Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Ethos in "White Rabbit"
Grace Slick, of Jefferson Airplane, makes a statement about drug culture through the song “White Rabbit”. She uses the song to note the hypocrisy, or even the stupidity, of parents who read their children stories like Alice in Wonderland, where Alice changes sizes after taking a pill, and then wonder why their children decide to use drugs. Slick’s extrinsic and intrinsic ethos are both important when looking at how “White Rabbit” relates to the larger drugs and psychedelics movement. Slick, having used drugs herself, understands the culture and has a positive opinion of them. The fact that she wrote “White Rabbit” while using promotes the argument that psychedelics help foster creativity. Anyone aware of Slick’s extrinsic ethos might view drugs positively because of this and might be further influenced to use themselves. On the other hand, anyone unaware of Slick’s background would still likely listen to “White Rabbit” and gather that it is clearly about using drugs and psychedelics. The song’s message itself addresses and promotes drugs, so anyone aware only of Slick’s intrinsic ethos might also view drugs more positively as a result.
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The 1960's was an important time over the controversy over the use of drugs. Many people then and still today view drugs very negatively and don't understand why people would use them. It's nice to see her point of view, being a user herself, without trying to convince people to use. She makes a good point brining up how parents wonder why their kids use drugs when drug culture is everywhere and hard to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Grace wrote the song while under the effect of drugs and psychedelics is hugely important for the ethos of the piece. This song shows that drugs wont ruin your mind or destroy your talents. The frequent references to Alice in Wonderland show teenagers that if someone from their childhood stories does drugs, it cant be a bad thing for you.
ReplyDeleteRelating to your audience is the best way to gain their trust. People, more specifically those who consume psychedelics, would be much more inclined to listen to Grace’s message because she is also a drug user. She is not a spectator of the culture but a member and so her opinions would resonate more with her intended audience. They trust her more.
ReplyDeleteSlick's ethos is very strong. This song would help with that, as using the song to build credibility in the drug community which would then make the song more popular in that same community. In that way, this song was both based on her ethos and built it up more.
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