In 2011 there were protest going on in Georgia, a country in the Middle East, against the Tbilisi president Mikheil Saakashvili. Like many middle eastern countries, Georgia was going through a revolution. The people of Georgia at the time were not happy with the president. During an anti-government protest police forces were called in to stop the protest. This protest led to many causalities on both sides and resulted in high tensions. In response, Beyoncé released her music video to her new song Run The World. Her video embodies the transition from dictatorship to democracy. In this video she uses many visual strategies are used to appeal to pathos and evoke a sense of inspiration in the audience, particularly, the use of the color black, which is extremely important to the visual motif in this video to represent power and leadership.

Throughout the video the color black is used throughout the video to represent the transition of power that the people in Georgia were being faced with. The opening scene in the music video is Beyoncé riding in on an all-black horse, who stands on its two hind legs in a victory pose. The purpose of this opening scene is to show how Beyoncé is a dark horse and that she is coming into power unexpectedly. During the revolution the people revolting against the government were never expected to do this, showing that they were a “black horse” in that time. Beyoncé is trying to reach audience members who were in Georgia at the time. The people revolting were striving for victory, which makes this scene extremely relatable at the time of the Georgia revolution. The Georgian people had a strong desire to win and see a change within their country. Following her arrival on the horse, she jumps on top of a black car wearing an all-black outfit. On the car the word revolution is spray painted in big red letters. The point she was making is that the people of Georgia are on top of the revolution and want to see a change in their country.  The use of the horse and the car exemplify power and transition. Transition can be see through the horse and the car because these are both two objects that can travel forward. The point of the revolution was to move forward to a better life and receive equal rights. The audience can feel a sense of inspiration because no one wants to be oppressed by anyone, which makes this part extremely relatable to audience members. Even though most audience members are not from Georgia doesn’t mean others cannot relate to being oppressed. Most of Beyoncé’s audience consist of African American, who can all relate to racism and being oppressed because of the color of their skin. This being said, her parallelism to Georgia’s oppression can be seen by other groups as well. Beyoncé uses inspiration to show that the people in Georgia wanted to see a change. This desire to be free instills a strong sense of pathos in the audience, which is exactly what Beyoncé wanted to do in this video. 

Throughout the video Beyoncé is seen wearing less black clothes and more colorful ones. In one of the first scenes she is seen wearing a yellow outfit with black gloves and boots. She is shown as the leader of her group because she is seen in front of the pack. The backup dancers behind her are seen wearing pops of color to illustrate that they are free thinkers. The use of non-black clothing items in this case shows how Beyoncé’s movement is being lead toward a more diverse thought process. In this scene she is leading the girls toward a freer thinking rather than being under a dictatorship. This symbolizes that the revolution is winning and the need for a leader starts to become un-needed. One can also say that as Beyoncé wears less black, she is showing the free thinking and diversity that the revolution is bringing. One scene in particular shows Beyoncé in a green outfit with black shorts that are barely visible. In this scene Beyoncé is in front of a pack of girls in a triangle formation, while facing policemen who are in a straight line. The police are seen wearing all black uniforms. This scene illustrates that the revolution has transitioned and succeeded. Throughout this video Beyoncé is seen as a solitary, leader figure who brings the revolution together, but the police are a group of people who believe in conformity. The revolution in this case demonstrates free thinking, while the police are a group of people who blindly follow the dictatorship regime. In this instance there are two separate types of power being represented. The power to inspire change and the power to conform. As a leader Beyoncé uses her transition of power to instill equal power among the revolution, while the police show that that they are one track thinkers. Audience members can see this transition through the color clothes Beyoncé choses to wear. She moves forward with the revolution by passing on her power to the people who support her.

In the final scenes of the music video Beyoncé takes the badge off the police officer and places it on herself. After this she solutes the officers. This demonstrates the final transition of power from dictatorship to democracy. By taking the badge from the officer, it shows who has the power now. Beyoncé and her group have a new point of view, of freedom and diversity, In the end the Georgia revolution was successful and many changes were made to the government. After this final scene, the audience can see transition and power in the use of the color black. 

Throughout the music video Run The World by Beyoncé the color black can be seen as a visual motif to illustrate power and transition. Power in this can be shown through the different ideas of power, free thinking and diversity, while the police show conformity and narrow mindedness. The theme of transition is demonstrated in the use of the images of the black horse and the black car. All in all, Beyoncé’s video Run This World is successful in using appeals to pathos in using black as a visual motif to inspire the Georgian people. 

