""Not Ready to Make Nice"

The Dixie Chicks’ song “Not Ready to Make Nice” describes and responds to a controversy between the speaker and their audience. The artist has “paid a price”, but they are “mad as hell” about the events that have taken place. The message of “Not Ready to Make Nice” is that the speaker feels wronged but isn’t looking for any reconciliation. Using an argument based mainly on ethos and pathos, the artist wants the audience to know that they aren’t ready to put their differences to rest. The argument is a bitter request for an apology, with the acknowledgement that it may never come.

The artist behind “Not Ready to Make Nice” is responding to a wrong they feel has been committed against them. In lines 3 and 4,“They say time heals everything/but I’m still waiting,” it appears that the speaker is waiting for an apology. While they song does not clearly state what has happened, the audience can gather that the speaker’s actions were controversial. This can be seen in the lines 7 through 10, “I’ve paid a price/And I’ll keep paying/ I’m not ready to make nice/I’m not ready to back down”. However, it seems that the artist is at peace with the decisions they’ve made, no matter what the backlash has been, as evidenced by “I’m through with doubt/There’s nothing left for me to figure out” (lines 5 and 6) and “I made my bed and I sleep like a baby/No regrets and I don’t mind saying” (lines17 and 18). The speaker’s response is an attempt to justify their anger and prove they will deal with the consequences of their actions.

The message is constructed around a strong persona in which the speaker is angry and contentious. “Not Ready to Make Nice” opens with the lines “Forgive, sounds good/Forgive, I’m not sure I could”, which show the speaker is resentful. This adds bitterness to the persona because it suggests that the speaker cannot let go of what has happened. Lines 24 through 29 reflect this bitterness, as well as the speaker’s controversial role, saying, “And how in the world can the words that I said/Send somebody so over the edge/That they’d write me a letter/Saying that I better shut up and sing/Or my life would be over.” In the chorus, the phrase “mad as hell” is repeated multiple times, which is a rather obvious declaration of the speaker’s feelings. The persona created by “Not Ready to Make Nice” is defiant and disillusioned with the audience and controversy.

“Not Ready to Make Nice” makes a point to speak directly to the characters the artist has an issue with. The last line of the chorus says, “Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should,” and lines 17 and 18 tell the audience, “I know you said/Can’t you just get over it”. Both of these passages show that the audience is comprised of the people with whom the artist is angry. Later, in lines 23-24, the songs says “It’s a sad, sad story when a mother will teach her/daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.” These lines are speaking to a specific incident and the committer of the act. The speaker is using the song as a declaration to those who have wronged them.

To make their argument, the speaker in “Not Ready to Make Nice” starts by explaining their anger. The song does not leave the audience to wonder if the speaker is mad for the sake of madness, but it continually reminds the listener that they feel aggrieved and why. This is a positive note for the message’s conveyance because it allows to audience to focus on the argument. Unfortunately, there are negative sides to the argument’s presentation as well. The speaker’s repetitive refusal to grant forgiveness to their perceived persecutors can come across as immature. By blatantly saying, “It’s too late to make it right/I probably wouldn’t if I could,” the artist seems hostile and unwilling to compromise. This makes the argument unattractive to the audience, especially if the speaker is looking for an apology from them. The speaker’s cynicism allows them to explain their anger, but it also damages their persona.

The argument and effectiveness of “Not Ready to Make Nice” is based heavily on ethos. The speaker tells the audience the reasons they have to be angry, which gives them credibility and a right to speak. “I’ve paid a price” (line 7) shows that the speaker has suffered as a result of the controversy surrounding them. Additionally, they are still waiting for healing and closure on the matter, evidence in the lines “They say time heals everything/But I’m still waiting”. The speaker’s life has been threatened, they have been told to “shut up and sing”. By mentioning these insults, the artist uses pathos to support the argument. Death threats and hate mail create a human side to the speaker and the audience begins to sympathize with their suffering. All of these things give the speaker a justified reason to be mad. By building a credible defense of their feelings, the speaker strengthens their argument and overcomes the seemingly childish refusal to apologize first.

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