Speech 1311 - Rhetorical analysis of a movie or a music video.

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS This is America by Childish Gambino

Amy Nguyen

Liliana Ben

Dr. Denecia Spence

SPCH 1311-83010

May 7, 2020

Topic: Violence and Racism in American Culture

General Purpose: To persuade

Specific Purpose: After listening to our speech the audience will understand how

“this Is America” reveals the violence and racism against African Americans in

American society.

Attention Getter: How many of you question what you see after you watch a

music video? How does it make you feel when a terrible event happens to

minoritized communities in America?

Thesis: The video, “This Is America” by Childish Gambino shows that violence and

racism against African Americans are serious social problems in America.

Introduction:

“This Is America” is a song by American Rapper Donald Glover (Childish

Gambino), and its message is transmitted in a video clip format directed by Hiro

Murai. It explores modern musical genres, such as soul, funk, R&B, rap, trap, and

Afrobeat which are very popular among young people. The video shows

seemingly innocent scenes of singing and dancing, mixed with images of

violence, especially in the background.

Main Points:

I. Symbolism in “This Is America”

This is America is a controversial video charged with violence, but if we look at the

video carefully, we can observe a series of meaningful scenes that portray

historical events and social injustices to African Americans or minorities. According

to Gompertz (2018), who is a BBC art editor, the video can be considered a piece

of art, and every single detail is full of symbolism. Some of them are:

• The first scene, where Gambino took an unusual pose before shooting a

man, could allude to a Jim Crow character which represents racism and

slavery.

• The gun used to murder the guitarist is carefully saved. It could represent

the importance of guns in American culture, where any person can

have a gun at home.

• The mass shooting alludes to the event that occurred in Charleston

(2015), the Charleston church shooting in which a white supremacist

killed nine African Americans.

• At the end of the video, Gambino ran away while being chased. It could

depict the time when black people had to escape to save their lives.

While some people only see a party in the middle of the chaos, others are

shocked by its violent scenes and describe it as a hideous video.

However, Gompertz (2018) compares the video “This Is America” with the bloody

violence of Goya's The Executions painting which for many people is grotesque

but valuable. We can see that Gambino wants to expose some social problems

that still face black people in American society.

II. Violence is Ingrained in Pop-Culture Entertainment.

Violence is a reality that has become part of the entertainment industry in

American society which means that violence is everywhere, according to

Gajanan (2018), a reporter at Time Magazine. In the video, we can see Gambino

with a group of students dancing different modern rhythms in a mixture of African

dance seemingly innocent while chaotic scenes appear in the background. Why

do some people not see what is happening around? Because violence is

embedded in some musical genres, and these genres are consumed through

pop culture especially by young people. (Gajanan 2018). “This is America”

appears to represent the marginalization of black people in America and to be

a criticism of American culture, including references to consumerism, violence,

racism, discrimination, and gun control policy. We are accustomed to seeing

violence in real life and mainstream or popular media which does not allow us to

grab the message behind videos such as “This Is America,” which has a powerful

meaning.

III. Internalized Racism

The video of “This Is America” has connected to the issue that there is endless

internalized racism against African Americans is still rooted in this country.

According to Douglas (2017), who is the author of “Stop the Violence: Breaking

the Cycle of Anti-Black Violence” shows how America has handled the death of

African American in the system remains less important to discuss.

• There is an issue beyond racial violence, the government system has not

protected nor helped minorities such as African American from violence.

(Resource: African American are underserved in the control of white

system.) In reference to mass shooting in Charleston church, many African

American were killed, which Childish Gambino wants to show the

importance of how the government system does not use their power to

prevent the problems (Douglas 2017).

• “The fact that African Americans are 5.1 times more likely than

whites to be incarcerated. Thus, while only 13. 2% of the U.S.

population is black, black people constitute almost 40% of the

prison population (Douglas 2017).”

The ideology behind anti-blackness has derived from white supremacy. It has

been structured in the norm that White has been promoted as superior and

darker skin is viewed as inferior. The video by Childish Gambino depicts that

African American still face racism and describes how being black is less

important in American society. He even wore a pant that used to portray the

confederate uniform which is used to prove that white supremacy is

embedded in the legal system, which has made black people fall endlessly

under the hand of white supremacist (Douglas 2017).

▪ “First, to state the obvious, the ideology of white supremacy

depends upon the narrative of anti-blackness, since the notion

of white superiority rests on the idea of black inferiority.

Second, whiteness itself must be regarded as a violent identity-

construct inasmuch as it is defined by denigrating that which is

non-white (Douglas 2017).”

IV. The Relevance of the Video Today

The video is especially relevant today, when a government like Donald Trump's

attacks minorities, makes incendiary statements and does not condemn the racist

attitudes of far-right groups. Perry 2018) Associate professor at Baylor University.

For example, the current administration promotes hate and promotes violence

with hate speech. Additionally, the video is relevant because this violent society

in which we live neglects very important aspects such as American values and

the well-being of all people, including minorities.

Overall, the silence of discrimination and violence is an ongoing issue in America

that needs to be taken seriously. It is important that every minority should be

represented and protected equally in this country.

References

Douglas, K. B. (2017). Stop the Violence: Breaking the Cycle of Anti-Black

Violence. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible & Theology, 71(4), 398–407.

https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0020964317716130

Gajanan, M (2018, May 07). An Expert's Take on the Symbolism in Childish

Gambino’s Viral ‘This Is America’ Video. Time.

https://time.com/5267890/childish-gambino-this-is-america-meaning/

Gompertz, W (2018, May 18). Will Gompertz reviews Childish Gambino's This is

America video. The BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44062444

Perry, S. (2018). President Trump and Charlottesville: Uncivil Mourning and White

Supremacy. Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 8, no.1-2, 57-71.

http://contemporaryrhetoric.com/wp-

content/uploads/2018/02/Perry8_1_2_5.pdf