Alanna Kaiser ENGL 137H October 10, 2013 Big Yellow Taxi: A Rhetorical Analysis The 1960s in America

are often identified by the counterculture movements and frivolous drug usage that permeated society at the time. Granted, it was a decade of psychedelic escapades, but more than anything, the 1960s as a decade in American history was an impetus for massive social change, out of which came many revolutions, including the modern environmental movement. Resulting from the increase in environmental consciousness in society was the spread of this mindset through pop culture of the late 60s and 70s. One woman, Joni Mitchell, wrote a song that is notoriously environmental. Joni Mitchell uses her song, Big Yellow Taxi to argue in a very nostalgic way the idea that society is responsible for destroying the environment. She does this by building on the common knowledge of the time period, establishing credibility and logical appeal via allusions, and employing rhetorical devices throughout her lyrics. In order to see value in Mitchells song, understanding the environmental status of the United States at the time that the song was written is key. The United States in the late 1960s was still in the midst of an economic boom spilling over from World War II. Factories were producing goods at high rates, but with no regulations for disposing of waste or other pollutants. This lack of regulations lead to an exponential increase in the amount of air and water pollution being put into the environment. Additionally, as the economy boomed, income per capita rose. People started searching for higher standards

Kaiser 2 of living outside of cities, and suburbs dotted previously undeveloped land. With the growth of suburbs came the need for transit ways back to the cities, and so, highways were developed and high volume automobile traffic became the norm (Smith). As rivers began to change colors and the air became intolerably thick with pollutants, people recognized it was time for a change. Setting the stage for change in 1962 was Rachel Carsons environmental advocacy book, Silent Spring. This piece of literature exposed the hazards of the pesticide DDT, eloquently questioned humanitys faith in technological progress, and helped set the stage for the environmental movement (Story). Then, in 1970, the first Earth Day was established on April 22 (Earth). That same year, the Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Air Act were passed. The Clean Water Act followed two years later (Smith). Joni Mitchell published Big Yellow Taxi in 1970, amidst all of these environmental developments (Big). Since these topics were so hot button at the time, her audience was receptive and cognizant of the message she was trying to send. Had she chosen to publish this song twenty years earlier or later, the message would have been much less relevant due to the lack of social context. Consequently, her credibility and the credibility of her song were dependent on the time period in which they originally thrived. Mitchell also established credibility and enhanced the logical appeal of her message by referencing real places and specific, relevant environmental issues within the lyrics. When asked about the song during an interview with the LA Times in 1996, Mitchell stated:

Kaiser 3 I wrote "Big Yellow Taxi" on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart . . . this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song (Hilburn). Each verse of Big Yellow Taxi has some basis in a current environmental issue, or is an observation Mitchell made during the course of her own life, as exemplified by the aforementioned interview. In fact, many of the points she makes throughout the song are based off of observations that she made whilst on personal trips to Hawaii. This alone automatically lends itself to the nostalgic tone of the song. For example, the pink hotel that is referenced in the first verse of the song is thought to be an allusion to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. The massive building stands directly on the beach, marring the natural landscape with unnatural colors and commotion (Big). Similarly, a Hawaiian journalist makes the claim that the tree museum that Mitchell is referring to in verse two is a reference to the Foster Botanical Gardens, also on the island of Honolulu, that charges people upwards of $5.00 just to see the trees (Donnelly). The DDT that Mitchell refers to in verse three is dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, a pesticide that was commonly used by farmers between 1940 and 1970 to protect their crops. The DDT had very negative effects on micro and macro organisms that also inhabited the crop fields, causing holes in the food chain and possible harm to humans as well, hence why it was considered a method of environmental degradation (DDT). In each of these situations, Mitchell presents the environmental issue or place in a way that reflects bitterness toward the harming of the natural world. By alluding to real subjects,

Kaiser 4 she is able to provide a factual basis and logical appeal for her argument, further making what she was saying relatable and reliable for her audience, while at the same time still enforcing the idea that society is responsible for the degradation of the environment. Throughout the song, Mitchell places the blame for destroying the environment and paving paradise on an unknown entity. She continually uses the word they to describe who she is talking about. At first, it is unclear who this they is. After looking closely, however, the assumption can be made that they refers to society as a whole, or a very large group of influential people. The ambiguity, however, actually serves to build pathos throughout the song because if Mitchell does not make it blatantly clear whom she is placing the blame upon, her audience is free to place the blame themselves. Therefore, using the word they, rather than identifying a specific perpetrator adds to the rhetorical appeal of her argument and makes her message more likely to be received by a greater audience. There are also rhetorical appeals within the lyrics of the song itself that further enforce Mitchells message. Throughout the song, a particular emphasis is put on the line, Dont it always seem to go, that you dont know what youve got till its gone, as it is repeated at least four times as the chorus. This commonplace serves to add an emotional aspect to the argument. Another emotional appeal is also found in verse 3. The use of the word Please, after asking the farmers to Leave me the birds and the bees, sounds almost desperate, and targets the emotions of the audience. Similarly, more emphasis is put on the phrase, paved paradise, put up a parking lot as it is used as part of the chorus. This line is essential in conveying Mitchells message that the environment is in peril at the hands of a great influence. By referring to undeveloped land as paradise,

Kaiser 5 and contrasting that with the image of a parking lot, she reinforces the idea that societal development is destroying the environment (Big). Mitchells message in Big Yellow Taxi is so well defined, in fact, that other musicians have adapted the song to further promote the message that Jodi Mitchell was originally trying to say. One line in the last verse of the lyrics by Mitchell is, A big yellow taxi took away my old man (Big). This verse is slightly ambiguous in relation to the environmental message Mitchell is trying to send. It is possible that this last verse of the song has no environmental relevance at all, and in fact detracts from Mitchells intended argument, instead only adding only to the nostalgic feel of the song. However, the environmental advocacy message is still strong enough that other artists build on it, and even alter the last verse of the song in adaptations in order to further the message, and make it indisputable. For example, Bob Dylan adapts the last verse to say instead, A big yellow bulldozer took away the house and land (Bob). The fact that other artists are changing ambiguous lyrics to further support Mitchells intended message indicates that she did her job of establishing a clear message in the first place. Joni Mitchell successfully argues the idea that society has caused environmental degradation in her song, Big Yellow Taxi. Her argument is effective due to the strong use of rhetoric within the lyrics, and also allusions that are made to further enhance the credibility and logical appeal of the intended message. Finally, the time period context in which this song was originally presented was key to establishing her environmental advocacy message. There is no disputing that Big Yellow Taxi has become a cornerstone piece of environmental pop culture. It is a message that was delivered so effectively that the song is essentially timeless

Kaiser 6 Works Cited "Big Yellow Taxi." Joni Mitchell. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=208>. "Bob Dylan- 'Big Yellow Taxi.'" Song Meanings. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858512284/>. "DDT- A Brief History and Status." Environmental Protection Agency. United States, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/ddtbrief-history-status.htm>. Donnelly, Dave. "They Pave It, Then You Pay For It." Star Bulletin [Honolulu] 16 July 1997: n. pag. Archives Star Bulletin. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://archives.starbulletin.com/1997/07/16/features/donnelly.html>. "Earth Day: The History of a Movement." Earth Day Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement>. Hilburn, Robert. "Both Sides, Later." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 8 Dec. 1996: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/1996-1208/entertainment/ca-6804_1_early-songs>. Smith, Patricia. "1970: Planet Earth Takes Center Stage." New York Times Upfront 25 Oct. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp? article=f102510_green>. "The Story of Silent Spring." Natural Resources Defense Council. N.p., 16 Apr. 1997. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/hcarson.asp>.