Screening journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Screening journals - Essay Example The song itself has an overall feel of R&B mixed with hip-hop or electronic dance due to the low vocal ranges of the song, the use of a hook and repetitive melody and lyrics, which are not usually heard from songs by Beyoncà ©. However, despite the R&B shell of the song, it delivers a strong, feminist message based on the cultural background of people of color, namely Beyoncà © and featured artist Chimamanda Ngozi Adicihe and their cultural backgrounds as female African-Americans in modern US society. Such ideas are exemplified by the melodic lyrics â€Å"I took some time to live my life/ But don’t think I’m just his little wife† sung by Beyoncà © and a section of the spoken lines by Adicihe: â€Å"But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage/ And we don’t teach boys the same?†(Knowles, 2013). Based on the context, the lyrics contain the message that female African-Americans are only taught of such things and not allowed to have and live their own aspirations, ideas that are strongly-questioned in the song and are subjects of criticism as well. The video may seem confusing for some due to the combination of new and old elements, with the beginning and endings showing an old talent show clip and the song itself showing a dance club where Beyoncà © dances along with other people, as well as the inclusion of lyrics within the music video itself. However, despite seemingly-contradictory elements of the song, the opening and ending parts of the video are able to convey the message of needs for equality and feminism clearly, as it was seen in the last part that the male Caucasian-American group won by a star over the African-American female group, suggesting the societal bias against races considered to be the minority. These components can be observed and understood fully by viewers if they viewed the video from start to finish, and as such all elements (lyrics, vocal, visuals) are needed to convey