The two articles I was assigned to read for this assignment allowed me to see Beyonce in a new light. My first article "At Last...? Michelle Obama, Beyonce Race & History", analyzed Beyonce's role as the performer at Obama's inauguration ball and what that meant for this country. My other article, "All That You Can't Leave Behind" examines the politics of black women's pop music culture through the works of Mary J. Blige and Beyonce in relation to the Gulf Coast catastrophe- Hurricane Katrina. These two articles worked well together and were actually easy to compare and create a thesis from because they both show how Beyonce is more than just a popular musician, but how she serves a greater role as an American icon. In both articles she is compared to a strong black women which also indicates her emergence as the trademark of American womanhood.
Given two lengthly articles, at first it was difficult to extract the themes and thesis of each article. I was not sure exactly what I was reading for. Was I looking for the main argument, how they relate, their faults? However, after finishing I was able to draw comparisons on how each author discusses Beyonce's role in our pop culture. Both articles praise her control over the image she presents and the pride she takes in her roots. Also each author argues that Beyonce serves as a symbol of the strength of our country and all that is good.
The two articles allowed me to see Beyonce as a national icon. In a society filled with celebrities being controlled by social media and pop culture, Beyonce controls it.
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