Out of the New Dawn: Escaping from the Sunken Place Through Love and Self-Realization in Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer
Absztrakt
Dirty Computer can be read as an allegory of Jordan Peele’s understanding of the Sunken Place in Get Out (2017). Even though there is no clear evidence that Monáe consciously incorporated the Sunken Place into the film, the thesis will point out that one may find many representations both visually and lyrically that may prove that the main character’s Jane’s, who gets kidnapped by a totalitarian system and goes through an aggressive cleaning process, journey is a symbolic escape from the otherworld. Through a visual and lyrical analysis of Jane’s memories in Dirty Computer, the thesis sets out to explore Janelle Monáe’s journey of escaping from their own Sunken Place in a dystopia; and liberating themselves along with their audience by incorporating both communal and self-love, peace and tolerance into their songs and visuals. Besides discussing love, I also demonstrate the creativity of Monáe incorporating social criticism concerning distinct problems affecting the marginalized that may push someone into their own Sunken Place. The analysis considers Monáe’s use of language, style and visuals in order to vocalize crucial social issues, in result, offering the dominant culture a critical reflection on historical and ongoing insights to the marginalized experience.