Abstract
Rhetorical analysis is a form of criticism that has a goal of examining and explaining the relationship between a text, the author of that text, and the audience the text is being presented to. It allows for a deep dive into understanding the author's choices and intentions, whether that be informing, entertaining, or persuading, and how those things affect the audience. While written texts and verbal speeches are most often looked at for this type of analysis, other forms of communication can be analyzed as well such as songs, advertisements, films, and even social media posts. In that context, this essay will be examining the 2025 superbowl halftime show performance by Kendrick Lamar. It will explain who Kendrick Lamar is, his accomplishments, why he was chosen for a rhetorical analysis, and the analysis itself. It will dive deeper into the meaning and significance of his performance and that performance will be interpreted using the Neo-Aristotelian approach. It will discuss why Lamar chose specific songs, lyrics, and signs to represent himself and his message, and it will further dive into what his message really was and the meaning behind his choices. Also being discussed is the results of his performance, both good and bad, and how it was received. At the end of this paper, it will briefly describe two other rhetorics that could be used to analyse Lamar’s halftime performance.
Date
Spring 2025