Essence Edmonds Convo 2

Summary

Through the lyrics and visuals of Formation, Beyoncé expressed the empowerment of black people. She showcased how far black people have come but how far we still must go. Another message she expressed was the empowerment of women. As a black woman I was able to connect deeply with the video when I first saw it because I saw my culture. She made me proud of being black and coming from such a resilient group of people. As a woman I was able to connect because of the way she flipped gender roles. She set the tone for many women, letting us know we can do it. We can work hard and be successful to acquire the things out of life we want. We can take over male dominated industries and aren’t living in their shadows anymore.
Melina Matsoukas helped Beyonce covey this message in many ways. In the article “The Provocateur Behind Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Issa Rae” by Alexis Okeowo, Matsoukas stated “I wanted to show—this is black people”. “We triumph, we suffer, we’re drowning, we’re being beaten, we’re dancing, we’re eating, and we’re still here.” She also helped Beyoncé convey the message of black empowerment with the set of the video. When looking for the set she wanted a home that resembled the “Big House” also known as a plantation home. Once she secured her location, she had the home decorated with “French Renaissance-style portraits of black subjects”. Beyonce and the supporting cast were dressed up as what would have been considered wealthy in those times. Melina wanted to change the narrative of white supremacy and show that black people can have that wealth as well. Melina helped Beyoncé demonstrate how far we must come in the scene with the young black boy doing what Melina referred to as a “peace dance” in front of the line of police officers. The camera cuts to a wall which reads “Stop Shooting Us” written largely in spray paint. This was to shine light on how much police brutality impacts the black community.
Beyoncé used a hyperbole when she said, “I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils”. This is a hyperbole because of the term negro nose. I believe this was in reference to how journalist depicted black people in drawings with over exaggerated features. In the choreography of the video, Beyonce taps her nose with her finger when she sings that line. This plays a role in black empowerment because she is celebrating our beautiful features instead of being ashamed of them like we were taught to be. Beyonce used dysphemism in the scene where she was standing on top of the police car. This is a dysphemism because it was used to produce a negative effect. It demonstrates how the police negatively impact the black community. This played a role in showing how far black people still go because of this is still a very relevant issue within the community. I think the song and video became controversial because of the dedicated artist Beyoncé is. The amount of effort and research that Beyoncé puts into her pieces of work sets her apart from other artists.