Protest Music

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• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

Protest Music

Contents

•  What is Protest Music?
•  The Origin of Protest Music
•  The Rhetoric of Protest Music
•  Modern Protest Music

What is Protest Music?

What is Protest Music?

• A cross genre kind of music
• A general feeling of discontent with the established order
• Attempts to persuade, move into: action, taking a stance, or adopting a point of view
• Often counter to the status quo within a specific culture

• "songs that voice feelings of protest about some social or political injustice, real or imagined, or about some event that aroused strong emotion."
  

• Common topics:
• War and Peace
• Political Conflict
• Environmental issues
• Social issues
• Anti-racism

What are some examples of Protest Songs?

The Origins of Protest Music

When were the first Protest Songs written?

The Origins of Protest Music

• Protest Music is a universal human trait
• Popular Protest Music starts in the 40's and 50's
• Musical origins in American Folk and Country music
• Rock and Roll took over the torch
• 60's and 70's Hippy Culture blew up protest Music
• Punk and Heavy Metal took their turn in the 70's and 80's

• "[they] would infuse meaning into the popular culture, and to give voice to the trials and tribulations of the common people during the hard times of the depression years."

The Rhetoric of Protest Music

The Rhetoric of Protest Music

• Based on the 3 classical rhetorical appeals:

1. Ethos ( Appeal to Character)
2. Pathos (Appeal to Emotion)
3. Logos (Appeal to Reason)

• As Protest Songs try to persuade, they employ all 3 Appeals

Which Appeal do you find most often in Protest Songs you know?

Modern Protest Music

Modern Protest Music

• Protest Music is still going strong!
• New topics include:

1. Social Inequality
2. LGBTQI+ Themes
3. Police Brutality
4. The Refugee Crisis
5. Historic Injustices/Institutionalized Racism

• Modern Protest Music still found across all genres
• The importance of the music video in conveying a song's message

Assignment: Look up a Protest Song that you know, and write down which Rhetorical Appeals it uses.