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Allie Faett Dr. Lucas Cluster Criticism Analysis: One Day December 12, 2013

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Religion of any sort has the ability to shape an individuals life in a positive way. Depending on the person, hardships that occur in ones life may cause them to forget about their morals and adopt unethical and negative behaviors. Fortunately, there have been many cases where an individual discovers religion and by incorporating it in their everyday life creates a shift from destructive behaviors to responsible, constructive behaviors. The rhetorical theorist and a major contributor to cluster criticism, Kenneth Burke, defines rhetoric as, the use of words by human agents to form attitudes or to induce actions in other human agents (p. 63). Burke believes that the rhetoric is mainly characterized by the process of identification, which is also known as consubstantiality (p. 63). Through the process of identification, a rhetorical artifact has the ability to act as a guide in correcting a situation (p. 64). Therefore, if the artifact relates to religion in one way or another, then it can promote religious activity and as a result benefit an individuals life if they are in need of a change. The use of God and devil terms in an artifact has the potential to teach an individual going through an identity crisis who they ultimately want to be. This is done by sub-categorizing God and devil terms and seeing what words cluster around them, which creates an awareness of the type of person you want or do not want to become. Identification as a means of inducing cooperation is inherently limited since any identification necessarily also entails a division: Every us requires them (Zappen, 2009). God terms commonly describe good individuals and view them as us, and devil terms commonly describe bad individuals and view them as them. People who are described as them instead of us are generally some way or another detached from society, causing them to struggle and lack an appropriate identity. The research

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question I will be asking is: How do rhetors use God and devil terms to find identity through religion. The artifact that I analyzed was the song One Day, by singer and songwriter Matisyahu. It was first released as a single in 2009, but was then added to his third album Light. The song expresses a hope for a new era where we can all live in peace without any violence, as well as having respect and an understanding for one another. While in an interview with MTV News Matisyahu explained, I wanted to write a song that was an accessible global anthem for hope and peace (Anderson, 2010). Generating much hype, the song was not only placed on several charts, but it also served as the official anthem for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (Anderson, 2010). Although the song was not written for the Olympic Games, he believed that the lyrics and the theme of the track were perfect for the occasion; and while performing the song during the games he said, I looked out into the crowd and saw all these different flags. Everybody has their flags, and it was a really cool feelinga utopian kind of feeling (Anderson, 2010). The powerful and meaningful messages Matisyahu brings to his music has the ability to shape listeners worldviews for the better and influence individuals to become better, well-rounded people. I will analyze the song One Day by using cluster criticism analysis, which is a method of rhetorical criticism developed by Kenneth Burke. This method of criticism is designed to point out clusters within an artifact that could potentially portray a deeper meaning on what is being discussed (p. 65). This process involves several different steps. First, identify the key terms in the artifact by looking at how frequently they appear or the intensity of them (p. 66). These key terms may also be known as God and

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devil terms, which is what I am going to mainly focus on in my analysis of my artifact. Second, chart the terms that cluster around the key terms you have identified (p. 67). Lastly, use the clustering terms to determine the rhetors worldview and their r eason behind the artifact (p. 67-68). A major factor in this rhetorical method is identification, also known as consubstantiality. One method of balancing critique against support is to displace the underlying conflict and instead emphasize shared identity (Jones & Rowland, 2007). Consubstantiality is associated with persuasion because having the ability to identify with whatever is being discussed and sharing similar viewpoints encourages a person to be persuaded more easily (p. 63-64). With that being said, if a listener of the song One Day is in the midst of an identity crisis or is deeply involved in a religion, then they will have an easier time interpreting the rhetorical significance of it because it has already somewhat persuaded them. Matthew Miller, also known as Matisyahu, is a popular reggae and alternative rock musician in America. Born into an extremely religious family, Millers childhood years were primarily dedicated to learning and practicing Judaism. Instead of partaking in activities that average children tend to partake in, his parents required him to go to Hebrew School a few times a week and study the Jewish religion (Matisyahu: Biography, 2012). Although his parents thought they were helping him, when the musician became a teenager he began to question his religion. The questioning of his religious beliefs caused him to distance himself from Judaism. Forced to become very religious at a young age made him incapable of seeing what else there was to believe in, which frustrated him. The frustration and strict lifestyle he was living triggered him to act out and like many teenagers, rebel. While on his rebellion he began experimenting

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with drugs and eventually dropped out of high school for some time (Billboard, 2013). Millers parents decided it was a good idea to send their son to a wilderness school in Oregon (Billboard, 2013). The schools encouragement in artistic pursuits caused Millers fascination in music to grow, and this was when he began studying music, particularly reggae and hip-hop (Matisyahu: Biography, 2012). At the age of 19 he returned to New York and had evolved into a mature and responsible young man. Having a better outlook on life encouraged Miller to bring back some aspects of his religious upbringing by joining the synagogue, Carlebach Shul, while still focusing on his music (Billboard, 2013). Having the ability to explore himself and the world around him was the turning point in Matisyahus life and ultimately led him back to his religious ways, but this time it was for himself and not for his parents. Millers stage name and what he mainly goes by, Matisyahu, literally means Gift of God. His religious background has much to do with his success as a musician. Using a mixture of music genres in his songs while incorporating Jewish prayers in his lyrics does not only produce a creative sound, but it also promotes religion and the benefits from it. During an interview the artist states, All of my songs are influenced and inspired by the teachings that inspire me. I want my music to have meaning, to be able to touch people and make them think (A Different Sound, 2011). Matisyahu has come a long way since his troubled past as a teen. The struggles he faced while growing up are very relatable; therefore people who also went through similar events as he did are able to identify with him, which causes them to be easily persuaded by the messages he is giving. Although people who go through these types of difficulties in life have the ability to relate to the rhetor, Matisyahus ultimate goal was to not discuss lost identity, but to

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discuss the importance of peace and understanding throughout the world. There are times where the effects from rhetors may be unintentional (Baxter & Taylor, 1978). These involuntary acts can help provide even more of a rhetorical significance to the artifact than there already is. While analyzing the song I found four key terms, two are God terms and two are devil terms. This first key term that I found is also a God term and it is God. Even if the listener of the song is not aware of Matisyahus strong religious background, incorporating God in the first verse shows that he is dedicated to his religion. Although this term is only seen once throughout the song, the intensity of it is strong enough to create an impact and generate awareness to the audience about what the underlying message may be. The significant terms and phrases that cluster around this key term are thank, pray, and negativity surrounds. The clustered term thank, which comes directly before God shows how thankful he is for having God in his life. Even though the troubles he faced while growing up were initially caused by his familys strict religious views, ironically enough after exploring himself and what else the world had to offer he was able to face his troubles by incorporating his religion back into his life. Getting back on track and bettering his lifestyle was a result of his religion, Judaism, and he is very thankful for returning back to the practice. The second term that clusters around God is pray, which could also be seen as a God term. Pray is noteworthy because it shows that he truly believes in the powers that God holds. Praying displays a faith in God, or any religion for that matter, and by adopting this ritual to everyday life will benefit an individual both spiritually and mentally. The last key phrase that is important to the key term God is negativity surrounds. Although this phrase is not

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exactly placed near the God term, it relates to it because one of the main reasons why people incorporate religion into their lives is their need for support during difficult times. The rhetor went through many hardships in his life and after actually understanding the value of religion he was able to overcome these hardships and focus on creating a more positive and effective way of living for himself. The second God term that I discovered while analyzing my artifact was freedom. This key term is only seen once throughout the song, which meant it showed intensity. Freedom appears at the end of the song, which leaves the listeners with the idea that practicing freedom throughout the entire world will only make it a better place. The important terms and phrases that cluster around this key term are one day, proud, and under the same sun. One day, which is also the title of the song, is placed in close proximity to the God term because it promotes faith and hope. Matisyahu was able to overcome the sufferings he went through early in his life by having the freedom to experiment with his beliefs and eventually allowing God back into his life. Having the freedom to determine his religious identity and figure out why he was put on this earth caused him to change in a positive way and lead a better life; and if he was able to change for the better than anyone is able to. The phrase under the same sun is crucial and is clustered around freedom because it shows that the rhetor is not concerned with the religious views one has, and by studying any type of religion will automatically improve an individual. During an interview with New Times Miami, Matisyahu talked about his religious views regarding Judaism and stated, Im really religious, but the more Im learning about other types of Jews, I dont want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in (Cunnigham, 2007). Although he is strictly talking about the

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different views of Judaism, this quote shows that he is not opposed to other types of religions. If an individual accurately portrays and practices a religion they feel strongly about, regardless of what it is, then they will be able to live peacefully and at ease. Another term that is needed and clusters around the God term is proud. The term proud relates to the key term freedom because it signifies the pride the rhetor sees in himself for overcoming his obstacles. Although this pride was not always accounted for due to his past, it now is because of his ability to overcome his weaknesses by adopting religion. An individual who may be lost and unsure of where their identity lies may view the God term freedom as an important aspect in determining an identity that will help them progress as a person. Identifying yourself as an equal and respecting others views will help promote a better lifestyle. Freedom is also related to equality and because people are able to identify themselves in the same way when equal shows how the rhetor is using consubstantiality. The first devil term that I found while analyzing my artifact was wars, which appears in the chorus and is repeated three times throughout the song. The vital words and phrases that cluster around this key term are fight and no more. Although the term fight could also be seen as a devil term, it tied directly in with the key term war. Whenever the word war is brought into play, regardless of its context, people typically think of chaos and destruction; therefore hearing the word causes negative thoughts. Wars are caused by fighting, and if fighting does not occur then wars are not needed. A person who is battling to try and find their true identity is going through a war within themselves, and must fight to accomplish the goal of discovering it. The fighting that takes place may not be literal, but it might have to do with fighting back the negativity

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that occurs in their everyday lives; and by doing so they will find a higher power that they feel passionate about and are able to turn to while in times of need. The second phrase that is significant and clusters around the key term is no more. No more appears twice in the chorus, once after fight and once before wars. People who have lost their way in life and do not know which way to turn either give up or try to find some meaning as to why they are here. Luckily, Matisyahu did not give up because he was able to find God once again, which was a major turning point for him. He was no longer going to deal with his selfish behaviors, and he knew that everyone in his life was no longer going to put up with them either. The dysfunctions in a persons life cause much sadness in the people surrounding them; therefore by finding religion does not only benefit them, but it also benefits their loved ones as well. Even though Matisyahu was oddly enough blessed by the struggles he faced, unfortunately not everyone has the capability to view religion in this constructive way. The second devil term that I discovered was blood-drenched and is only seen once throughout the song. The rhetors lyrics, blood-drenched pavement is extremely intense because of the graphic images that come to mind because of the horrific description. The terms that cluster around this key term are innocent and lose. Innocent appears right before the devil term, and this demonstrates that no matter how innocent an individual may be, they are still able to experience tragedies. The rhetor fortunately never experienced blood-drenched pavement, but being thrown into a strict religious lifestyle caused him to rebel and ultimately lose his innocence at a very young age. The second important term clustering blood-drenched is lose which is seen three times throughout the song, and they each fall close in proximity to the devil term.

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Clustering lose around this key term shows that regardless of the religion one follows, they will lose at least once in their lifetime. Losing something, whether it is a loved one or an identity, is of course difficult at first; but learning from it and finding a deeper meaning to life will make the person a stronger individual. Regardless of what is being discussed, blood-drenched is never something a person wants to hear. The intensity of this devil term is tremendously piercing, and because of that it teaches listeners to act opposite of evil and through religion you can achieve this. According to Burke, A persons worldview is shaped by the particular terms they use to see the world, and that therefore much of what we take as observations about reality may be but the spinning out of possibilities implicit in our particular choice of term (Butler, 2011). The God and devil terms and the clustering terms and phrases around it used by the rhetor are effective because they are relatable to an individual who is experiencing an identity crisis. Although an identity crisis can be a result of many different things, people going through one can typically relate to another person dealing with the same issue, especially in this case through the use of consubstantiality. The strategy used by the rhetor, Matisyahu, shows that he has the proper knowledge to be discussing rhetoric by promoting identification with the audience. This is seen through the use of language he uses, as well as appropriately describing God and devil terms as a means to finding identity through religion. After closely and accurately analyzing the song One Day, I found that the rhetor used the God and devil terms throughout the artifact to discover identity through religion by showing the audience what you should and should not want to be like. The results of my analysis conclude that the rhetor has the rhetorical ability to promote consubstantiality; and through this persuasion technique

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the God and devil terms throughout the artifact are able to be used in shaping a persons identity for the better.

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References Anderson, K. (2010, February 25). Matisyahu says olympic song 'one da'y is 'a global anthem'. Retrieved from http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1632675/matisyahu-olympicsong-one-day-global-anthem.jhtml Baxter, G. D., & Taylor, P. M. (1978). BURKE'S THEORY OF CONSUBSTANTIALITY AND WHITEHEAD'S CONCEPT OF CONCRESCENCE. Communication Monographs, 45(2), 173. Butler, S. H. (2011). Teaching Rhetoric Through Data Visualization. Communication Teacher, 25(3), 131-135. doi:10.1080/17404622.2011.579909 Cunningham, J. (2007, July 17). Matisyahu tonight at sound advice amphitheatre. Retrieved from http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2007/07/matisyahu_preview.php Foss, Sonja K. (2009) Rhetorical criticism: exploration and practice. Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press, Cluster Criticism 63-95 Jones, J. M., & Rowland, R. C. (2007). REAGAN AT MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY: CONSUBSTANTIALITY UNDERLYING CONFLICT. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 10(1), 77106. Zappen, J. P. (2009). Kenneth Burke on Dialectical-Rhetorical Transcendence. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 42(3), 279-301. Matisyahu: biography. (2012, July 25). Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Matisyahu/ wiki Matisyahu: A different sound for the newport. (2011, July 6). Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/matisyahu-a-different-sound-for-the-newport Matisyahu. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.billboard.com/artist/309981/matisyahu