Wing$ Pentad Analysis
McKenzie Flaherty, Dylan Merritt, Harrison Rogers, and Casey VerWoert
University of Northern Iowa
“Wing$” Pentad Analysis
Justification/Review of Literature
Our artifact is the “Wing$” music video by the popular duo Macklemore and
Ryan Lewis and features vocals from singer, Hollis. “Wings” was released on
Macklemore’s second album, The Heist. If you listen to the lyrics, you’ll be able to
find out the underlying story behind his words. The words are shaped around the
concept of fitting in with today’s society. According to Macklemore’s blog, “The
song “Wings” is about the pursuit of identity through the means of consumerism.
The attempt is to dissect our infatuation and attachment to logos, labels, brands, and
the fleeting happiness that is intrinsically linked to the almighty power of the
purchase. The subject I use in the song is shoes, but its aim is to paint a broader
picture of being a consumer and tracing the lineage back to my first memory of
retail infused desire” (2013.)
We chose to analyze this music video because of it’s importance to today’s
society. The artifact is a significant topic that has been thrown under the rug by our
society. We see more about celebrities and what they are wearing on the news than
who our next senator or governor is. The song itself talks about how Macklemore’s
life has been corrupted by clothing and apparel companies. These companies, as
well as the media, show society that material objects are of the utmost importance,
and if you have their material object you will be better than those who don’t. This
has become a real problem in our world. Materialism and consumerism has
dominated our society for decades and we didn’t even know it. This song brings an
interesting view to the table.
The music video was released on YouTube on July 20, 2011 and directed by
Zia Mohajerjasbi. The video shows a young Macklemore very excited about his
new pair of Nike basketball shoes which are going to “make him fly.” He feels
superior and powerful because of the shoes that he is wearing. The boy takes very
good care of his shoes. The video shows him cleaning his shoes with a toothbrush
and he won’t take them out of the box for fear of creasing them. He had the thought
stuck in his mind that no matter what, as long as he had the nicest pair of shoes, he
would be somebody. “On the court I wasn’t the best, but my kicks were like the
pros, now I stick out my tongue so everyone can see that logo”(AZ LYRICS.) At
one point in the video, he seems disgusted when he sees a fellow classmate with the
same exact pair of shoes. While walking home he gets his shoes stolen from him,
but when he gets home instead of coming to the realization that maybe his shoes
weren’t as important as he had previously thought, he just pulls out another pair
from under his bed. (YTUBE) This portrays that consumerism is an actual issue,
that this is something our society has to deal with and something we need to
change. Then one day his friend Carlos’ brother was murdered for his shoes. This is
when the boy starts to realize that they’re “just another pair of shoes.”
In interviewing Leslie Stone, she shared her thoughts on the song. Leslie, a
blonde keep in mind, thought ““Wings” is about trying to fit in with society’s
definition of ‘cool’ even if it means going against personal beliefs or opinions about
how someone should dress or talk.” Children compete with each other by
comparing what they have. Macklemore sings, “So expensive, damn, I just got it to
flaunt it.” In using the words “expensive” and “flaunt,” he makes it known that he is
more worried about the appearance and expense of his objects rather than the
meaning, or the meaning of it in his life.
At the beginning of the song Macklemore is convinced that because he has
these new shoes he will finally be considered “cool.” However, by the end of the
song, he realizes that they are only just a pair of shoes and society makes them out
to be much more than what they really are. With lyrics like “My movement told me
be a consumer and I consumed it. They told me to just do it, I listened to what that
swoosh said. Look at what that swoosh did. See it consumed my thoughts. Are you
stupid, don't crease 'em, just leave 'em in that box” and “Will I stand for change or
stay in my box. These Nikes help me define me, but I'm trying to take mine
off,” (AZ LYRICS) Macklemore isn’t telling us to not buy brand named items.
Instead, he is telling us to not let name brands and other material things define who
we are as people. Macklemore is encouraging us to discover our identity and to live
our lives based around our beliefs instead of around our materialistic needs.
Macklemore stated, “It (consumerism) was more a realization in the process of
writing it (Wings). I think it’s something that I struggle with, and I think a lot of
sneakerheads struggle with it too” (2011.)
“We're consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder,
crime, poverty, these things don't concern me. What concerns me is celebrity
magazines, television with 500 channels, and some guy's name on my underwear.
Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra...” This quote was said by American novelist Chuck
Palahniuk and speaks about how we as people are consumerists and how we live
our life loving material objects, instead of caring about real issues in our society.
Ingrid Schulte wrote a blog post on materialism and she brought up a good point.
She states, “The majority of the youth of today have experienced trends from
Converse to Silly Bandz, and, though we try to avoid being just one of the masses,
many people crave that feeling of inclusion” (2011.) For our generation and for
generations to come, there is a fear of being left out or excluded if you are not
wearing the most popular brand name. These brand names are so expensive that
most families can’t afford them, but consumerism has taught us that we need them.
An article from Apa.org summerizes how American consumerism is based
on companies spending millions of dollars in marketing. When discussing the
article, Dr. Vyse of Connecticut College states, “There’s very little space that your
eye can fall on that doesn’t have some kind of branded image on it.” Branded
images are all around our world. Consumerism will always be around, but maybe
one day people will care more about the epidemics going on in our country then
what shoe they are wearing or what car they are driving.
“Prince George's County police believe a 15-year-old boy shot Monday
afternoon in Hillcrest Heights, Md., was killed for a pair of shoes, Chief Mark
Magaw said Tuesday.” (NBC WASH) What kind of world do we live in where a
pair of shoes is more important than a young man’s life? “Wings” by Macklemore is
a song and music video portraying a young boy’s struggle with materialism and
telling the story of how it directly affects his life. In writing this song Macklemore
was trying to change the fact that in today’s society, we are more focused on what
we have, rather than who we are.
The rhetor for this artifact is Macklemore. Macklemore is the writer and
creator of the song. The video is meant to portray Macklemore as a young child and
how he looks back and reflects on his actions. He is the one telling us the story as
well as providing personal stories and solutions. The target audience is consumers
and society. We as a society focus too much on what brand we put on our bodies or
the amount of money we spend on our phones and technologies.
The significance of this song goes farther than the Nikes that Ben Haggerty
(Macklemore) laces up in the music video. “These Nikes define me, but I am trying
to take mine off.” Not only is this true in this situation based on the song and all the
significance behind it, but it is easily related to everyone. We do things that define
us and it is our job to make sure they turn out for the better. It is not right for us to
do things that define us and have it reflect poorly on not only on ourselves, but
others as well. In society, when we do something and it has a chain reaction, it is
only up to us to react positively. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to bring
awareness of consumerism and materialism to the American society.
Method: What is the Pentad
Dave Pruett's article, Rhetoric, The Polis, And The Global Village tells us
that Pentad is used for many different things. The main purpose of the pentad is a
unique method for examining motivations through different sources of literary
artifacts or other source of media. Developed by Kenneth Burke, the pentad as an
array of advantages. One of these advantages is it is a way to assertions about
motive (Crusius 23). The pentad allows us to creatively look at certain media
outlets such as movies, music videos, books and any other source of entertainment
or media sources. There are six different symbolic actions that are used in the
pentad. Each step has its own distinct significance and role within the pentad. The
steps are agent, act, agency, purpose, scene, and ratio. These steps help identify
factors in a rhetorical analysis.
The agent is used for describing the person or persons that performed the act
that took place. The agent is an extremely important part of the pentad because it is
important to know who is saying the message. We as a society listen to people we
find important and not just any random person we find coming across the street.
The agent is the individual who actually performed the act, the so called “figure
head”. In a pentadic analysis of the video game Tropico, the agent is a video game
character, or in a sense a collection of video game characters. The first agent is the
sole leader of the island, El Presidente, the next are the citizens of the island, and
the last is the avatar or character that is being controlled by the gamer. All of these
characters are performing the act, all playing intricate parts in the game. Another
example could be FCKH8 Princesses video. The agent might be the little girls
speaking in the commercial, or their mothers at the end of the ad. The agent could
also be the people who wrote and produced the advertisement. Determining who the
agent is can be confusing because there are so many possibilities. Some questions to
look at could be; who or what is involved in performing or constructing the action?
The act is used to tell what took place in the artifact that is being studied by
the pentad. The act can show what took place in either the thought of it or the
actually deed that happened in the artifact, what happened, how was the message
conveyed, by what means was the purpose fulfilled. What happened? What is
going on? What are people saying and doing? These questions can be used to
properly investigate the act portion. The act is typically the most important part of
the pentad because without the act, there would be no story, there would be nothing.
In the study of the video game, Tropico, the act isn’t quite so simple. There are so
many options of how to spend your time playing the game that there can’t be just
one defined act. An act could be a character building a house, or it could be El
Presidente making a command. The acts in this game are endless because the game
could be endless as well.
The agency is the means by which the act was accomplished. This makes the
agency one of the more important parts of the pentad, just like the agent and the act.
The act relies on what the agency is. Agency is how the act was accomplished.
Agency is what gives the agent power to perform the act. The agency for the
FCKH8 video could be that the company takes a stand for feminists and wants
equal rights for all people. An agency in a pentad is usually a company or a group
with the means to put the act together, basically how the act was accomplished.
Some questions could be; by what means, methods, or tools did the agents act?
Why did the act happen, what was the justification of the act? The answer is
the purpose; the purpose is the message of the act, the reasoning behind it. In the
study A Nation in its Prime: A Pentadic Study of Walt Disney World's Main Street,
U.S.A., there are two purposes of Main Street. The first purpose is as a physical
street leading you to the rest of the park. The second purpose is a gateway that leads
you from your everyday life to the magical adventure you’re about to have. Purpose
states why the act was important. What was the act conveying and why should we
believe it to be credible? Also, was the purpose of the act conveyed appropriately
and effectively? These are all things to think about while defining what the purpose
is.
The scene is an important part of the pentad for one reason, if the stage isn’t
right, it can change the whole outcome of the act. The scene is the setting of the act,
where and when it took place, the surrounding and background of the act. In the
study of Walt Disney World's Main Street, U.S.A., the scene is Main Street in
Disney World. However, the scene is also the interaction and relationship between
the characters (Goofy, Donald, Mickey) and the visitors. The “scene” step is similar
to the act. However, the scene talks about what is going on in the background while
the act is what’s happening in the foreground. The scene is where and when the act
took place and how it is relevant to the act itself. Some questions could be; where
and when is the act happening? What is the background context? What happened
right before and after the act?
The ratio of the pentad may not as important as the individual facets. The
ratio is a way to determine which two parts of the pentad are most important, also
giving insight into why the speaker did what they did. The ratio compares all of the
previous components and decides which two are the most important. In order to
define the ratio, you must compare each step with every other step. For example,
agent vs. act, agent vs. agency, agent vs. purpose, agent vs. scene, and so on until
you have compared everything. Once you have decided which component is
important in the individual comparison, you calculate the two most popular
answers. In the study of the video game Tropico, the ratio is scene:act. In any video
game, the scene has a tendency to constantly change, inevitably affecting the act,
whether that be by destroying a bridge or burning a field of tobacco in the game.
The ratio for the FCKH8 example is purpose:act. This is because the purpose of the
video was the most important aspect of it. Without a purpose the video would have
no credibility or justification. The act is also very significant. The little girls cussing
was very unexpected, but it got your attention and got you to listen to what they
said.
The pentad is a useful tool that can be applied to any artifact, video, song,
advertisement, and so on. Hamlin stated, “Burke contends that these five elements
can be applied to any situation” (97). While usually applied to rhetorical analyses,
they can also be applied to communication and everyday situations.
Analysis
Our artifact, “Wing$” by Macklemore, is an example of the consumerism
and materialism that is taking over society. Not only are people focusing solely on
this movement, they are forgetting who their true selves are, making materialism
dangerous because they do not notice it. The pentad can be applied to nearly every
artifact, and ours is no exception. It breaks down the music video into certain
aspects to better explain the argument that Macklemore is trying to bring out on
YouTube and in the world. As a group, we applied the pentad to the music video as
well as defined reasons of justification for each step.
The act in the pentadic analysis is the music video itself. The music video is
something more than just the song, the music video gives extra substance to the
purpose. The lyrics are powerful by themselves but when you see the look on a
boy’s face of disgust when he sees another boy with the same pair of shoes, or see
the pictures of his friend Carlos’ brother’s murder scene, it hits home a little harder.
The lyrics speak very deeply in ways that make you feel what Macklemore tried to
get out in the song. “Look at me, look at me, I'm a cool kid I'm an individual, yeah,
but I'm part of a movement. My movement told me be a consumer and I consumed
it” In this line, Macklemore speaks very clearly at the argument he is trying to get
out. He is saying that the consumerist way of living is a movement in our world,
and the media is telling us to do it and we just follow along.
We decided that the agent in the video is Macklemore. Macklemore is the
one that wrote the song and the video portrays a young version of him. Since
Macklemore is an independent artist, he is also one of the people that produced the
video. He is the main speaker of the song and the main person performing the act.
This is why we believe Macklemore is the agent.
The agency could be split up between multiple people. We thought that
Ryan Lewis was a strong person of agency for the music video. Even though he
does not appear in the video himself, he still provides all the background for the
song and lyrics. He is a very powerful aspect within the song and music video.
Another agency of the group for this music video is Macklemore himself. He comes
out to give a message that has grown very accustomed to him. He explains in
interviews that he wrote “Wings” about his childhood, how shoes were very
important to him, and how he needed the next pair of shoes more than anything. He
is important as the agency because it is accomplished because he is singing it.
The purpose of this video is to raise awareness. Macklemore used shoes in
his example, but his greater purpose was to tell society that materials are only
temporary. Who you are as a person is what you should focus the most on. People
will remember you by how you acted, not what you had. “And then my friend
Carlos’ brother got murdered for his 4’s,” 4’s are a type of shoe created by Nike.
These kinds of acts don’t just happen in music videos, they happen on the streets we
walk every day. Young men and women are being murdered for their possessions.
The purpose of this music video is to show that consumerism has consequences;
consumerism is deadly.
Although there are many scenes in the music video, the one that gets our
attention the most is the little boy struggling. He’s not struggling to fit in or to
become better, but he’s struggling with an obsession to be like somebody else. The
song states that he wants to “be like Mike,” but if you’re living someone else’s life,
then when are you going to live your own? The boy struggling in the video makes it
clear that we should stop trying to be like everyone else and start being ourselves. It
shouldn’t matter what clothes you wear or what shoes are on your feet. What
matters is who we are as people. The scene in this is important, as the little boy
realizes that consumerism isn’t needed as much as he thought to begin with. In the
music video he walks in the halls and sees another boy wearing the exact same
shoes, and it brings him down a peg or two that he is not the only one that can attain
the shoes. That it is just another pair of shoes that anyone can buy. The last scene is
a fade out of him sitting on a bench in the gym saying “for a hundred dollars and
some change, consumption is in the veins, and now I see, it’s just another pair of
shoes” bringing his story full circle from when he thought he needed those shoes to
fit in until now that he’s come to the realization that they’re just another pair of
shoes.
The ratio that we came up with as a group is purpose:act. The world needs to
know about consumerism, the world needs to know that it’s ok to not have the best
of everything. The world needs to know that materials aren’t the most important
thing in life; life is the most important thing in life. The world needs to know that
our desire to have the best and keep up with the Jones’ is killing our youth, if not
literally then it’s killing them on the inside. Consumerism makes young people
think that their worth is solely based on their possessions instead of their body and
mind. This makes the act so important, the act is making this a topic of discussion,
the act is making a difference and that’s the most important part of this music video;
making a difference.
Conclusion
Through our pentadic analysis of the music video, Wing$, we have
discovered a unresolved problem in today’s society that is seemingly being
overlooked by the majority of people in this country. The problem, consumerism
and materialism, is running rampant through the streets that we walk every single
day. While we may not see the effects coming from small town, Iowa, they are there
nonetheless.
The story that Macklemore tells is of his own life and his everyday struggles
as a young boy. His lyrics are powerful and drive home the point that, as a society,
we are on a downward spiral with no signs of stopping. In a way this music video is
the story of a way of life that so many of us have been sucked into. We may not all
live in the extreme, like missing rent to pay for a new pair of shoes, or even killing
a child for his pair of shoes; but most of us are still living a materialistic lifestyle
that fuels these big businesses like Nike, and also fuels the need to look better than
the next guy.
Morally there is nothing wrong with buying a nice pair of shoes, a nice dress,
or just splurging on something just because; nor is it ethically wrong for companies
to advertise their products in a way that makes them look appealing to the
consumer. It is, however, morally and ethically wrong to think that these material
items are more important than putting food on the table for a family, or to think that
a new pair of Jordan’s are more important than a young man’s life.
“Wings” is such an important video for many reasons. This video identifies
the problem, it shows that this is something that people are living with, and that it’s
not ok for this to continue. This video could be the start of a movement, a
movement to proactively try to get to the root of the problem. The problem of
consumerism has been evolving over the years, starting out just keeping up with the
Jones’, and then gradually transforming into a larger issue of doing anything and
everything possible to have the same material items as your neighbor.
“And then my friend Carlos’ brother got murdered for his 4’s, whoa. See he
just wanted a jump shot, but they wanted his Starter coat, though. Didn't wanna get
caught, from Genesee Park to Othello.” (AZ LYRICS) Macklemore is recounting a
story from his past, about his friend’s brother being murdered for his shoes; shoes
that are only seen as superior because of the Nike “swoosh” emblem embroidered
on the sides. There should be nowhere in the world where a young man should be
murdered for an embroidered Nike swoosh on the side of his shoes.
The reason that as a group, we chose the music video, rather than just the
song, and also the reason we decided to have our pentadic article be something
produced by someone so famous is because that’s what makes it so visible to
everyone. The fact that this song was produced by Macklemore, one of the most
influential artist of this decade, and the fact that this music video has over fifty-six
million views on YouTube means that people are actually listening. It means that for
whatever reason, whether it be because someone liked the song, because they liked
the video, or because they accidently stumbled upon it through a random search, it
means that the word is being spread, and with that word, a message that we as a
society need to make a change.
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