Rock 'n' Revolt by Isabelle Leymarie
The essay Rock n Revolt by Isabelle Leymarie reviews past and present music phenomonas and discusses the relationship "between music and violence" and other emotions. She looks at the positive emotions and the negative emotions brought on by listening to different types of music, such as jazz and rock. She questions whether or not musicians purposely try to cause these "emotional moods" or it is simply reflects the cultures which have bred them".
The author is writing to educate and inform music fans of the impact music has on its listeners. Her purpose is to try and make a connection between violence and music. Not only does the author make a connection between violence and music, but also the connections between other types of music and the different emotions they bring out in humans. Leymarie is trying to express how much "power" music has on us.
Leymarie appeals to those who let music "drive [them] to suicide and those who are easily thrown into a "hysterical frenzy". She is writing to remind us about self control and and resist being taken over by these effects. She is trying to communicate mostly with those who enjoy "rock" and even "rap" and let their emotions take over.
To get her point across, Leymarie uses past examples of the effects music has had on people. All through out history, violence has been expressed in music. "beethoven,"A Clockwork Orange," and "son" music has caused "brawls which had to be broken up by police". Other times the effects are more positive, in "China, Egypt, India and ancient Greece", music was used for opposite effects. They listened to music, such as "Classical", to bring positive feelings and feelings of calm to themselves. This is effective because it shows audiences that this is a tested theory and there are real life examples of music affecting peoples actions.
Leymaire is a credible author. She is a musicologist and holds a PH.Dd in ethnomusicology. She has taught at Yale University and written several different books. This background knowledge in music gives her credibility to write this piece. She appeals to the Ethos Rhetorical appeal because she relates herself to the audience. Her audience is likely those who listen to rock music. She uses examples of when concerts get out of hand and riots happen, something her audience has likely seen before. She also acknowledges that music can be used for positive things and admits that music isn't the only thing that causes violence.
Overall, the author does an excellent job of making the reader think. She makes them think about how music effects them emotionally and makes them question whether or not they let their emotions take over. How do you feel when you listen to rock music? Do you relate it to violence?