Blog #2: Hamilton and Rhetoric

For the past few weeks, my class and I have been analyzing rhetoric used in the musical Hamilton. I have never seen the musical live but through listening to the songs and reading the lyrics from the first two acts, I have encountered this to be an enjoyable experience. My prior knowledge of Alexander Hamilton’s life was limited to the facts I studied in history; to my surprise, I never thought that Hamilton was such the complicated character the musical depicts him as. The musical has several humorous aspects to it, but the rhetoric displayed in the songwriting is very interesting.

Ex. Rhetoric This Week

• My Mom convincing me to learn piano
• Me persuading my cousin to buy a brand new Lexus
• Democratic Presidential debate that aired on CNN Friday – I was not impressed with the display of persuasion during the debate, as one of the candidates tried to copy former President Obama’s techniques when he first ran for the position. While the rest of the candidates said what the people wanted to hear.

Interesting Rhetoric Used in Hamilton

Act 1 Songs: My Shot and Alexander Hamilton

As a musical, Hamilton uses songs and musical numbers to tell the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. An exciting song opens the musical, with several different supporting characters helping to introduce the so-called protagonist. Not only is the use of music essential to the piece, but also the fact that the music is a blend of traditional melodic musical styles and American pop music, specifically hip-hop and rap. The characters rap their way through the opening number, spinning rhymes out of the biographical information about Hamilton and bringing what might otherwise seem like dry history to vibrant life. Once I heard this piece, I was hooked and gathered my full attention to the movement and dances of the actors on the screen. The one song that stuck with me for the rest of the week was My Shot. A song that illustrates the protagonist’s desires and goals, but I viewed this song as an insight into Hamiltons character as well. With lyrics such as “Hey yo, I’m just like my country; I’m young, scrappy and hungry”, referring to the American Revolution and patriotism. The song repeats this within the chorus to convey its message, other references I noticed was biblical events signifying the similarities towards the theme of not quitting but to be relentless in everything you do.

Act 2 Song: The Story of the Night

In this section, we learn more about the personal lives and inner motivations of the various characters. While there is still a great deal of exposition and biographical information that gets communicated through the numbers, as the audience gets to know the characters better, we learn more about what drives them and what scares them. Two unhappy ballads start off this section; first Angelica sings about her unrealized and impossible love for Alexander Hamilton, how she can never have what she most desperately wants, then Aaron Burr sings a song about the qualities that distinguish him from Hamilton and the events that have shaped him. Each of these characters sings directly to the audience, and there are no other characters on stage to listen to their stories.

In terms of the overall narrative, matters are getting more complicated, as Hamilton faces some personal struggles with his superiors, the American troops face setbacks in the revolution, and complex emotions are revealed. While the play maintains a certain facile and light touch, the issues faced by the characters become heavier, and this is reflected in the text and the music. The issues that the characters are thinking about becoming more serious, as they worry not only about their well-being, but also their legacies and impact.

As I continue to read, watch, and listen to the musical I would like to learn how I can use rhetoric shown in Hamilton in my writing.