In the introduction part of the lyric “respect,” Aretha quickly declares that she is capable of supplying everything that her baby needs provided that there is respect. Aretha expresses the goals and concerns outlined in the introductory section of the lyric in different ways.
For example, Aretha assures and promises her baby that she will avoid engaging herself in unfaithful activities even at times when he is away. However, Aretha assures her baby that she will remain faithful if she is accorded the respect that she requires. The high level of respect desired by Aretha is illustrated by her decision to provide her baby with the entire savings and checking account.
Another method used by Aretha to express her concerns and goals is deviating from her earlier intention of being respectful. She compares her money with kisses from her baby. In my view, I believe that none of the two aspects is capable of maintaining the desired levels of respect and faithfulness bearing in that Aretha avoids discussing other issues that revolve around respect. She instead requests her baby to show more respect after reaching home.
Thirdly, Aretha expresses her concerns by assisting her baby. For example, she goes a step further by helping her baby spell and writes the word “respect.” She does this so that she can help her baby to understand the concept of respect. Also, she makes use of new verbs to gain the desired respect from her baby.
For example, she asks her baby to “sock” respect. This reveals how much she values respect to the extent that she threatens to divorce her baby if he fails to express the desired respect. My reaction to this lyric is that respect provides a very strong background for a healthy and strong relationship.
In the introductory part of the second lyric The Evil That Men Do, Queen Latifah decides to expose some of the evils done by men. She opts for this lone of action although she understands the consequences of exposing such evils. Latifah is aware that her lyrics may lead to a jail term if she is found guilty.
The goals and concerns outlined in this section are expressed in different ways. For instance, Latifah attempts to isolate and group some of the difficulties that are commonly experienced by women especially black women. She achieves the latter by showing and revealing the powers that seem to disturb black women who are struggling to overcome several odds.
Queen Latifah goes as a step further to compare the life of black women with the lifestyles of highly respected people in society. For example, she highlights that the lifestyle of a president is often free from the challenges facing a common man. Even though the president is aware of the problems faced by ordinary people, he does not visualize any reason for helping women. The president is only interested in living a stress-free life that exempts him from taxes.
Latifah also tries to outline her goals by asking questions that are likely to elicit mixed reactions to the parties involved. Her main aim is to convince the elites why they should offer assistance to people who face difficult circumstances in life. My reaction to Latifa’s lyric is that it is not difficult to create a fair society with minimal economic disparity. This can be achieved by extending the necessary assistance to the economically poor people in society.