Title: “From Fly Girls To Bitches And Hos”
Author: Joan Morgan
Date: 1999
Topic: Sexism in Hip-Hop Culture
Analysis of Argument
Exigence: Understanding the cause of sexism in hip-hop
Intended Audience: General Public, esp. women
Purpose: To assist African-American women affected by sexism
in the hip-hop community to recognize and distance themselves from it for the
sake of both sexes
Claim: Sexism in the hip-hop industry between
African-American males and females stems from the deep roots of oppression
against the African-American community
The number of black two-parent households has decreased from
74 percent to 48 percent since 1960.
The leading cause of death among black men ages fifteen to
twenty-four is homicide. The majority of them will die at the hands of other
black men.
“It’s extremely telling that men who can only see us as “bitches”
and “hos” refer to themselves only
as “niggas”
Notorious B.I.G. album Ready
to Die relefcts his own life experiences ex." Jail, murder, drug dealing,
getting paid, partying, sexin’"(603).
Rhetorical Analysis
Writing strategy #1 Pathos
Writing strategy #2 Description as evidence
Writing strategy #3 Cause and effect
Reader Effect #1 The author uses non-traditional text to
exemplify her relation to the subject
Reader Effect #2 The author analyzes the works of well known
public icons, i.e. Nototrious B.I.G.
Reader Effect #3 The author provides facts and statistics
that support her reasoning
Response
Morgan analyzes the social structure of the hip-hop
community and it’s psychological
affects on it’s leaders and participants to reason why she has been reduced to
“tits and ass”(602) in the media. Years of oppression It is subsequent to the debilitating
pathology that has been integrated into the rap culture.
