Conclusion: Lucas Effectively uses ethos,pathos and logos to convey his message that the serious problem of racism is an ongoing issue in present America. Lucas’ call to action is for people to stand up and fight against the racism of minorities and help achieve equal treatment for everyone. I believe Lucas did a great job of this because it got the conversation started and made people

Derick Recinos

Janel Spencer

Writing 101s

19 September 2019

Analysis of “I’m Not Racist”

American singer, Gary Maurice Lucas Jr. more famously known by his stage name Joyner Lucas in “I’m Not Racist”(2017), asserts that there are two sides to Racism and that each side needs to take a look from the others point of view. Lucas supports this when he says ” I’m not racist, but there’s two sides to every story, I wish that I knew yours”. When Lucas says this he wants america to get the conversation of racism out there and for people to talk about it. Lucas employs rhetorical appeals through the use of Real Life examples, Emotional tone and First hand experience as mixed American to inform the audience on the seriousness of racism. 

Lucas’ use of Logos in this song comes in the use of scenarios that happen in america currently. An example of this would be when Lucas says “I don’t really like you white motherfuckers, that’s just where I’m at Screaming “All Lives Matter” Is a protest to my protest, what kind of shit is that?”this is a direct reference to the Black lives matter protest. This line of the song is showing that the black community was upset by white Americans not choosing to stand with the black community and fight against violence and systematic racism. Another reference to current america are the lyrics “ You don’t know what it’s like to mind your business

And get stopped by the cops and not know if you ’bout to die or not You worry ’bout your life, so you take mine” this is referring to the fear instilled in black Americans by many events of unarmed black Americans being pulled over and killed by police officers. The final example I will analyze of logos comes in the lyrics “ I’m not racist, my sister’s boyfriend’s black I’m not racist, my sister-in-law’s baby cousin Tracy got a brother and his girlfriend’s black” this is a statement some people will say and then go on to think that it is justifiable to say some racist comments. 

Pathos can be seen throughout this song by the emotional tone Lucas evokes into the audience by using strong language. Lucas shows this through the lyrics “ The power in the word “Nigga” is a different sin We shouldn’t say it but we do, and that just what it is but that don’t mean that you can say it just ’cause you got nigga friends. Nigga, that word was originated for you to keep us under and when we use it, we know that’s just how we greet each other and when you use it, we know there’s a double meaning under”. These lyrics show pathos through showing that when black people use this word that there taking away its power that kept them down but when a white person says it even if unintentionally there’s a double meaning and it frustrates them and causes an emotion of anger. Another example of emotional language is “even if I wasn’t picking cotton physically that don’t mean I’m not affected by the history my grandmomma was a slave, that shit gets to me and you ain’t got no motherfucking sympathy, you pussy nigga!” this is an emotional statement in which its saying that even he wasn’t a slave himself that he has a family member that was and that it does impact him too. Also by saying this he’s showing that it makes him angry and in a sense he’s making a comparison to the way black people were treated back then to now and how it is frustrating that black people are still being treated poorly. Lucas shows pathos in a lot of the song and addresses many problems in America that black people face on a daily like just not feeling safe or just ok in the country as referenced by these lyrics “I’m sorry you can never feel my life Tryna have faith, but I never felt alright It’s hard to elevate when this country’s ran by whites Judging me by my skin color and my blackness”. 

Thesis: Lucas employs rhetorical appeals through the use of Real Life examples, Emotional tone and First hand experience as mixed American to inform the audience on the seriousness of racism.

Topic sentence 1: Lucas’ use of logos in this song comes in the use of examples that happen in America currently.

Topic sentence 2: Pathos can be seen throughout this song by the emotional tone Lucas evokes into the audience by using strong language.

I. intro paragraph: refer to in class writing 09/17

• thesis: Joyner Lucas’ song “i’m not racist” is the perfect piece to get the talk on racism started because it exposes people to the thoughts of both white and black Americans and it shows each other their perspective on this matter.

II. main point 1: joyner lucas and his background and the audience he is directing this to.

III. main point 2: How Lucas uses pathos to get the audience to understand his message.

IV. main point 3: the logic behind the song and where he got the evidence for what he is saying in the song.

American singer, Gary Maurice Lucas Jr. more famously known by his stage name Joyner Lucas in “I’m Not Racist”(2017), asserts that there are two sides to Racism and that each sides needs to take a look from the others point of view. Lucas supports this when he says ” I’m not racist, but there’s two sides to every story, I wish that I knew yours”. When Lucas says this he wants america to get the conversation of racism out there and for people to talk about it. Lucas adopts a serious tone with explicit language to show the seriousness of racism to his audience and anyone who comes across the song.

Joe Biden ” I think almost anyone can beat trump”

Article 1: USA Today (Neutral)

1. The claims are supported because this is an article in which Biden is being interviewed by the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart.
2. I’d say they are from credible sources because the statements are coming from Biden himself.
3. Emotions in this article are there to make us have a feeling of every other candidate is more suited for the job but Biden is the best option.
4. The word choice is neutral and states the facts of the interview.

Article 2: Washington Examiner (Conservative)

1. The claims are not supported by evidence they are backed up by more claims and opinions.
2. The evidence is not credible it is bias against Biden and undermining him.
3. Emotions are used to lead us towards an unsure viewpoint on whether biden knows what he’s talking about.
4. The word choice makes judgments to make you against biden by saying its an odd answer.

My Strengths

• I listen well
• I can see both sides of an argument

• What type of content are your top three posts (or most recent) on your timeline? Is this pretty typical for your timeline? What kinds of social groups/communities are you a part of? Compare what you see with what your peers see. Are there more similarities or differences? Two out of the first three post I see on my timeline are football related and the last post is an ad for a watch. Compared to what my peers see i’d say there are more differences than similarities. One saw a picture of a shirtless guy and ad for shoes and a friends picture. While the other saw a recipe for some food, an ad for a college and a memory a friend shared.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  ●  What is the relationship between what you see in your social media timeline and what you know or believe? The relationship between what I believe and what’s on my timeline is relevant because I do keep up with football and I tie that in with success and opportunity. Other than that its doesn’t really tie together.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ●  How does your social presence compare with the professional/student biography that you created? My social media presence is quite different from my student biography because on social media I really only look for funny videos or sports.                                                                                   

●  Where do you find examples of bias in your social media timelines?

I would say the only bias I see is the watch ad due to not knowing if the source is reliable or not.

My 10 Values

Challenge

Determination

Friendship/ Family

Fun

Growth

Knowledge

Loyalty

Love

Opportunity

Success

• Who are you as a person? I am kind and easy going and family is the thing that motivates me the most.
• Who are you as a writer?  I am not the best writer but I always do the best I can when I write. Also I definitely wouldn’t saying writing is my favorite thing.
• Who are you as a student? I am a hard worker and I do my best to stay on track but sometimes I don’t manage my time the best and do things last minute. Lastly I’m just trying to get my degree in Construction management.
•  What roles do you play in society? In society I am a student and a worker and a family member and just someone trying to accomplish my goals.