Ethos of "Glory"

The song “Glory” was written and performed by John Legend and Common. Ethos is seen both intrinsically and extrinsically in the song, and this rhetoric establishes the performers’ credibility. Intrinsically, the ethos is minimal because there is no bio or background like what frequently appears in novels; the main way credibility is presented in the lyrics is through the use of the words “us”, “we” and “ours”. By using a plural first-person pronoun, the artist who is singing aligns himself with the suffering and persecution which is described throughout the song. The lyrics reflect the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s in which African Americans fought for equality, and by saying “One day […] it will be ours”, Legend and Common establish themselves as credible by creating a sense of belonging to the group that they are singing about. Extrinsic ethos is created in a similar way because of the artists themselves. Both Legend and Common are black men who were born in the 1970’s, soon after the Civil Rights Movement. Their parents likely lived through the movement and could have been affected by the segregation that was present before. The fact that their lives crossed paths with the Civil Rights Movement in some way makes it seem like Legend and Common are credible enough to sing about an event such as the Selma marches.

-Angela Jacob