This paper will give a rhetorical analysis, of both the music video and the lyrics, looking for the four main rhetorical appeals of logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos. The main plot in “If I Were A Boy” is the complications of relationships and the inequality between the sexes. Men were the money-makers and seen as the powerful ones, whereas women were meant to stay at home and were seen as the vulnerable ones. Beyoncé’s main point is that if she was a boy she would treat the women better because she “knows how it hurts”. The purpose of the music video is to inform and persuade men to treat women better.
Logos
Logos is defined as “a rhetorical device that includes any content in an argument that is meant to appeal to logic”. Gender roles and inequality of the sexes are a big problem in the United States. Beyoncé executed stereotypical gender roles by working as a police officer, meanwhile, her man was at home waiting for her to come home. She clearly states, “Cause I know that she’ll be faithful, Waiting for me to come home, to come home”. Men were always seen as strong and were always considered the primary breadwinner, whereas women were seen as weak and were told to stay at home and take care of the house. Beyoncé brought light to stereotypical gender roles and gender inequality in the music video, so people could understand that this is a big problem. In the intro, she states, “I’d roll out of bed in the morning, And thrown on what I wanted and go” which is okay for men to do because no one will care, but if a woman were to throw on anything she would be labeled as “trashy” or “ghetto”. It is not fair that men are able to wear whatever they want with no issues, but women can’t do the same. In lines 7-9 she states, “I’d kick it with who I wanted, And I never get confronted for it, Cause they stick up for me” meaning a man can talk to anybody he wants with no issue, whereas if a woman were to talk to whoever she wanted she would be called a “hoe”.
Ethos
Ethos “refers to any element of an argument that is meant to appeal to an audience's ethics or ethical responsibilities”. Throughout the song, you can hear her repeat the phrase “If I were a boy” because she is stating what she would do if the roles were reversed and she is actually putting herself into a man’s shoes. Towards the end of the song she states, “It's a little too late for you to come back, Say it's just a mistake, Think I'd forgive you like that If you thought I would wait for you, You thought wrong” meaning it’s too late for you to come back and make it up, she’s tired of waiting and ready to move on. Finally at the end of the song she expresses, “But you're just a boy, And you don't understand, How it feels to love a girl someday, You'll wish you were a better man, You don't listen to her, You don't care how it hurts Until you lose the one you wanted, Cause you've taken her for granted, And everything you had got destroyed” with “you” being the man in this case. She is speaking directly to men because they don’t understand how the women are feeling and they don’t care until they lose the woman.
Pathos
Pathos, “or the emotional appeal, means to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions”. Beyoncé uses pathos throughout her song by using descriptive phrases. When she expresses, “I’d listen to her, cause I know how it hurts,” Beyoncé is saying she knows what it feels like to be hurt, and that if she was a boy, she would treat her woman better because she could understand where she is coming from. This pulls at the listener’s heart you obviously hear the emotional pain she is going through. Anyone who has been in a situation like this could relate to Beyoncé and the emotional rollercoaster she is going through.
Kairos
Kairos “refers to the time and/or place - well-timed moment for decision or action”. “If I Were A Boy” was released on October 13, 2008, and it was good timing because people started forgetting that gender roles and gender inequality still exist. In 2008, nobody really cared about gender roles and gender inequality because that’s just how it was and the way of life. The men went out and worked while the women stayed at home and took care of the house and kids. The song being released during this time was a good reminder to everyone that these problems still exist and that we need to fix them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all four main rhetorical appeals were evident in “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé. The main rhetorical appeal the music video and textual lyrics had all throughout was pathos. In every scene and behind every lyric there was some form of strong emotion and you could hear it in her voice. It is not a surprise that stereotypical gender roles and gender inequality were and still are a big problem in the United States. The music video portrayed the emotions women go through when dealing with heartbreak. In the beginning, she was just taking the pain and heartbreak but by the end of the song she was advocating that women should stand up for themselves.