Rough Draft: "We Shall Overcome" (Erika Zigman)

ENGL 306 | Rhetoric of Protests Assignment (Rough Draft)

September 15, 2016

Erika Zigman

"We Shall Overcome"

Although its use during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1960s will be the focus of this paper, “We Shall Overcome” has been used in civil rights movements around the word by groups of different nationalities, race, and religious beliefs who suffer infringement on, or lack thereof, basic civil rights. This speaks volumes to the effectiveness of “We Shall Overcome” as a tool of rhetoric. It is a simple song; the first verse only has 22 words, most of which are repeated in the A-A-B-A style chorus. The specific author of the famous song is widely disputed, although a number of renowned musicologists state it contains elements observed in songs created by slaves working in fields and river men. The short repeating components and simple melody were pleasant, set a good work pace, and had a defiant meaning. Even when these songs were not necessarily articulated through a vocabulary that can be communicated conversationally (but rather through hollers, grunts, and moans), the meaning still remained; the same is observed in “We Shall Overcome”. It has undergone numerous modifications since its (speculated) initial publication in 1901 to become the song that is recognized today, yet it remains at the core the same. The first (albeit widely disputed) publication was in 1901 by a Methodist minister Charles A. Tindley as “I’ll Overcome Someday”, the song bares semblance to “No More Auction Block” and “O Sanctissima”; whether this is indicative of the song’s true origins, or simply the conserved structure of protest songs remains unknown. The song makes a reappearance in 1945 in South Carolina during a protest for higher wages by African-American tobacco workers, but here the song became “We Will Overcome”. The change from “I” to “We” was solidified at a student protest in Charleston. The same school was ransacked by police years later, where the inhabitants added “We are not afraid” to the chorus. This occurred after the song’s most notable publication in 1947 as “We Shall Overcome” by Pete Seeger. The overall structure of the song changed from largely religious references that called to a higher power, to lyrics that were grounded in action. This change was made in addition to the tempo change from ¾ to 4/4 (common time). Despite all of these modifications the meaning of the song remained unchanged. This, in addition to the lack of an identifiable author, are common characteristics of folk songs. The latter is especially true for black folk songs, where it is often observed that the voice of the individual is sacrificed for that of the community. A theme that was true for chattel slavery and the wage slavery that followed emancipation. This is why “We Shall Overcome”, even though it has been proclaimed the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, is not a fight song, because at its roots it is a folk song.

The audience can be divided into three categories: empathizers, casual onlookers, and the opposition. The goal of those protesting was to persuade the audience to their own beliefs and to mobilize passive empathizers/onlookers to active contributors, with the ultimate goal of achieving basic civil rights for African Americans. Deliverance of “We Shall Overcome” to the aforementioned audience was done with rhetorical appeals to ethos and pathos. In order to establish the desired change, the perceptions of the audience would first need to be altered. Appeals to ethos and pathos were carefully constructed in “We Shall Overcome”. Establishment of authority and power could not be done in similar manners to other protests, as many of the African American protesters were poor and uneducated; they had no strong political or economic standing with which to reference to legitimize themselves and their cause. An appeal solely to pathos is rarely effective, emotional appeals with no logic or authority would appear blatantly manipulative and/or desperate; a poorly constructed rhetoric tool as such would not sway even the casual onlooker. Ethos and pathos were therefore utilized in three main ways in “We Shall Overcome”: inexclusivity, establishment of trustworthiness, and demonstration of shared values.

In protesting for equality there is an assumed oppressor and oppressed. By further exemplifying this division in protest through terminology choice, it may become increasingly difficult to align views as attacking techniques may serve to further alienate the audience. “We Shall Overcome” successfully establishes ethos by reflecting the audience’s ethos through expression of thoughts and desires as a collective. A clear example of this can be observed in the alteration from “I” to “we” in thy lyrics of the song. Although “I” is used in black music culture to communicate a collective, the use of “we” projects to a broader audience and highlights the importance of unity in this project for freedom. “We Shall Overcome” encouraged inclusivity and participation. The lyrics were repetitive and easy to remember, making involvement all that much easier. The change in tempo from 3/4 to 4/4 created a rhythm that was more suitable for marching. The welcoming nature of “We Shall Overcome” was all the more persuasive when combined with the manner in which it was performed. Excessive appeals to pathos, whether in terms of coercion through intimidation or persuasion through emotional manipulation, was never present in the song’s performance; the calm performance of the song enhanced the protestors’ ethos by establishing trustworthiness. Because they did not rely on strong appeals to pathos, it implied that they did not need to; this, and the use of the word “someday” in the lyrics, projects a strength and sureness to the audience that this collective identity has the authority and power to obtain the goals that the empathizers share. The rhetors made further appeals to ethos through indirect appeals to pathos. The song itself is an oral history of black oppression. With roots stemming from slave labor melodies and religious hymns sung in churches that were “separate but equal”, the singing of the song (regardless of the lyrics adapted to particular situations) is a testament to the long and painful struggle for equality that has plagued black people in America. This evokes strong imagery and demonstrates shared values through a shared history.

“We Shall Overcome” illustrates the power of song to transcend time, race, religion, and spirituality, while maintaining relevance as a powerful symbol of civil rights and equality. It has united oppressed groups nationwide over generations in the belief that change not only should come, but will come. The widespread use speaks to its efficacy, and the lyrics themselves (“We shall overcome someday”) wisely hint that change is an inevitable part of the passing of time; however, the lyrics may alternately be interpreted that this desired change may not be in the near future, or even within the lifespan of those who sing it. This rings true as the lyrics resurface in the wave of a new movement, Black Lives Matter, nearly a century after its advocates ancestors created it. This song was delivered in a solemn speech by the first African American president of the United States roughly half a century after an earlier president uttered the same words, promising change.

Works Cited

Adams, Noah. “The Inspiring Force of ‘We Shall Overcome” NPR. NPR, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.

Bobetsky, Victor V. We Shall Overcome: Essays on a Great American Song. N.p.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print.

Graham, David A. “The Surprising History of ‘We Shall Overcome’” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 9 May 2015. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.

Morris, Charles E., and Stephen Browne H. Readings on the Rhetoric of Social Protest. Second ed. State College, PA: Strata Pub., 2001. Print.

Redmond, Shana L. Anthem: Social Movement and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora. N.p.: New York U, 2013. Print.

Rolling Stone. “’We Shall Overcome’: The Theme Song of Civil Rights.” Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2016

Stotts, Stuart,  Terrance Cummings, and Pete Seeger.  We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World. New York: Clarion, 2010. Print.