Analysis of Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron

The poem “Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron is a powerful piece of spoken word. The reading is one of raw emotion that uses popular media icons from its era and the names of products from its time to convey its message (Scott-Heron). This message and the poems’ theme carry forward into today where we now see a new revolution rising around the world with regards to the media and mandates from the pandemic. The primary theme is revolution and the secondary themes are that revolution requires action and revolution requires awareness.

The words speak to the reader or listener directly, encouraging and enabling thought. There is a metaphoric and literal connection made between corporate consumerism, the media, and how it is used as a distraction. A clear example is in the verse “Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and women will not care if Dick finally gets down with Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day” (Scott-Heron). In this portion of the seventh stanza the poet conveys the understanding that the people are distracted by network programming, the fictitious lives that are not relevant while the state of the world is ignored. Scott-Heron is causing the provocation of thought of the listener or reader to notice they need to rise above this distraction because the revolution will be one of freedom but requires action.

Although the words sighted in the poem invoke emotion and a clear message, this is amplified with the delivery given by Scott-Heron. During his delivery Scott-Heron uses music that would be best described as a rhythmic beat that amplifies the tone, he uses to speak his poem (Ace Records). The combination of the vocal tempo combined with that of the beat gives a feeling of power and severity (Ace Records). There are points in the video where it is plausible that one could feel anxiety or anxious from the way these elements are combined. The entire piece is an invocation of power and strength and while it may feel worrisome at first the point again is to invoke thought. The fear it invokes is actually the fear of the changed perspective the poem and its delivery has given the viewer or listener on their own reality.

The poem uses conceit in a way that can actually be taken literally with todays standards but it is not actually meant to serve that purpose during the era the poem is from. In constantly saying “The revolution will not be televised” (Scott-Heron) the message is not that the media will black out the revolution or not show coverage. Instead, this phrase is meant as a metaphor that revolution requires action, being televised is meant to relate to sitting idle and watching. The statement is attempting to create a realization with the audience that they need to act if they want revolution to progress and not sit and wait for it to happen.

One of the more powerful devices found in the poem is its use of repetition. Although it is not always spoken the same line is repeated in many of the stanzas stating “The revolution will not be televised” (Scott-Heron). The use of how this phrase is repeated gives the poem a flow, because it is not found at the end of every stanza but it places the idea in the mind of the audience that it should be there. It is hard to read the poem and not think of this line at the end of each stanza even when it is not present. Repetition is a powerful technique used to ensure those who are reading or listening to information retain what is being conveyed.

Scott-Heron was able to capture and convey a perspective about what revolution required for progression that has managed to continue to inspire today. With the recent events that have happened globally his words bring more truth than ever, even though at the time of writing much of “Revolution Will Not Be Televised” was a metaphor. The themes of revolution, revolution requiring action and revolution requiring awareness are demonstrated clearly in each stanza. The message is powerful and the words are insightful. The most insightful thing about this piece is it can be analyzed in a different way when applied to today’s events than those of the poet’s era while the words still have validity.

Works Cited

Ace Records [Ace Records LTD]. (2013, October 7). Gil Scott-Heron - Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Official Version) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwSRqaZGsPw

Scott-Heron, Gil. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” History Is a Weapon, www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/herontelevised.html

Cover Image

Pexels. (2020, July 23). Woman in pink long sleeve shirt holding white plastic cup · Free Stock photo. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-pink-long-sleeve-shirt-holding-white-plastic-cup-4842647/