National Identity in American Oxygen by Rihanna

The music video of American Oxygen portrays national identity to be the 'American Dream', however uses juxtaposition to portray that America is not just the positives but also the negatives, showing stereotypical features of the national identity, but also then shows a non-stereotypical side. It also shows how those chasing the American dream, immigrants, were treated in America and how it the 'American dream' was not what it seemed to be, again Juxtaposition is used to show this again. Various shots of American flags, spaceships with USA on, and long shots of the statue of liberty all fit the stereotypical national identity. The editing of the silhouettes in front of the building show important events of American history, adding to the representation of the national identity as they're part of the country's history. Close up shots of influential and well known figures in American history such as Barack and Michelle Obama and Martin Luther King Jr that represent the national identity. The use of rapid editing shows the juxtaposition, for example a long shot of people playing american football and then a long shot of riots. At the end of the video, the non-digetic music says 'we are the new America', over close ups and mid shots of black and white people integrating, shaking hands and helping each other, showing that even though the national identity is often seen to be racist, through the history of discrimination against black people, America has changed to become more racially diverse, testing the stereotypical national identity.