Carlo Vivar
Professor Barnes
CRT 100
13, September, 2023
1. What messages/ themes does Beyonce express through the song and video?
I think that the message and theme that Beyonce expresses through the song tittle and video is South southern pride, this can be seen by the location of where the video was filmed along with the dress code for it. Also, Beyonce always expresses that she is a independent woman and it is no less shown in this song.
2. Are those messages/ themes similar to your initial reaction to the song and video?
These messages/ themes, in regards to the audio and visual scene, are not what I had originally thought the first time I saw the video. I thought it was just a song about being a independent woman.
3. How did Matsoukas help Beyonce convey those messages/ themes?
Matsoukas helped Beyonce show these messages and themes due to the time period, even though it wasn’t 100 of years ago black women were unappreciated in the time she made the song and this is why with her help Beyonce could portray and speak upon these social problems.
4. Find at least 2 examples of emotive language or rhetorical devices. What role do they play in the song? Be specific/ use evidence from the text.
A form of emotive language is when Beyonce states: “I like my negro with Jackson 5 Nostrils”. This is a way of saying that it doesn’t matter how African Americans look, they are all loved. Also “I slay, OK, I slay is always mentioned, I think this is hyperbole because she doesn’t really slay no one. It is a way to say that she won’t let the negative affect her.
5. Why do you think the song and video became controversial?
I think this happened due to her stepping up to the women rights and most men didn’t like that.
