Taylor Reneau
ENG110 Section C1
Kimberly Wine
Writing Project 1
March 2, 2011
Rhetorical Analysis of “Pow! to the People”
In the article “Pow! to the People: The Make-Up’s Reorganization of Punk Rhetoric”,
Theodore Matula, explores the effects of a band called The Make-Up on the rhetoric of punk
music. Theodore Matula is a professor at the University of San Francisco who teaches rhetoric
and composition as well as the rhetorical effects of music on modern culture (The University of
San Francisco, 2011). His article was first published in Popular Music and Society and appeared
in Volume 30, which was released in February of 2007 (Matula, 2007, p. 19). It was published
by the Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, and previous versions of the article have been
presented at conferences held by both the International Association for the Study of Popular
Music and the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (Matula, 2007, p. 36).
By using one band as an example, Matula explains how the punk genre of music was given a
whole new meaning to not only its fans but the whole punk scene as well.
Matula begins his explanation with a small amount of background information regarding
what people normally expect of punk music and what qualities of the genre made it so
controversial, as well as how the music industry was able to popularize the genre nearly two
decades after its initial appearance on the music scene. He provides examples of typical punk
bands that the audience has most likely heard of, such as Blink-182 and Green Day, in order to
express what type of music he would define as punk so that the audience can be on the same
level as he is as and can also understand the article as he intends them to. Following this
information, Matula describes the approach he will use to analyze the meaning a band called The
Make-Up gave to punk music by citing references and other scholars who have also provided
information on the topic to give the article more credibility and to allow the audience to see
where the analysis is coming from.
After introducing the audience to background information and approaches to his topic,
Matula begins to discuss the structure of The Make-Up. He begins with basic information
regarding the members of the band as well as the names of their albums and their musical style
so that the audience can gain familiarity with the band they are about to read about. He also
provides an analysis of the band’s lyrics and describes how they express many typical punk
ideologies in not so typical punk ways. Matula then goes on to describe how The Make-Up’s
stage show is relevant to how the band gets their themes across to their audiences and how their
lyrics meshed together with their live shows possess a hint of irony that makes their music able
to be considered punk music.
This irony, paired with authenticity, is what Matula says makes the band stand out in the
punk scene and gives The Make-Up’s music many different social concepts to be interpreted by
the audience themselves. These two ideas are the key focus of the rest of Matula’s article, in
which he gives examples of how irony and authenticity that are displayed by The Make-Up and
how they used these ideas to change peoples’ ideas of punk music to something much softer and
humorous than the fast and serious idea of punk they had become accustomed to. Matula finishes
up his article with a recap of everything he has discussed in order to provide his audience with a
chance to interpret the information he has provided and to allow them to determine whether or
not they really believe that The Make-Up has changed the rhetoric of an entire genre of music.
After gaining an understanding of what Matula’s article is about, it can be inferred that
the main rhetorical purpose of the article is to inform other scholars on how The Make-Up
accomplished the creation of a whole new rhetoric of punk music. The primary audience for
“Pow! to the People: The Make-Up’s Reorganization of Punk Rhetoric”, is scholars who study
popular culture and music. The article, in context, was written by a professional in the field of
rhetoric who studies music in popular culture and was written to explain how one band had a
large impact on the meaning of a musical genre. The article is written in typical IMRAD form,
however, because it focuses on a subject in the humanities, the article strays somewhat from the
original outline. It appeals to the elements of logos with the use of evidence that appeals to the
logical thoughts of the reader to make them more likely to understand the information provided.
In order to analyze the article, it must first be recognized that Matula’s rhetorical purpose
is to inform the reader of how a band called The Make-Up took a predefined view of punk music
and shifted it to a completely different level, appealing to a whole new audience. His purpose is
given by several pieces of evidence lain out throughout the article that state his intended goals to
be accomplished by the article. The abstract highlights the purpose so the reader can establish it
before they begin reading and know whether or not it is something he or she will be interested in.
Matula writes, “This paper examines the rhetorical response to punk’s popularization in this era,
focusing on how the DC-area band, the Make-Up, reorganized the common sense of punk by
articulating it to the musical and social elements of gospel and funk” (Matula, 2007, p. 19). An
examination of something is done in order to gain knowledge of a subject, which Matula states
that he is doing within his article. This statement lets the people who pick up this article know
that it is informational and is designed to provide them with information on the said subject.
Further supporting his purpose in the introduction, Matula states, “The Make-Up borrows
musical and social elements of gospel and other African-American styles to craft a musical
hybrid and an elaborate imaginative narrative that disrupts expectations about punk style and the
social meanings normally associated with punk” (Matula, 2007, p. 20). By making this statement
in the very beginning, the audience can determine that the article is not focused on all punk
music, but a specific band that took its rhetorical meaning to a different level. It not only shows
that the article is intended to be informative but what the article is informing the reader about as
well. The rhetorical purpose can also be proven as informative simply by looking at the way
Matula writes his article, providing mostly facts about the topic rather than opinionated
statements. Although Matula is trying to prove a point, he is more so trying to provide
information on the point than trying to persuade people to agree with it.
Matula provides this information in order to inform an audience of scholars who study
and interpret music as well as rhetoric, and those who study popular culture. While the article is
understandable to most educated people, they would not be considered a primary audience
because of the narrow topic selection, which focuses on one band and one specific interpretation
of punk music that not all readers would particularly be interested in. The article also uses certain
approaches to the subject that many readers would not understand and information from people
that some readers would not take interest in. Matula’s audience can be inferred from a paragraph
on page 20 of the article that begins, “My approach is influence by rhetorical theorist Barry
Brummett, who places the construction of social meanings at the core of rhetorical activity”
(Matula, 2007, p. 20) The article was written in order to appeal to experts on rhetoric as well as
other rhetorical theorists who would most likely be familiar with other work by Brummett and
the subjects he is associated with. The typical reader would not necessarily be able to understand
Matula’s approach unless he or she were accustomed to the ways that Brummett analyzes works
with the use of rhetoric as Matula does in his article as well.
The purpose and audience are influenced by the context, or situation, of the article. It is a
scholarly report written by a professional in the field of rhetoric, who studies music and popular
culture. Research and observation on the topic led Matula to write an article on the subject in
order to share his knowledge of it with people and also because he takes particular interest in this
band and subject. Matula shows his interest in The Make-Up during his introduction where he
states, “And one of the most compelling examples of this can be found in the music of The
Make-Up…” (Matula, 2007, p. 20) He uses the word compelling to express the strong feelings of
respect he has towards the band and how his initial interest in them lead to writing an article
about their impact on punk music. The context is also a very professional one, provided by the
acknowledgements that state that earlier versions of Matula’s article were presented at music and
culture conferences. This information is given to show the significance of the article’s points and
also that Matula is a credible author that can be assumed will provide accurate and insightful
information to his audience.
The context directly influences the way Matula formats his article. It is in the typical
IMRAD form of a scientific observation report but because he does not report on an expierment
or study, the article flows from an introduction, skipping over the more scientific sections of
scholarly writing and going straight into an analysis, which is followed by a discussion section,
which are all parts of IMRAD. The article begins with an abstract that explains the goals that
Matula intends to accomplish by publishing the article as well as providing a preview for the
points that he will discuss. Following the abstract is an introduction that not only presents
questions for the reader to consider while reading, but also lists Matula’s main focuses and
inspirations for how he chose to discuss his topic. By doing this, Matula clarifies the point of
view he will be using so that the reader will be more likely to view the article from his
standpoint. He defines the approach he will use in the introduction, opening the article up for the
reader to interpret his analysis.
In order to divide his analysis points, he structures the sections with subtitles, such as The
Sound of the Revolution (p. 20), Authenticity and Punk Tradition (p. 24), and Punk and Gospel
Influence (p. 27), finally ending with a discussion section. Through this structure, Matula defines
each of the points he will make in the subtitles, which ensures that the audience will be able to
distinguish one point from another. Each point from a given section uses evidence from the
previous point to build on what has already been said. Matula uses this technique to guarantee
that his readers will be able to follow his points and also connect one point to the others,
providing a steady flow of information. The main point of Matula’s structure to provide the
information to the audience and to make sure they know when he transitions from one point to
the next.
Within the analysis sections of Matula’s report, he strengthens his points by appealing to
the logos of the reader so that they will be more likely to understand the reasons he choses to
analyze the subject of a band changing punk music as a genre. An example of the use of logos
can be found in the statement, “To maintain an edge, however, in an ever-changing musical
environment where center and margins keep shifting, new strategies for aural opposition must
constantly be cultivated” (Matula, 2007, p. 25). With new ideas on what is mainstream changing
seemingly every week, Matula’s statement makes sense in the logical thought of the reader.
Knowing this, the reader can infer that the reason for The Make-Up’s attempt at creating a new
sound allowed them to stay ahead of the game, showing Matula’s point on how they changed the
rhetoric of punk music all together by trying to keep up with a constantly changing “musical
environment.” Another example of the appeal to logos is seen when Matula writes, “For The
Make-Up to maintain punk’s political viability, it must retain a sense of its oppositional politics
while imagine a space for connection and community” (Matula, 2007, p. 26). By using a fact
about one of the qualities of typical punk music and combining it with the reasoning for The
Make-Up’s use of it, Matula provides the reader with a sensible statement that the reader can
make sense of along with making sense of the entire article itself. The reader can understand
what makes The Make-Up a punk band but also understand why they are different. In order to
establish the credibility of these facts, Matula cites his references at the end of his article to
ensure that the appeal to logos is sincere and so that the reader knows his facts are logical rather
than made up.
In conclusion, Matula uses an appeal to logos and a partial IMRAD structure to
contribute to the informative purpose of his article in order to appeal to his intended audience.
The context of the article provides strong credentials for Matula so that the intended audience
will be more likely to read and understand it. Through the use of logos, Matula appeals to a more
professional audience of scholars in the same field as he is who will be more likely to make
sense of the article and see the logic behind the statements he is making. When the logic of the
statements is understood, the audience can understand the information being presented and the
article will be able to accomplish its intended informative purpose based on the context in which
it was written. The context of the article also affected who the target audience would be because
of the fact that Matula is a professor of only select subjects, so he would only write an article
about the subjects he is a professional in. Being a professional in the humanities, Matula writes
in only a partial IMRAD structure rather than a full one, which would require experimentation
that produces results. This also proves that his audience is narrowed down to social scientists
rather than physical scientists who would most likely not be able to use the given information.
Matula’s article combines all of these rhetorical elements in order to accomplish the use of
language effectively and also to inform people of a significant cultural discovery. This is
important because the use of these rhetorical tools gives Matula’s article the effect it needs to
meet its rhetorical purpose. These rhetorical tools can be used in any analysis to accomplish the
same goal they accomplish in Matula’s article.
References
Matula, T. (2007). Pow! to the people: The Make-Up’s reorganization of punk rhetoric. Popular
Music and Society, 30 (1), 19-38.
The University of San Francisco, (2011). Retrieved February 18, 2011, from
http://www.usfca.edu/facultydetails.aspx?id=4294969623