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A multimodal analysis of Bob Marley’s “Natty Dread” album

  • Cosmas Rai Amenorvi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: March 11, 2024
Multimodal Communication
From the journal Multimodal Communication Volume 13 Issue 2

Abstract

This study employs social semiotics as a multimodal analytical framework to explore various communication modes employed in Bob Marley’s 1974 “Natty Dread” album to describe the Rastaman. The album’s cover design, including images, font style, and colours, carry significant meanings that contribute to the representation of the Rasta identity. Marley’s lexical choices, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and noun phrases also play a crucial role in presenting the Rasta identity. Additionally, Marley utilises various literary devices such as repetition, metaphor, allusion, and imagery to vividly describe the Rastaman. The song titles and their arrangement on the album form a cohesive narrative depicting the Rastaman’s life. In essence, the “Natty Dread” album portrays the Rastaman as a humble individual connected to the streets. The Rastaman’s physical appearance is distinguished by his distinctive dreadlocks. His lifestyle embraces simplicity, a deep connection with nature, the pursuit of freedom and happiness, love, peace, unity, and rebellion against the oppressive establishment. Material possessions hold little importance for the Rastaman as he considers his spiritual devotion to Jah (God) and his commitment to his community paramount. Furthermore, an inseparable part of the Rastaman’s culture is his use of marijuana and music, particularly reggae, which serves as a powerful tool with which he combats social injustices and inequalities in the world.

Keywords: Bob Marley and The Wailers; discourse analysis; multimodality; Rastafarianism; reggae music; social semiotics
Corresponding author: Cosmas Rai Amenorvi, Languages and General Studies, 384346 University of Energy and Natural Resources , Sunyani, Ghana, E-mail:

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Received: 2023-07-28
Accepted: 2023-11-13
Published Online: 2024-03-11

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. A multimodal analysis of Bob Marley’s “Natty Dread” album
  4. Stance and food activism on Arabic Twitter (X): a multimodal analysis
  5. Image schemas in gestural metaphorical scenarios of swearing
  6. Enabling participation in joint drumming within organizational workshops
  7. “Propping up” the “I,” or the discursive constitution of subjectivity: a multimodal discourse analysis of informal talk in a kindergarten classroom
  8. Tattoos as multimodal semiotic assemblages
  9. The EU and environmental education: a multimodal ecological discourse analysis
  10. A multimodal translation analysis of online app advertisements: the case of Careem as a Taxi-sharing app in Iraq
  11. Representing slavery in visual art: a multimodal approach
  12. Leaving one’s mark: self-authorized commemorative practices in a rural semiotic landscape
https://doi.org/10.1515/mc-2023-0033
Keywords for this article
Bob Marley and The Wailers; discourse analysis; multimodality; Rastafarianism; reggae music; social semiotics

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. A multimodal analysis of Bob Marley’s “Natty Dread” album
  4. Stance and food activism on Arabic Twitter (X): a multimodal analysis
  5. Image schemas in gestural metaphorical scenarios of swearing
  6. Enabling participation in joint drumming within organizational workshops
  7. “Propping up” the “I,” or the discursive constitution of subjectivity: a multimodal discourse analysis of informal talk in a kindergarten classroom
  8. Tattoos as multimodal semiotic assemblages
  9. The EU and environmental education: a multimodal ecological discourse analysis
  10. A multimodal translation analysis of online app advertisements: the case of Careem as a Taxi-sharing app in Iraq
  11. Representing slavery in visual art: a multimodal approach
  12. Leaving one’s mark: self-authorized commemorative practices in a rural semiotic landscape
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