Analysis Of When Whitney Hit The High Note By Journalist Danyel Smith

Journalist Danyel Smith, in her article, “When Whitney Hit the High Note,” examines the topic of Whitney Houston’s iconic 1991 Super Bowl performance of “The Star Spangled Banner,” making the point that because Houston’s rendition took place in a different world, her bold alterations to the structure and style of the national anthem were exceedingly influential for people of color. Smith supports this claim by comparison, followed by description, and finally causal analysis. Using an evocative tone, the author’s purpose is to illuminate the manner in which Houston’s performance influenced black America, in order to induce society into unashamedly fighting injustices head-on, just as Whitney Houston did.
Smith begins her evaluation of Houston’s performance by using comparison to highlight the differences between society today and society in 1991, and how these differences altered the way she influenced America. Smith recalls that January of 1991 was “A full decade before the United States of America came to a brief but full stop – 2,977 people

As evaluated by Smith, “Like the best heroes, Whitney – the black girl from Jersey who worked her way to global stardom, made history and died early from the weight of it – makes bravery look easy... She is calmly joyful – cool, actually, and free of fear. And when she arrives at Oh, say [cymbal] does our star- [cymbal] spangled banner yet wave, she moves to lift the crowd. It's a question. It's always been a question. And she sings it like an answer. People were weeping in the stands, weeping in their homes” (Smith 6). The imagery Smith uses in discussing the Super Bowl performance helps the reader to understand that by truly owning her moment in the spotlight, Houston was symbolically representing the fruit of a centuries-long battle against