and stronglike a King surrounded by thousand hillsunderneath you feet lies a lake like a princess. The singer carefully chose those words in the lyric to
describe the exotic natural scene of the mountain by using poetic element of personification. However if the lines are spoken or sung they do not sound
rhythmical since they do not rhyme and do not have alliteration and assonance. This is the typical lyric in most of The Black Brothers songs.
The theme of a song designates its tone. The Black Brothers songs are mainly about romance and Irian JayaPapua. The typical love story in their song is
about the searching for love, breaking up and being left alone. However when singing about their land, Irian JayaPapua, they are full of enthusiasm and
optimism. Then when addressing a criticism they are cynical and ironic. While singing for leisure and pleasure they are joyful and happy.
3. The Sense of Affinity between Bob Marley and The Black Brothers
The existence of Bob Marley and The Black Brothers are the representation of their respective social group who happened to be marginalized.
This notion can be seen and sensed through the naming of their bands, Bob Marley and The Wailers and The Black Brothers. Here, it can be seen that they are
the wailers who wail and lament for the unfairness and hardships of their life yet the experience abounds and unites them in the ties of brotherhood to fight through
music and song. Song is a medium to communicate message and its lyric is a form of
rhetoric which posses an argumentative ideals. However, different from ordinary conventional way, it has an aesthetic appeal that plays a significant persuasive role
in music besides tones and beats.
39
The combination of language, performance and music composition makes song a powerful form of communication.
40
In terms of language used, song lyric has a number of unique characteristics which
emphasizes aesthetic appeal of an argument.
41
The poetic and rhetorical devices Bob Marley and The Black Brothers infused into their songs to persuade the
audience are simple yet attractive in language, words, and sound. Specifically both Bob Marley and The Black Brothers songs are rich with
imagery devices such as metaphor and personification. Their metaphor and personification basically operate through the concept of tenor and vehicle. They
juxtapose two terms which normally regarded as belonging to different classes of experiences.The two terms of comparison define the principle subject of the
metaphor and personification and the frame into which it is placed. Their meaning emerges from the interaction of these two terms. The similarity on which the
interaction is based comes from the common aspects shared by the tenor and vehicle to form a meaning which is called ground. However, as the grounds for
constructing and interpreting metaphors and personifications are based in commonly accepted notions as Leff suggested, the context which determines their
meaning may be immediate bound to the audience or occasion or it may be social. Therefore, the pattern and structure of Bob Marley and The Black Brothers
metaphor and personification can be clearly seen through the four levels of
39
Roberts, W Rhys. Rhetoric by Aristotle. An Electronic Classics Serries Publication. Pennsylvania State University, 2010-2013. Web. January 21. 2014.
http:www2.hn.psu.edufacultyjmanisaristotlAristotle-Rhetoric.pdf.
40
Worth, D.S. Rastaman Vibration: The Rhetoric of Bob Marley, p. 53.
41
Haner, Mark. Bob Marleys Spiritual Rhetoric, the Spread of Jamaican Culture and Rastafarianism, a seminar paper. West Oregon University, 2007, p.3. Web. January 22. 2014.
http:www.wou.edulassocscihistorysenior_seminar_papers2007thesis07Mark20Haner.pdf.
context proposed by Osborn and Ehninger.
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This context is called qualifiers 1 Contextual qualifier which refers to the context of a discourse in terms of its
actual text and the situation in which it is used. This can be audience-bound social knowledge in its most restrictive sense and social knowledge bound to a particular
audience at a particular time; 2 Communal qualifier which extends beyond the text or audience but is culturally bound, relying on culturally-based social
knowledge. It directs meaning of the metaphor and personification by drawing from the funded knowledge-the common experiences, traditions, or folkways-of
the public to whom the stimulus is directed. The interpretations somehow has been stamped upon by authority; 3 Archetypal qualifier is not temporally or
culturally bound, instead it supplies meaning based on experiences common to men of many races and ages-experiences relieved by each generation anew; and 4
Private qualifier which refers to the meaning assigned by a listener through personal or subjective associations. It has an interpretation which is unique to the
particular listener. And as the writer concludes, Bob Marley and The Black Brothers metaphors and personifications seem quite likely to operate based on
contextual, communal and archetypal qualifiers. Besides imagery devices, there is also sound devices like rhyme,
alliteration and assonance. However it is Bob Marley who employs more attractive and creative sound device in his lyrics than The Black Brothers.
By seeing all of these features of lyrical styles and forms in Bob Marley’s and the Black Brothers’ songs, the writer argues that both of the artists would
likely to have intended purpose in using them as their method and a medium to
42
Worth, D.S. Rastaman Vibration: The Rhetoric of Bob Marley, p. 57.
voice message about social and political unrest than a mere as an entertainment. Artistical language use and sound pattern in the song is used to launch protest in a
much safer way against agressive authority. It has a nuance of what is theorized by James Scott as hidden transcript. These forms of artistical language styles and
forms somehow possess elements of Scott’s hidden transcript. They show the richness, creativity and witty pun of both Bob Marley and the Black Brothers as
the wistle blower among their respective social groups. A much deeper insight into the song to see the hidden transcript is
discussed in the next chapter. In order to have a better understanding, the analysis will include the extrinsic element which is the context of social and political
history to company the base intrinsict elements which have been shown in this chapter. Imagery and sound devices in Bob Marley and the Black Brothers’ songs
are very significant poetic and rhetoric elements which are developed based on the social and political background. In an attempt to resist the power domination they
can be considered to be voice under domination which posses ideological resistance based on Scotts theory. They are passive resistance disguised through
literary artistic elements.
CHAPTER 4 THE HIDDEN TRANSCRIPT IN BOB MARLEY’S AND THE BLACK
BROTHERS’ SONGS
In the previous chapter, the focus is on the content and structure of the lyrics with respect to the subject matters in both Bob Marley’s and The Black
Brothers’ lyrics. The writer breaks down the content of the lyrics to see the patterns and styles being used. It turns out that they are quite impressive and rich
with aesthetic and literary expressions. As it is, a closer look at the song is worth doing in this study, given that a textual analysis alone will not be sufficient as to
reveal the relationship between an artist as an individual with his or her social, cultural and political background in a certain place and time.
This chapter deals with the socio-political realities which become the backdrops of each artists songs. Specifically it deals with how Bob Marley and
The Black Brothers as popular artists who emerged from the marginalized society under repressive power use their song lyrics to facilitate a consciousness of
resistance among members of their respective social groups. Mainly this study focuses on the lyrics of two popular music icons whose songs have been situated
in what the writer would assume the legacy of Black protest music: reggae legend Bob Marley and pop legend the Black Brothers. A comparative analysis on the
selective lyrics of each artist major-label studio albums is to explore the role of music or song in the construction of hidden transcript in impoverished Black
communities in hegemonic post-colonial Jamaica and in “still colonized” Papua society.
