Reading Analysis: "From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos"

In the article "From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hos" written in 1995, Joan Morgan explores sexism in rap music. Morgan was motivated to write about this topic because she sees the affects of negative portrayals of woman in rap in her daily life. This article was not meant for a specific audience, but to inform people of the affects of sexism in rap and how detrimental it can be to the African American community. She claims that rap music need to express the struggles and problems that African Americans face without objectifying women, which she feels rap music currently does.

The author tries to support her claim using ethos. She discusses personal experiences she has had regarding this issue. She tells the story of a women that her family knew that was "found beaten and burned beyond recognition" (445). By giving these examples, Morgan shows the reader that she is a credible source about this topic due to her personal involvement with it.

Morgan also uses facts to support her claim. She states that, "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of black two-parent households has decreased from 74 percent to 48 percent since 1960". By giving concrete facts she is able to persuade the reader to realize the validity of her argument. Facts are especially crucial in this article because without them there is no other real way for the reader to realize that the claims that Morgan is making about sexism in rap has any affect on the wider community of African Americans.

Morgan also employs the appeal of pathos to convince the reader. She talks about love and how that is affected by this objectification of women, "But the real crime isn't the name-calling, it's their failure to love us - to be our brothers in the way that we commit ourselves to being their sistas" (446). By bringing love into her article she tries to appeal to the reader to get emotionally involved in this issue. She wants the reader to think about what it would be like to be with a group of people that don't love or connect with you because they don't view you in a way that allows that.

I agreed with the points that Morgan made in her article. I can't directly relate to the topic because I don't feel the affects of it and I don't listen to rap music, but her argument is convincing. I like what she said about how rap music can be used to express the struggles of the African American culture. I know that there are rappers who's lyrics are all about social issues like the rapper Common and also Immortal Technique, these rappers respect women and never degrade them in their music or music videos.

I also like what the author says about fixing the issue. She says that the current techniques to convince people not to degrade women in their rap music isn't effective. She compares it to "demanding that a fiending, broke crackhead not rob you blind because it's wrong to do so" (447). She instead says that they need to focus on having rap express their communities struggles in order to "create a redemptive, healing space" (447).