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Home , Brad Wilk, Zack de la Rocha

Running Head: RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 1

Rage Against the Rhetoric

Emma Baranowski

Northern Arizona University

RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 2

Abstract

This paper explores the rhetorical significance of band ’s

(RATM) 1996 album “Evil Empire.” The analysis is a close-read of one song featured on the album, “Without a Face” as it introduces singer/songwriter Zach de la Rocha’s own identity and relationship with the audience. Additionally, this paper will explore the lives of the band members, the rhetorical situation of the album, and how “Without a Face” compares to different songs on the album. The analysis highlights that the album contains powerful rhetoric, but in order to appreciate it, a closer read between the lines is needed. This in-depth read causes separation between the band’s purpose and the intended audience.

Keywords: RATM

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Rage Against the Rhetoric

There are many instances when music lyrics, videos, and even performances attempt to make sense of pressing issues worldwide. The true power of politically and/or socially motivated music can be hindered, however, as the intended audience (a huge factor in the popularity of musical groups and songs) can misinterpret or completely miss important messages. Rap metal band Rage Against the Machine (RATM) faced a similar hurdle in the band’s early years, as many young fans were unaware of the messages in the album “Evil Empire.” As a result, it took years for their fan base to appreciate RATM’s rhetorical purpose. This essay will uncover the rhetorical significance of RATM's "Evil Empire" album through a close read of their song

“Without a Face.”

RATM’s album “Evil Empire,” literally rocked the nation, not only because of the group’s musical talent but also because of the album’s purpose and the strategic timing of its release. It was released in April of 1996 and there were immediate reactions on the album due to the controversy of its contents (RATM, 1996, ‘Bio’). The motivation behind the album was mainly a reaction to Ronald Reagan’s speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in

1983, a speech covering a wide array of topics. The most notable was the Soviet Union and how it was an “evil empire” (Reagan, 1983, para. 48). The West was in a frantic state during this period, as the tension between the United States and Russia surfaced. Reagan’s response to this tension was to strengthen the U.S military. As scholars analyze his speech, it is apparent that the speech was structurally rhetorical. He claimed that the Soviet Union was fundamentally evil and backed up this claim by stating how a U.S arms buildup and retention of liberal democratic values will help establish cooperation between the two nations and terminate the arms race

(Rowland & Jones, 2016, para. 15). RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 4

Conversations of an expanding military amongst other topics such as inadequate education in the U.S, media manipulation, and the American dream were still going on well in the 1990s and RATM’s album “Evil Empire” was essentially a call to action on these issues. “Evil Empire” had a profound impact compared to their first self-titled album. Critics observed the opposite effect of their political messages in their first album, as many fans felt disconnected from the messages and instead used their music as an “excuse to skip school and take drugs” (Wiederhorn, 1996, para. 3). Those who speak of RATM now, grew up with their music and began to learn and appreciate their purpose far more than when the music was first released (Caffrey, 2016, para. 2) (Cardle, 2018). Fans discuss how the album “Evil Empire” opened up their minds and forced them to think deeper about the world around them. To many, it was clear that RATM was angry about something and that energy is what fans loved best about them. However, they were uneducated on what exactly they were angry about (Cardle, 2018).

From a rhetorical standpoint, it is clear that the political and social issues directly prompted the band to speak out on this album, yet it took music fans and critics alike some time to move past their ignorance and appreciate the messages embedded in it. This highlights the importance of the intended audience; for a rhetorical artifact such as “Evil Empire” to reach efficacy, the audience has to be equally as engaged and conscious of the situation.

RATM formed in Los Angeles in 1991 and the members are lead singer Zack de la

Rocha, bassist , guitarist , and drummer . De la Rocha was high-spirited, outspoken, and artistic since the very beginning, as his father played a significant part in popularizing art in the 1970s (Suarez, 2018, para. 4). Later on, he was involved with the Zapatistas, a group of Mexican farmers that had tension with the ruling class, thus sparking public attention to their struggles (Wiederhorn, 1996, para. 4). Morello grew up in RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 5

Harlem with his mother (a leading figure in creating the anti-censorship organization, Parents for

Rock & Rap) and immediately fell in love with rock music and politics. He graduated from

Harvard with a Bachelor's degree in political science and went on to join the other members of the band (Prato, n.d, para. 1). Commerford and Wilk do not have any obvious childhood circumstances leading to an interest in politics, rather their “out-there” views were self-motivated as they grew up and formed RATM.

Using their platform to raise political and social awareness is a staple part of their existence to this day; in the past, they campaigned for the release of political prisoners Mumia

Abu-Jamal and during their shows. They also had tables set up with literature from leftist organizations to raise awareness of issues in the United States and Latin America

(Suarez, 2018, para. 5). Their overall purpose is what made “Evil Empire” so vocal; each member included a list of their most influential authors such as George Orwell, Toni Morrison,

William Powell, James Baldwin, amongst many others in the notes section of their album

(Childers, 2019, para. 4).

“Without a Face” is a critical song on the album that is worth analyzing. In an interview with de la Rocha and Jesus Ramirez Cuevas (which is a blessing that it exists, as de la Rocha is critical of the media) highlights the importance of this song specifically. De la Rocha claims that the content in “Without a Face” was the ultimate motivation behind the writing of “Evil Empire.”

He personally organized and participated in activist groups in Los Angeles for the Zapatista movement. These groups visited Chiapas, Mexico and witnessed rapid militarization and displacement of Zapatista families firsthand (De la Rocha, 1998, para. 14). De la Rocha was forever changed from this experience and he officially identified himself with the Zapatistas and RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 6 their movement. “Without a Face” is significant because this is where the audience gets a true sense of who de la Rocha is and what he is fighting for.

“Without a Face” is arguably the most poetic and rhetorically effective song on the album, as de la Rocha takes this song on a very personal level. He is troubled by the history of his people and struggles to understand the value of his life when the country he lives in (the

United States) does not value his life either. These emotional appeals are apparent by the lines,

“Got no card, so I got not soul” and “Yeah, I tried ta look back to my past long lost, a blood donor to the land owner holocaust.” He goes even further with emotional appeals in the proceeding lines, “I'm sendin paper south under the barbed wire. The mother of my child will lose her mind at my grave.” He is referencing Mexican people who live and work in the United

States in order to provide for their families back in Mexico. The use of emotional appeals here is valid because these scenarios are legitimate today. The fear that minorities experience in their day-to-day lives really jumps out in these lines.

Furthermore, this song is strongest with its ethical appeals because de la Rocha is a reliable candidate to discuss the controversies and histories of his own people. In response to his struggle outlined in the previous statement, de la Rocha writes the history of his people and also ties this in with his father and his own life-long struggle. In doing so, he writes a brief flashback of his father’s life-changing mental breakdown as well as a detailed story of the life of his people prior to colonization and after colonization. This portion of the song, tying in both ethical and emotional appeals, acts more as a rhetorical speech than a song, hence why it is more effective in describing issues of corrupt government and corrupt policies in the United States and Mexico.

His appeals to logic are most prominent when he says, “It’s hard to breathe with Wilson’s hands around my throat. Strangled and mangled, another SS curtain call.” A reference to the RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 7

Nazi Party is made here (the SS being the paramilitary sector of the Nazi Party which carried out acts of violence to intimidate others into the Nazi Party). He associates the actions of the SS with

Pete Wilson, governor of California who drafted a bill prohibiting illegal aliens from accessing public education, healthcare, among other services in 1994, which was eventually ruled out as unconstitutional. Again, this is a strong message explaining the cruelty that minorities face from powerful governments and how it is a never-ending story to be told.

“Without a Face” contains compelling imagery, similes, and metaphors which enhance the rhetorical effectiveness of the song. An example of this is when he says, “Cause every sidewalk I walk is like a tightrope. Yes, I know my deadline, sire, when my life expires.” The audience can sense that de la Rocha is limiting the value of his life to something that is disposable. Most importantly, he uses inclusive language (saying “we” in addition to just saying

“I”) to identify himself with his audience. This is evident in the lines, “‘Por vida’ and our name up on the stall. I took a death trip, when I tried to cross the white wall.” Despite his troubling past and the issues he faces due to his identity, the song outlines the fact that this is not just his problem, but a problem for every Zapatista, Mexican, and Mexican-American.

In the context of the album “Evil Empire,” this song fits right in with the album’s rhetorical purpose and even adds a little bit more power to it. The entire album focuses on corrupt government, discrimination that minories face, and unrealistic “American dream” ideals.

For instance, “” takes listeners back in time when indigenous groups like the

Aztecs and Mayans were conquered. “Wind Below” touches on the North American Free Trade

Agreement and how Mexican farmers were hard hit by the agreement. “Without a Face” however, is the call to action song. It is the most rhetorically charged song because the connection with the audience is the clearest, and clarity proves to be the biggest issue with the RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 8 album. De la Rocha identifies himself right away as a minority and ties in his identity with a detailed story of his father. He expresses common fears that minorities face at the border and these fears are not hidden between the lines of the text. The main concern deals with the hidden appeals to logic in most of the other songs; the historical and/or political references within the album are not always overt, so a closer look at these references is sometimes needed in order to understand the rhetorical significance. The delivery of these songs also plays an intricate role in this. As a rap metal band, they deliver their songs in a loud and quick manner, which makes the comprehension of their messages extremely difficult unless the listener also had the lyrics in front of them at the same time. This is surely a reason why their early fans and critics completely underestimated their rhetorical purpose in the early stages of their careers.

RATM’s album “Evil Empire” is immensely rhetorical, as it dives deep into the political and social controversies within the United States and the bordering countries. ’s own upbringing and identity have a considerable impact on the messages communicated in each of their songs. The album is infused with anger and resentment for obvious reasons. Songs that had an overt appeal to ethics, emotions, and logic were more powerful, but the use of ethics is not always necessary given de la Rocha’s background. Nonetheless, the lyrics are carefully crafted and evoke a sense of “rage” and rebellion toward prominent issues that affect communities close to home.

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References

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band turned middle-school ignorance into adult politics (Webpage). Retrieved from:

https://consequenceofsound.net/2016/04/rage-against-the-machines-evil-empire-turns-20/

Cardle, M. [JOE]. (2018, Oct 9). Matt Cardle on Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire |

Record That Changed My Life | Ep 10 [Video file]. Retrieved from:

https://youtu.be/A98diYrH0NQ

Childers, C. (2019). 23 years ago: Rage against the machine release “evil empire” (Webpage).

Retrieved from: https://loudwire.com/rage-against-the-machine-evil-empire-anniversary/

De la Rocha, Z. (1996). Without a face [Recorded by Rage Against the Machine]. On Evil

Empire [CD]. Los Angeles, California. .

De la Rocha, Z. (1998, July 7). Zack de la Rocha (J. R. Cuevas, Interviewer). Music Fan Clubs.

Retrieved from: http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/frontera.htm

Prato, G. (n.d.). Tom Morello (Webpage). Retrieved from: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-

morello-mn0000617336/biography

Rage Against The Machine (n.d.) Bio (Webpage). Retrieved from: https://www.ratm.com/bio/

Reagan, R. (1983). Evil empire speech (Webpage). Retrieved from:

https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/reagan-evil-empire-speech-text/

Rowland, C. R. & Jones, M. J. (2016). Reagan’s strategy for the cold war and the evil empire

address. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 19(3). Retrieved from: https://muse-jhu-

edu.libproxy.nau.edu/article/638219 RAGE AGAINST THE RHETORIC 10

Suarez, G. (2018). Music with purpose: The revolutionary legacy of Zack De La Rocha

(Webpage). Retrieved from: https://www.bese.com/music-with-purpose-the-

revolutionary-legacy-of-zack-de-la-rocha/

Tim Commerford Biography (n.d.). (Webpage). Retrieved from:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0173876/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Without a face lyrics. (n.d.). (Webpage). Retrieved from: https://genius.com/1287869