Abstract

 

The paper shows the in depth analysis of two different genres in order to determine which was more effective at conveying the thesis to the audience. One genre was a comic, while the other was a web article, both related to the effect that dancehall has on society. The comic shows the negative violent reactions that dancehall encourages, while the article shows the positive sexual empowerment that women experience through dancehall music. Both articles communicate their point effectively, but it was found that the article used more rhetorical issues and was able to communicate the point more clearly and effectively to the audience. It also allowed the message to be relayed to a wider audience because of the language used and the evidence given. The comic was limited to members of the Jamaican audience, mostly because of the language and the space constraints that prevented much evidence from being given. The paper also shows how different genres can be used to reach different audiences and what works best for a genre.

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Jamaican dancehall has become widely popular over the past decade both inside and outside of Jamaica. With catchy beats and dances, its fun for people to get into the music and enjoy it. However, the lyrics of these songs and the mentality they bring across can be very damaging to the morals of the society they are introduced to. Young and old people alike find some harm in what the songs teach and are troubled by the effect they have on the people who listen to them. Still, there are others who say that dancehall is empowering and only speaks the truth of what is already happening in society. The two genres that will be discussed in this paper show different effects of the dancehall music. The first is a comic drawn by Clovis Brown, which appears in one of Jamaica’s main newspapers, The Observer. The second is an Internet article called Video Light: How Jamaican Women Find Sexual Empowerment in Dancehall by Eric Hansen. The thesis for each genre is very different. In the comic, it shows that dancehall leads to negative reactions, such as violence. In the article, it tells how women are empowered by the sexual nature of the songs.

 

Audience and Purpose

 

The cartoon is geared towards members of the Jamaican society, especially those involved in the music industry and its purpose is to show how the songs about violence come back to haunt the artists when violence is turned on them. The article is intended for more educated people and those who don’t know much about the dancehall culture or Jamaican parties.  It informs the audience how women behave and their thoughts about dancehall and what happens in the parties. The audience ties in for the cartoons because it also is ultimately trying to persuade the members of the music industry to pay attention to the kind of music they record and ensure it is not violent. The article’s purpose is to inform the readers about the dancehall culture, so it stands to reason that the audience would not be aware of what happens in parties and how women think. Since the comic is short and to the point, there would not need to be a lot of time to process and analyze the information, but the article is very lengthy and needs time to be read and analyzed afterwards, including all the videos that can be watched that support the point. The language in the comic is informal and ties in with the fact that it is intended for Jamaicans, because it is written in patois, a local language. The article uses Standard English, except for a couple of quotes, which are explained afterwards. This shows that the audience may not be involved with dancehall and would not understand the language used. The language, the audience and the purposes of the genres are very different.

 

Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

 

Clovis Brown, the author and illustrator of the comic, is a well-respected and well-known journalist who consistently writes and illustrates for one of Jamaica’s main newspapers. This allows for the reader to understand that his work is reliable and credible. The author of the article, Eric Hansen, is not a known person, but he uses proof in the form of song lyrics, videos and first-hand information to establish his credibility.  The comic uses the violence and the current situation to raise consciousness and evoke feelings of disappointment on society’s behavior towards dancehall music. The article allows the reader to feel excited and interested about the parties by using examples of the music and videos of the parties. The comic does not have space to present much evidence to support the point, but Brown relies on the fact that the audience should be aware of the situation in the society with the violence against the artists. The evidence in the article is extensive, from song lyrics, to videos to the first-hand experiences the author gives. Both articles use pathos in order to pull the audience in more, but they evoke different types of emotions. The article uses both logos and ethos, although the ethos was established through his use of language. The author already had ethos established through his credentials, but did not use logos in the comic.

 

Structure and Delivery

 

The information in the comic is limited because there is not much space, so the author has to rely on labels on the drawings for people to identify them. It relies heavily on the imagery to get its point across. On the other hand, the article has extensive use of language and descriptions in order to explain the point and inform the reader about the dancehall culture. It also has space to include media to help to illustrate what the text is saying. It is very well organized, with the videos directly relating to the text. The images and videos chosen help to showcase the idea that dancehall is sexually empowering for women, even though the lyrics may see degrading. The comic uses its limited space very well in terms of conveying the message. Even if the reader has limited or no information about the exact situation that prompted the comic, the message is still brought across that Jamaican dancehall encourages violence, especially against the artistes who make the violent music. Even though it would be hard for a non-Jamaican to understand the comic because it is written in the local language patois, the imagery helps to make it more universal. Both genres use images to help bring their message across, but the article relies more heavily on the text to communicate the point. The comic has to use imagery to make the point more easily understandable, but the text in the form of labels help to convey the idea more deeply.  

 

Conclusion/Synthesis

 

The article was more effective in bringing the point across because it had more space to do so, and more evidence to back up the author’s view. While the comic was effective and interesting, there simply was not enough information given, in order to be on the same level as the article. The article was able to use all types of evidence and rhetorical issues to help the author to prove his point. Different genres are useful for different things, depending on the message that needs to be conveyed and the audience it is intended for. What is suitable for one genre may not be suitable for another one. It can be harder to reach an audience and bring a point across if the correct genre is not used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Brown, C. (2010, May 12). Clovis Cartoons – Violent Gun Lyrics Return To Haunt Dancehall Artistes.              Retrieved January 30, 2015, from ww.dancehall.mobi/2010/05/12/clovis-cartoons-violent-  gun-lyrics-return-to-haunt-dancehall-artistes/

 

Hansen, E. (2014, August 29). Video Light: How Jamaican Women Find Sexual Empowerment in Dancehall. Retrieved January 30, 2015, from http://www.thefader.com/ 2014/08/29/ female-sexuality-and-dancehall