This document discusses how rhetoric can change the way artists are appreciated. It analyzes a negative review of Rihanna's album "ANTI", which criticized it for not being original enough and depending too much on collaboration. However, the document argues that nothing is truly original based on Jean Baudrillard's theory of simulacra. It concludes that art should be appreciated based on the artist's intention, feelings and composition rather than comparisons to previous works. Rhetoric can help society express themselves and appreciate others in a more positive way.

1. Rhetoric and Artist Appreciation
How can rhetoric change the way that we appreciate artists?
Part 1: Production of Art as a whole
When examining a piece of art, it is important to think about
each and every component that took part in its creation. How
and why something was created is arguably the most essential
aspect to consider when questioning the purpose and intention
of an artistic expression. These two things combined,
composition and intention, are the defining characteristics of an
art form. Take Rihanna’s new album, ANTI, for instance.
According to Zach Frydenlund’s article titled “A Look At
Who’s Who on Rihanna’s ANTI Album”, it took a team of about
thirty members to complete and perfect the production of this
incredible new album. This article credited each member of the
team for the specific job that they performed. And so various
producers, composers and lyricists were used throughout the
album, giving it a very unique and fresh style, different from
anything Rihanna has performed before, hence the album title
“ANTI”. This collaboration was composed beautifully and
proved to be extremely successful in fulfilling the intention of
the artist, to create something completely different.
Part 2: Criticizing the Artist
In a contrary perspective, artists often receive bold, public
judgements for not being “original” or unique in their
expression of art. Many are scrutinized for depending on the
creativity and collaboration of a team to produce a product.
Critic of Music is a website that claims to find the “latest
happenings in music”. Shortly after Rihanna’s new album was
released in January 2016, Rachel Platten reviewed the album in
a rather negative way. The overall rating was a 6.6/10. Platten
wrote that the first half of the album seemed to be rushed in its
creation, while “the latter half seems to fall into a mix of styles
unidentifiable to Rihanna”. This reviewer was not analyzing the

2. intention of the album and therefore failed to appreciate the
amazing composition that it is. Platten claims that the album
“shines when it’s the least ‘anti’ anything” and continues to
compare Rihanna’s older songs and style with her new one.
Only a few weeks after its release and Platten already claimed
that Rihanna’s album “falls flat in its most desperate attempts to
gain new fans.” In addition to this negative review of the album,
this blogger boldly criticizes Rihanna herself, claiming that she
has exposed her weakness and insecurities, and emphasized her
“thirst for sexual release”. Unfortunately, Rachel Platten was
unable to appreciate the art created by Rihanna and her team.
We must redefine what it means to appreciate an art form in the
world we live in today.
Part 3: Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard’s perspective on originality can completely
change the way we appreciate the world around us, including
and especially pertaining to the creation of so-called “original”
artistic expressions. Baudrillard’s theory of simulacra and
simulation explains that nothing is original, but rather an
imitation or duplicate of something that has already existed.
Baudrillard believed that our society has become so saturated
with these simulacra, or unoriginal copies, and our lives so
“saturated with the constructs of society” that all meaning has
become meaningless because of its “infinite mutability”. In
other words, because things are constantly changing but we
remain consumed in our societal constructs therefore things
become meaningless. Taking this theory into consideration,
Rihanna’s new album, is unoriginal by nature and should
thereby not be scrutinized for its nature, but praised for its
composition and intention.
Part 4: The Rhetorical Approach
We must create a new perspective in which to appreciate
art and the artist. Rather than through a critical lens, we must
learn to view art as expression attached to meaning and purpose.

3. We should be able to simply close our eyes, listen to an album,
and appreciate it for how it makes us feel. Comparing old and
new is futile when ultimately, art is how we experience
something in that moment. When analyzing the creation of this
expression, the artists’ intention (ethos), feelings (pathos), and
the form in which it was composed (logos) are the purest
elements of the art itself. Anything aside from that takes away
from the full appreciation of the expression. I believe that
understanding rhetoric can positively change the way that we as
a society, express ourselves and appreciate other peoples’
expressions. In the words of Anna Deavere Smith, “We spend so
much time bantering about the words when the real open
conversations might very well be our actions. I worry about our
rhetoric.” Let us enjoy moments and appreciate what appears to
be our reality rather than creating a negative one for ourselves
and those around us.
Annotated Bibliography:
Platten, Rachel. "Album Review: Rihanna - ANTI." Critic of
Music. Rainbow Links, Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
This website is a blog-like review of Rihanna’s album, ANTI.
The author of the article is mostly negative in reviewing the
style, effort, and Rihanna’s attempt to create something new and
different. Patten claims that the first half of the album seems
rushed, “while the latter half seems to fall into a mix of styles
unidentifiable to Rihanna”. Patten states that ANTI sounds like
an attempt “to recreate sounds” from a 2015’s most popular list.
Simulacra and Simulation. Perf. Voice Over. Creative
Commons, 2014. Youtube. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl9zO0cS-NU>.
This video explains Jean Baudrillard’s theory of Simulacra and
Simulation. It defines both terms, describes the four stages of
the theory, and further describes the process in which
originality vanishes into simulacrum. It exemplifies the theory
through societal practices such as language, culture, power,
money, science and more. Using exact quotes from

4. Baudrillard’s theory made this video insightful and useful.
Smith, Anna Deavere. Letters to a Young Artist. New York:
Anchor, 2006. Print.
This a book written by Anna Deavere Smith intended to inspire
young artist around the world. It contains “Straight-up Advice
on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers,
and Artists of Every Kind”. It is filled with positive quotes and
shares interesting opinions on rhetoric and the importance of
words in our society.
Zach FrydenlundFollow Zach on Twitter for Jokes and Hot
Takes Here. . "A Look at Who's Who on Rihanna's 'ANTI'
Album." Complex. N.p., 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
This website provides a neutral to positive perspective on the
collaboration that brought Rihanna’s new album, ANTI, to
success. As stated, over 30 artists collaborated with one another
to bring about this masterpiece. This article gives specific credit
to each individual, on which song and in which way they
contributed to the making of this 2016 album. Similar to most
artists in the music industry, Rihanna has a team of creative
specialists that made the production of her album a reality and a
great success. Described by the author of the article, these
collaborators all received due credit and many even gained
exposure for themselves by collaborating on this popular album.
According to this article, “collaborations.. always give her
(Rihanna’s) albums an added level of excitement based on a
wide range of artists she worked with.”