Essay on Power of perceptiom - 1263 Words

Jay Z: The power of perception The human experience in general is essentially the same for every individual. Us or We humans as a whole undergo similar life events such as birth, after that we experience growth and then finally death (Seger 386). These individual experiences (and more) when combined tend to form a story line. Although the storylines tend to differ from person to person, one thing, which is consistent in every storyline, are the characters. In these storylines the characters are modeled after specific archetypes, which Kent Wertime describes as â€Å"Invisible connectors that link people to commercial and entertainment images, producing consumer fascination and shaping their beliefs†(201). are traits and qualities that are†¦show more content†¦Jay Z is effectively able to utilize not just one but three different archetypes- the gangster, the businessman/ruler and the reformer in order to build a large following, achieve massive success in the music industry and become the de facto l eader for the black community. Throughout his extensive career, Jay Z was continuously able to rebrand and mold himself in to different archetypes. When he first stepped in to the public scene, the rapper established himself as the ex-drug dealer by fully utilizing the gangster archetype. This archetype was quite popular among the rappers at the time because the hip-hop community and fans alike stressed on the importance of having ‘street credibility’. Generally speaking a gangster is defined as someone who participates in organized crime and racketeering whether it be drugs, theft, murder etc. Archetype expert Matthew Sorrento describes the gangster as an â€Å"assertive, self-made man [who] in trying times, went against the law to make the world his own† (9). Although the reasons as to why people chose this criminal path is sometimes unknown, the most logical reason is that many of these individuals come from poor and impoverished backgrounds (Sorrento 9). As a result these individuals resort to criminal activities as a way of earning an income and securing themselves, their partners and their loved ones financially. To be a gangster one must have