even thought that it wasn't her place to do so.
2 thoughts on “Bianca Claircidor Conversation 2”
Hi Bianca, i appreciate your careful examination of Beyoncé’s “Formation” and the complex themes in the video. Your insight on how slavery affected Black love emphasizes the importance of the video for Black and Women. Additionally, I understand your perspective on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that may have been a little to much. Great job though!
Hi Bianca, I agree with your perspective on the song and video. I also liked how you explained how the lyric of hot sauce in her bag being a form of positive emotive language. In your last paragraph I also like how you put the perspective of other people and how they might have thought it wasn’t her place to talk about and recognized the message about Hurricane Katrina. Overall, I really liked your writing piece, clear and understanding.