Conner 1 Conesia Conner Professor Rand English 1102- 021 January 14, 2014 Critical Argument Analysis of Doo

Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill In the song Doo Wop by Lauryn Hill, the female artist explicitly argues her viewpoint of her society that she wakes up to everyday. The album that the song was published to was out to the public in 1998. Lauryn Hill explains both men and women roles in the world we live in today, which is about sexual exploitation, riches, and fame. I believe her argument and what her lyrics present is very straightforward and she tells her audience exactly how and what she feels. The purpose of this song is to present true facts to our younger society in a way to persuade or argue that the items and things we cherish are skewed. She also wants to tell women that some men are only about that thing which she refers to as sex. On the opposing side, she warns men that some women are only about materialistic objects and money. Therefore, the authors main argument is that you should not be blind to the fact that relationships between men and women have changed for the worst. You better watch out, some girls and guys are only about that thing, which is the bridge of the song. The argument in the song is very clear through her lyrics. She does not sugar coat any topic that she brings about. Hill tells her audience that as women we cherish showing off our bodies, having fake, longer hair, and fake nails to attract the opposite sex. As for men they care solely about rims, money, and other material things instead of taking care of their kids and caring for women they degrade. Her argument is supported by mentioning that she has dealt with these situations before as well and wants to give

Conner 2 advice to others, so they wont get hurt in their future relationships. Also the argument is supported by the rawness of her lyrics and the truthfulness of every word that was said and written. The argument being presented in this song is compare and contrast. Lauryn Hill continuously states differences in what women cherish in society today as well as men. She also compares how both sexes cannot progress and truthfully succeed when we have not took the time to assess ourselves and the wrong that we as humans do commit daily. The genre supports the argument because she compares and contrast her views on women and men in two different verses. She also presents the facts of her argument in the two verses and at the end of each of them, she tells the men and women to watch out for these things she listed throughout her song. The song uses all the rhetorical appeals to persuade the targeted to audience to change their lifestyle. Lauryn Hill uses pathos by supporting her argument with words that attract to the audiences emotions if they can relate to the statement, in some type of fashion. She continuously brings up topics that her targeted audience does relate to by appealing to their emotions, in the style of writing she chose. Logos was used as well, because the author does present her argument with facts and her own experiences from everyday life. In the song she mentions, that she has been through the same predicament. Therefore she presents her argument with logical reasoning and examples from her own experiences in life. Lastly, ethos was used because as a music artist, we as listeners believe and trust what their songs contain. So while listening and reading the lyrics, the audience believes that the artist is credible. All in all, I believe that this is a very effective argument because the facts presented in the lyrics closely relate to her targeted audience. She also presents her view in such a way that appeals to the audiences emotions. This song will cause young adults to look and assess their

Conner 3 lives and may even change their perspective on life as well. My reaction to this piece is that as a young college woman most of these realities that were mentioned, do relate to me and what I have seen in others. It makes me really think and consider why as a society we cherish these objects instead of trying to better ourselves in a positive, effective way.

Conner 4 Works Cited ""Doo Wop (That Thing)" Lyrics." Lauryn Hill Lyrics. AZLyrics, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.