The Sex Pistols: Punk rock as protest rhetoric
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis examines the punk music of the Sex Pistols as protest rhetoric. Seven of the songs on the album Never Mind the Bollocks Heres the Sex Pistols are analyzed for their content. The analysis utilizes the theory of symbolic convergence and its coinciding fantasy theme analysis along with ego-function of protest rhetoric. Through the analysis it is found that punk rock is in fact protest rhetoric as defined and explained by the theory of ego-function. The guides of this theory explain the emergence of punk music and the resulting culture. Symbolic convergence theory and fantasy theme analysis examines the messages within the text and how they express the ideas, beliefs, and values of the punk culture. This provides a better understanding of punk culture and the messages communicated in the songs of the Sex Pistols.
abstract: This thesis examines the punk music of the Sex Pistols as protest rhetoric. Seven of the songs on the album Never Mind the Bollocks Heres the Sex Pistols are analyzed for their content. The analysis utilizes the theory of symbolic convergence and its coinciding fantasy theme analysis along with ego-function of protest rhetoric. Through the analysis it is found that punk rock is in fact protest rhetoric as defined and explained by the theory of ego-function. The guides of this theory explain the emergence of punk music and the resulting culture. Symbolic convergence theory and fantasy theme analysis examines the messages within the text and how they express the ideas, beliefs, and values of the punk culture. This provides a better understanding of punk culture and the messages communicated in the songs of the Sex Pistols.
author: Byers, Cari Elaine
language: English
date published: 2002-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:25:33Z
provider: University of Nevada - Las Vegas
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.25669/yfq8-0mgs