Rhetorical Analysis for Blindness and Insight - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theRhetorical Analysis for Blindness and Insight. Answer: The purpose of every essay is to exert a point after having considered many aspects and arguments of a particular issue. If an essay cannot conclude upon an assertive point, then the essay is not successful and does not fulfil its purposes (Foss 32). The essay Living in your American skin by Roxanne Horde dabbles into different issues and tries to understand how the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen may have a political take and the artist be asserted as a political poet. The purpose of the current essay is to analyze the aforementioned essay and decide whether it has been able to establish the idea of the singer as a political figure. At the very beginning of the essay, that writer has directly addressed the essence of the essay by quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson and his take on the contemporary global political condition. Horde writes that she reads his lyrics as literature and as politics, as connected and collective practice, because she believes in the fact that Springsteens lyrics are with poetic depth. She tries to fathom the density of his lyrics and aims to understand the poets stake in our shared world. Horde believes that if politics is that thing we do as individuals when we conclude what is just and unjust, and then take responsibility for and action in accordance with our conclusions, then Springsteen has long offered his fans, in his lyrics and his life, the possibilities of politics. This goes on show that the writer truly believes that the singers lyrics to be political in nature, even though the singer himself never consciously asserted himself as a political figure or took any part in active e politi cs until George W. Bushs war on terror. She also says that if politics can be defined as the actions of the humans as a collective who makes decisions in support of a specific cause or issue, then Springsteen has always been a part of the political conundrum of the world (De Man 27). Horde has looked into the lyrics of many of Springsteens songs, including Growin Up, from his first album. Reading and analyzing the lyrics of this particular song, Horde concludes that Springsteen refuses to sit down and, instead, he stands up and finishes growing up. This shows the spirit of the poet who is tired of conforming and finally stands up for his rights and asserts his voice and opinions on matters. Horde believes that a poetic-political framework is needed so that a person can open up to different subjects and emancipation occurs through this knowledge itself (Schneider 13). She looks at Springsteen who used his young spirit in his two albums to emerge from the other side unscathed and unharmed by the childhood hardships, and this helped him to keep his soul pure. Horde links the thoughts of Isin on the subject of a person being able to separate and decide on just and the unjust with the lyrics on the album Darkness on the Edge of Town and applauds at the ability of Springsteen to place himself amidst the have-nots and being courageous enough to criticize the American dream, which only helps the rich to gain more power, or how social justice is virtually non-existent (Wolff 7). Horde thinks that Springsteens lack of optimism on his later albums, which also seems like an attempt to move back to his roots, was fueled by his political thoughts and his views on the widening wealth disparity among the American citizens. Horde marks The Ghost of Tom Joad as the collective and communal call for equality and an attempt to make the government strive for social justice, asking them to honor the social contract that declares one nation indivisible. She looks into the live shows of Springsteen and notes the high rate of participation of the public, where they sing along with the singer and speculates that he encouraged this in order to instill a sense of communal experience through this collective singing. Horde analyzes the live set for American Skin(41 Shots) and says that this was probably the pivotal moment in the musicians life, having voicing his opinion on the death of Amadou Diallo and trying to make the people understand the gravity of the actions of the police and the hollow promise of the government to protect its citizens. The essay is very factual and carefully analyzes the most influential songs on every album, trying to establish the songs of the musician as political and concludes effectively that Springsteen has always been involved in a collective politics, whether he knew it or not. References De Man, Paul.Blindness and insight: Essays in the rhetoric of contemporary criticism. Routledge, 2013. Foss, Sonja K.Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice. Waveland Press, 2017. Schneider "Another Side of Born in the USA: Form, Paradox, and Rhetorical Indirection."The Biannual Online-Journal of Springsteen Studies1.1 (2014): 9-35. Wolff, William I., ed.Bruce Springsteen and Popular Music: Rhetoric, Social Consciousness, and Contemporary Culture. Routledge, 2017.a