Preferred Name
Hannah Berge
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Spring 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication
Advisor(s)
Elizabeth Pass
Traci Arnett Zimmerman
Cathryn Molloy
Abstract
Current research concerning identity and Native Americans is sparse outside the realm of expressly Native American scholarship. While most conversations about identity and Native Americans focuses on historical and political aspects, many sources do not explore alternative avenues of contemporary identity creation. This thesis uses Kenneth Burke’s pentad to analyze the lyrics for “AbOriginal” by Frank Waln. The pentad is used to analyze each line of the rap. A new term, alter-agent, is used to identify agents who the agent either associates with or who the agent views as hindering his progress. There is then a count of the number of occurrences of each element of the pentad throughout the lyrics in order to determine the pentadic ratio of the song. The findings of this analysis show that Frank Waln communicates identity in “AbOriginal” using an act-agent ratio, which relies on a mixture of realism and idealism. Most rap songs will also show an act-agent ratio since rap tends to rely on rapper persona when communicating ideas. Further research should occur using Burke’s pentad, with the addition of the term “alter-agent” to analyze other works in terms of identity.
Recommended Citation
Berge, Hannah J., "How Native American rappers communicate and create a modern identity" (2017). Masters Theses, 2010-2019. 503.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/503
Included in
Ethnomusicology Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Other Rhetoric and Composition Commons, Rhetoric Commons
