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ᗴvelyn - analyzing “same love”: persuasive techniques lyrics

as it nears the end of 2015’s lgbt pride month, it felt most appropriate to -n-lyze “same love” macklemore, ryan lewis, and mary lambert’s pro-lgbt anthem. this song was written as an advocacy piece for washington referendum 74 (which p-ssed in 2012) but ended up reverberating across the world

although there are a variety of factors which optimized this trio’s ability to influence political and social discourse to such an extent, rhetoric was by far the most pervasive. these techniques created a persuasive case for its listeners. central to understanding its appeal is noting that this song does not function as a formal argument, rather it is best explained in a sermonic form, which is established by the lyrics first six words

“when i was in the 3rd grade” sets the tone of the song by creating a testimony of experience. this helps ease the listener insofar as macklemore is merely recounting an anecdote at this point, rather than offering an opinion on such a contentious issue. as such, this testimony derives from the use of a witness (the rapper himself)
this use of testimony from witness derives from aristotle who identified two types of witnesses: ancient and immediate

these forms of witnesses can be found in aristotle’s “rhetoric” book 1, chapter 15. ancient witnesses are defined as those “whose judgement is known to all”; such as poets and philosophers. ancient witnesses derive from literature that has long held regard. they are the most authoritative witnesses and may only be taken as evidence for broad generalizations as they do not have context for present situations

immediate witnesses are contemporary peers who “are well-known people who have expressed their opinions about some disputed matter.” they may be broken down into personal (those who directly witnessed an event) or those who are merely well regarded. personal witnesses may offer direct testimony to specific incidents but are easily suspected of prejudice. well-regarded persons carry the authority of that regard, but may not testify regarding specific tasks

“same love” blends personal witness , well-regarded witness and ancient witness . the use of historic references here creates a sense of martyrdom, by intrinsically connecting successful social movements (such as civil rights) with g-y rights, a sense of justice is instilled and moral grounds for an argument are established. this creates a “christ-like” figure in the victims of lgbt discrimination, as these individuals are being scapegoated for the ills of society and victimized; much in the manner that christ was sacrificed for humanity’s sins, while he himself being infallible

this blend diminishes the perceived weaknesses of specific witnesses. the power of testimony is that it serves as enthymematic evidence. in an enthymeme, we -ssume that the audience will supply presumptions, values, and perceptions. in testimony, the audience supplements the -ssertion by supplying rationale from their own experience; that is, their personal narratives only strengthen macklemore’s story

this is why the continued references to technology are so effective. “youtube comments”, and “message boards” equalize our experiences. it is a safe -ssumption that the audience hearing this song have at some point used derogatory language, or seen it used by others, on the internet. while we may not discuss this issue in public, its mention will elicit a hesitant nod from its listeners

the dichotomies formed in these lyrics create a powerful influence, drawing purposeful contradictions between those who are “playing god” and the capacity to which “god loves”. to further scathingly taunt those who hide behind the pretense of following god’s word, the writers -ssert that this interpretation is false doctrine stating that “when i was in church they taught me something else, if you preach hate at the service, those words aren’t anointed.”

the power of this song resides in the force of its testimony. as audience members find similar experience in their own stories, they can feel the force of the testimony narratives given by the authors. the form, from testimony to moral demand to biblical proof-text, carries the rhetorical resonance of sermon. sermons typically build on text (maxims) and testimony (examples) to create rhetorically powerful visions and effective moral demands for their audience

“same love” works effectively as a message to those who can ident-ty with the narratives that ground it; giving a mighty voice, while others are “comfortable in remaining voiceless”. more broadly, “same love” creates a forceful message in a culture that has historically placed value in sermonic form. hence, controversy, rather than distracting from the popular form of the song, actually enhances the songs cultural force as an anthem, persuading us to see all love, as the same love

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