Environmentalism of the 1960s: Pathos in "Big Yellow Taxi"

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Pathos in "Big Yellow Taxi"

In the song “Big Yellow Taxi,” Joni Mitchell appeals to pathos in the audience using music, visual imagery and strong diction. The background music shifts from an upbeat, fast pace to a slower, more somber tone during the chorus. This change is impactful in that the listener takes note of the chorus’ differences from the other verses. Mitchell also sings very fast-paced, which expresses a sense of exigency in her message. The descriptions of specific events that Mitchell encountered such as a “pink hotel,” “paved paradise,” and a “tree museum” provide evidence that what she is explaining is valid. These allusions also allow the listener to comprehend the song’s message on a deeper and more impactful level. The song references DDT using an ultimatum between the minimal detail of “spots on my apple” in comparison to the lives of “the birds and the bees.” This shows the harm that DDT had on the environment and how much was being given up for generally little return. Throughout the song, Mitchell is very direct with her opinions and does not sugar coat her intended message. For example, the chorus states, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” expressing her disapproval of the urbanization and human pollution that was prominent in the 60s. The direct language prevents the audience from misinterpreting the information presented. All in all, Joni Mitchell's song, “Big Yellow Taxi” generously appeals to pathos in an attempt to impact the listeners and stain their minds with her message.

Sarah Neydon

1 comment:

Civil Rights: Police BrutalitySeptember 30, 2016 at 8:21 PM
Jon Mitchell’s diction in the song is what appeals most to pathos. I believe the specific examples you pointed out such as the “tree museum” and “paved paradise” truly show the consequences of the extents to our destruction of nature. Such detailed description scares the listener and causes them to reevaluate their individual treatment of the earth and societal treatment of the earth. Mitchell’s diction affects the listener in an extremely personal way and calls them to act to prevent the demise of nature in the future.

Gabriella Boozer
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Critical Introduction

Hello reader and welcome to our blog, “Environmentalism of the 1960s”! We are a group of freshman College Park Scholars at The University of Maryland, and all highly interested in the environment and the various movements to protect it. The Environmentalist Movement of the 1960s was one of the especially big motions in our history, and of the time and therefore many works were produced pushing the environmentalist agenda. Two of these works, which we discuss more thoroughly in our blog, are the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and the song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell. These two works differ greatly on the basis of presentation, syntax, general message, and more, however both support the same general stance that human’s need to protect and stop inflicting such excessive harm on the environment. Our blog explores how the differences in these works enable each author to form concrete arguments backing the Environmentalist movement. In Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” and Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, the ideas of the environmentalist movement are pushed onto the audience using strong figurative language in the former and concrete facts in the latter.

In “Big Yellow Taxi” figurative language, specifically imagery, plays an important role in expressing Mitchell’s opinions on the environmentalist movement. Using pleas such as “hey farmer farmer put away that DDT now. Give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees please” Mitchell creates a visual imagery ‘ultimatum’ for her audience, showing what is being given up for relatively unimportant benefits. Silent Spring appeals to logos and utilizes research-based statistics to instill credibility into the argument presented. The work is flooded with facts which are intertwined with Carson’s opinions on those topics. The major arguments of both works is that a greater public concentration on conservation is needed, and that without this we will surely lose things that can never be replaced. They use stases of action making it clear that unless society changes its ways and evaluates its actions, this planet and all that was once good about it will be lost.

The Environmentalist movement is one that has gained steam throughout the years, yet still has been unable to find truly effective solutions. Finding these solutions has become more difficult as society has grown and industrialization has progressed. A major issue in the 1960s and 70s was the usage of a chemical pesticide, DDT, which is explained further in our blog and the two main works referenced in our blog. Although DDT use is now largely banned, other, debatably worse, problems have presented themselves. We move closer and closer to these issues causing irreversible damage, making it clear just how essential modern environmentalist thought is. For example, air pollution is the world’s number one preventable cause of death, lending credence to the idea that the Environmentalist movement has much further to go before finding true success. With help from activists such as Mitchell and Carson and their works, this movement is able to progress and continue spreading awareness to the importance of protecting the environment.

After reading our blog, you will have gained a better understanding of this movement as a whole, and two influential pieces that supported the movement. We do not have a perfectly ordered approach, as we felt that a more piecemeal approach allows the topic to blend more efficiently and organically, with less of didactic nature. We prove our major arguments by thoroughly examining all the stases and rhetorical appeals from several angles and applying them to both texts with great efficiency and care. We hope you will appreciate the consequences of carelessness in the environment and the true impact mankind has on this one environment we have been given. A feeling that mankind is to blame for many issues should not be a rare feeling, and yet this should also be coupled with hope that we have time to fix it. Have fun reading and learning how together we can all conserve this planet!