Oh Yes AP Language Blog: Play That Funky Music

Friday, October 16, 2015

Play That Funky Music

Step by step directions for rhetorical analysis

sample

Notice in the example that he concentrates on the lyrics of the song.

Your job is to complete a rhetorical analysis of a song of your choice. Nothing with raunchiness please. Keep it clean. Also, no repeats.

You may choose from any genre including pop, country, show tunes, hymns, old nigro spirituals...the list goes on and on. Do not pick a song that pops up when you type in rhetorical analysis of a song. Pick a song that you like and DO THE WORK. Have fun!

83 comments:

UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 10:29 AM
I have selected the song Lego House by Ed Sheeran.

The link to the VIDEO is: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c4BLVznuWnU
The link to the LYRICS is: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/edsheeran/legohouse.html

The title Lego House is used because a metaphor is used throughout the entire song. In the first line Ed says,"I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a Lego house." This is the metaphor I was talking about. He refers this to a relationship and how you need to start somewhere and build it up. In the next line when he says," If things go wrong we can knock it down," he is talking about how fragile relationships can be. You work so hard to build them up and then in one second you drop it and it is ruined. Ed goes on the says, "My three words have two meanings but there's one thing one my mind, it's all for you." This is a neat way of him talking about "I love you" as the three words. If you look at the numerical word choice, if you will, it is interesting because Ed uses 1-4 numbers in his song by saying my THREE words have TWO meanings but there's ONE thing on my mind, it's all FOR (four) you. This could looked at as his diction or choice of words. Ed uses imagery in this song when he says, "it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm." This is because the viewers can picture a dark, cold December night and how brutal it is, but then there is her, the source of warm and comfort that makes it better. An appeal to our emotion, or pathos, is also occurring there.

Throughout the refrain Ed brings anaphora into the song. He continues to use "I'm out of" at the beginning of the line. Also, the refrain contains more of the metaphor between the Legos and a relationship, and an example of this would be, "I'll pick you up when your getting down." Think of a Lego house and a relationship, when both are fallen down and at their weakest point, they are in need of someone to come and pick them up.

Sheeran also uses one metaphor inside the text when he sings, "I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in." He then sings," If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall." Now is he actually going to frame her and out her on a wall? Well of course not. When you are proud of a painting you will frame it and put it on the wall, and when he is proud of his girlfriend he will go and show everyone and do what he can to make it last.
Ed uses an imperative sentence by stating, "don't hold me down," because he wants free and can't be stopped. The song then ends with the refrain being repeated with anaphora being used again.
Overall, this song was a fun and interesting way to come up with a rhetorical analysis.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 1:21 PM
Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw

In this heart-rending song, Tim McGraw makes a performance in a stand against cancer and narrates the difficult and emotional journey of all victims. McGraw starts off by clearly giving the audience a feel for the situation that a particular sufferer is in, and how eventually that leads to a change in lifestyle. "He said, ‘I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me. When a moment came and stopped me on a dime. I spent most of the next days, lookin at the x-rays. Talkin about the options and talkin about sweet time.’ " He has his whole life ahead of him, when an unfortunate moment came up and "stopped him on a dime," an idiom that means he stopped immediately. From there, it can be inferred that the issue is cancer because x-rays and uncertain options are associated with that. "Talkin about the options" reveals that the victim is unsure of something. Does he want to undergo painful procedures that could maybe kill him? Does he want to live in peace for the time he has left? Next, "I asked him when it sank in, if this might really be the real end. How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news? Man, whatch'ya do?" By asking these questions, one can attempt to understand what the victim is going through and how he will respond.
Ethos is established through the nature of the predicament. A narration of the events of someone who has cancer is certainly something worth listening to. Now, because of the unlucky occurrences, one is given a whole new outlook on life with the perspective of a cancer victim, through the refrain: "He said, ‘I went skydivin, I went Rocky Mountain climbin. I went two point seven seconds, on a bull named Fu Man Chu. And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin. And he said someday I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dying.’ " Anaphora is demonstrated here, as the victim repeats that "I did this and I did that." Anyways, he is starting to live life like it is his last day, an aspect that derives from a logical sense. He knows his time on earth is nearly complete, hence the reason he is doing things that he's always wanted to do, in other words, completing his bucket list. In addition, he is really cherishing the time he has left with loved ones and putting aside all the grudges and replacing them with mercy. Essentially, however, this entire message is metaphorical. You never know when your last day may be, or when you may receive shocking news yourself, which is why you cannot wait until something like this happens to change the manner in which you live. You have to live everyday without limitations and without going through the motions, and instead, live life to its fullest, like you are dying.
By and large, the diction generated by the lyrics is colloquial, as it consists of an everyday conversational tone and also shortened verb forms, such as "talkin', climibin', lookin'." McGraw uses clues to reference things as well. For example, "when I finally read the good book," refers to reading the Bible. Ultimately, the whole song is filled with pathos, or emotional appeals. The listener is instantly connected with the cancer sufferer and ultimately feels sympathetic. A hint of anger can be felt too, as cancer is a terrible thing that continues to elude mankind's realm of knowledge.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 1:34 PM
The song "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons is what I am writing about.

MUSIC VIDEO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0
LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mumfordsons/iwillwait.html

Every song by Mumford and Sons has a very deep, profound meaning. In "I Will Wait", it all starts in the title. Someone is obviously waiting for another person. Throughout the song, I finally figured out who this person is. He is waiting on God. There is a metaphor at the very beginning that states, "I came home like a stone and fell heavy into your arms." This is implying that he is relying on someone for support to surpass the next line, which states "The days of dust." I think the days of dust are all the troubled and tough times in life where an unknown path is taken, and he could be relying on anything from alcohol, to a person. In the next line he states that he will kneel down (which implies prayer) and wait for you. He proceeds to state that he will "break his step, relent, and while you forgave, I won't forget." He also says that when he is freed from the lies, he will raise his hands, bow his head, and keep his heart slow. He is waiting for his troubled times to be over and to be free of sin, so he can get to heaven.
The purpose of this song is to, in a modernized style, tell our youth that prayer and forgiveness will help us deal with hardships in life, and will motivate us to reach out to God. The syntax used throughout the song is a collage of short, choppy lines that give a nice musical rhythm while still getting a deep point across. The diction, which is the choice of vocabulary, is the use of very simple but powerful words. He uses "forgave and I won't forget", "tame my flesh", and many more similar phrases.
The speakers, which are the whole band, use the rhetorical appeals throughout the piece. They use ethos to establish why they are significant. They are established as a Christian Rock band that have been on the top billboards all around the world. They use this song to get sympathy from the listeners as they listen to the struggle of waiting, then completely turn it around when he finds what he is looking for.
The writers state, "I will wait for you" more than ten times throughout the song, showing the importance of the line. Today's society is always rushed. We just have to be patient and wait for our chance for a better life. This song was very interesting and was a fun song to analyze rhetorically.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 1:39 PM
I have chosen the song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa (ft. Charlie Puth).

Video- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk
Lyrics- http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/wizkhalifa/seeyouagain.html

"See You Again" is a song that can be viewed, even thought it is not directly mentioned, as a tribute to Paul Walker. Paul was an actor in the Fast and Furious series who passed away. Wiz Khalifa has numerous songs in the Fast and Furious movies and has worked with Walker and the other cast members. Because of Khalifas affiliations with Walker, the lyrics to the song can definitely be interpreted as a song dedicated to Walker.

The song begins with Charlie Puth, he says, "It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. We've come a long way from where we began.
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. When I see you again." This opening can be interpreted in numerous ways. If you look at this song as a tribute to Walker, it can be interpreted as the days are harder, but there are memories, as well as new stories, and at one point we will meet again. It really focuses on the reality of death, once someone is gone, you remember all the memories but you have to move forward. Moving forward might be challenging for someone, hence the point of saying "it's been a long day," but it is necessary. The opening can also be taken as the author has been separated from someone or something and is having a rough time without them. The person or possession has been through a lot with the author but after the separation the author had to move on and make new memories. Anaphora is used as the opening also doubles as the song's chorus, stressing it's message.

In the first verse, Khalifa uses metaphors about past memories and then brings up meeting with Walker, if you interpret it that way, or the person/possession that he was separated from. He then describes talking about another path, a path after the separation with new, different memories. He then revisits the time spent together, but by saying "it wouldn't last," shows he knows something will break the relationship. He later mentions family, implying that it is about a person rather than a possession and also mentions "and now you gon' be with me for the last ride," showing the reunion of the author and other person.

The second verse focuses more on the building of the relationship and how it splits. He talks about how friendships turn into bonds and that the love will never be lost. He also mentions about a line being drawn and that line being reached. In relation to Walker, the talk of friendship could be related to Khalifa's relationship with him had how the "line could have been his death. It could also be taken as a relationship with someone that reached the breaking point for whatever reason.

The song concludes with Puth wishing the person well on their new journey and instructing them to keep the memories. This could be directed at Walker or to anyone dealing with losing someone. The chorus is also repeated before the endow the song. Regardless of who the song is directed at, it sends a strong message about relationships, losing someone, and moving on. If taken as a tribute to Walker, Khalifa did a fantastic job writing a song to him.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 1:43 PM
John,
I thought that your blog was fantastic. As I listened to the song, I could really see the connections that you made. I especially liked when you broke down the lyrics and described them. Great job.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 6:32 PM
John,
You did a wonderful job on your blog! Personally, I love the song and especially how you analyzed it. I like how you offered different rhetorical interpretations on the lyrics; it made me think of them from various angles. Overall, the most important part of your piece, to me, was how you emphasized how one moves on from a tough loss. At some point in life, we are all going to have experience a tragedy, but we must have the confidence that someday we'll meet again! Excellent work!
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AnonymousOctober 17, 2015 at 8:08 PM
I chose the song "John Couger John Deere John 3:16" by Keith Urban

The link to the music video is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdu8M2val_w
The link to the lyrics is http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/keithurban/johncougarjohndeerejohn316.html

From the start of this song I think Keith Urban is relating to us what his life was like before he was famous. It is all the things that are and were the most important to him. It shows the audience that he is more then just a typical country star that has no idea what they are writing or singing.

He established his logos, pathos and ethos in many ways. It all depends on how the person listening to the song interpreters the lyrics. I think he established that he knows what it is like to be something other than famous by the line "And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16." It does not say anything about being famous. That simple line is repeated four times. This line states his ethos; it shows his life is centered around his music background, past work experience, and God. His logos is simple, he would not be where he is today. He is a humble man who knows God needs to be the center of his life. His logic fro writing this song was to prove to the world who he is as a person. This song hits emotion by appealing to religion. "I spent a lot of years running from believing, looking for another way to save my soul. The longer I live, the more I see it: there's only one way home." The home talked about can be interpreted as heaven. It shows that he also struggled to believe in God; the only way to save his soul was to find God in his life.

Keith Urban uses anaphora because each word of the first seven lines starts with I'm. He uses a lot of repetition to make the song flow. It is interesting that he uses John 3:16 and yet easy to understand; it is the most quoted bible verse. This song had a clear point to make to his audience, to show the importance of everything other than fame. His audience is to multiple ages. I think it appeals to people who know John Cougar, John Wayne, Superman, Don McLean, and Kris Kristofferson. You do not have to be from that era to get deep meaning from the song; his relationship with God can be interpreted from all ages.
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UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 9:01 PM
I chose the song "Something in the Water" by Carrie Underwood to rhetorically analyze. This song has very deep meaning behind it and connects with many listeners. Throughout the song we hear repeatedly how she was lost, found, and changed. As we look deeper into the words we see what she really means by singing this song.
In the first lines of words, we hear her say "He said, "I've been where you've been before. Down every hallway's a slamming door. No way out, no one to come and save me. Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave me." What underwood is saying is that she is headed down the wrong path which ultimately ends up leading her to make the wrong choices instead of the right ones. When she is in these situations she has no one to fall back on and she feels as though she has nobody by her side. She begins to have the feeling of uselessness. In the next group of lines, Underwood says, "Then somebody said what I'm saying to you, Opened my eyes and told me the truth." They said, "Just a little faith, it'll all get better." So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I'm changed. And now I'm stronger. What can be taken from this is that it only takes one person to change a person. One person has the ability to wipe away the blindness that falls over our eyes when we lose faith. People need to have the perseverance to keep moving forward and all it takes is faith and belief that God will guide you. When underwood followed the preacher to the river this could mean she attended mass on Sunday's. She probably did not physically follow him to a river, rather listened to his word at the Sunday liturgy.
After these lyrics we hear for the first time the refrain that states there must be something in the water. What can be taken from this is that something struck home and connected with her. She liked something that was said and it appealed to her.
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AnonymousOctober 18, 2015 at 7:31 AM
MUSIC VIDEO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=76RbWuFll0Y
LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nickelback/whenwestandtogether.html

I chose the song "When We Stand Together" by Nickelback for my rhetorical analysis. Nickelback's song is mainly horative. They use the song to tell the world that "we must stand together." At the beginning of the song, vivid imagery is used to portray the world's disinterest and to show the problems Nickelback is trying to address. The imagery also contributes a a great deal of pathos to the piece as well as logos because the statements carry quite a bit of truth. The lyrics " One more depending on a prayer, and we all look away. People pretending everywhere, it's just another day. There's bullets flying through the air, and they still carry on. We watch it happen over there, and then just turn it off." show our worlds tendency to ignore problems rather than helping with them. When they sing "there's bullets flying through the air," I believe Nickelback addresses war. Nickelback sends a strong message that we watch these wars occur, often on television, and then simply turn it off. Also, Nickelback uses some metaphors to get their message across and to show an alternate view of a situation. They compare a heartbeat to a drum beat. I believe they chose that metaphor to show that as life continues so will the need for us to stand together. Also, Nickelback says that "we could feed a starving world with what we throw away, but all we serve are empty words that always taste the same." I think with this comparison, Nickelback shows that instead of physically helping people, we make excuses and lie that we're too busy, or simply say that we want to help them, which does nothing. Also, Nickelback makes use of repetition and parallelism. The similar structure of many of the lyrics as well as repeating of the chorus helped Nickleback get their message across. Saying it more than once and with similar structure draws the attention of the audience, and therefore, helps spread the message.
Nickelback shows profound meaning in "When We Stand Together." By analyzing their rhetorical strategies, I received a deeper understanding of the songs meaning. While the meaning is fairly easily inferred, the rhetoric helps us go deeper into the meaning of the song.
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Zach WortmanOctober 18, 2015 at 8:24 AM
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Zach WortmanOctober 18, 2015 at 8:30 AM
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Zach WortmanOctober 18, 2015 at 8:30 AM
I decided to write about "The River" by Garth Brooks.

The Song:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FuO3FhA3PWc

Lyrics:http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garthbrooks/theriver.html

The person that my song is written by is the county singer Garth Books. He performs his song intending challenge people to live their life to the fullest. The song appeals to ethos because people are inclined to pay attention to a humble cowboy's word. Some people need guidance in their life which is a reason they would probably apply the song to their life as they listened.

A logical person might listen to the song because Brooks basically wrote how life should be lived in his song. Pathos is what makes the performance. Pathos is mostly in the delivery of his song. He is very serious and sincere in his singing of the song. You can tell that the song means something to him because of the tone Garth Brooks performs it. The syntax used in the song almost makes it seem dreamy. It makes you want to picture what is going on in his writing.

When I first heard the song, I automatically realized that it was just one big metaphor. Part of the song's lyrics say "Don't you sit upon the shoreline. And say you're satisfied. Choose to chance the rapids. And dare to dance the tide." He is saying that you can't just watch your life get away from you. You should never be satisfied because having a restless mentality is how you make it far in life. It says that you need to take risks because people who are willing to take risks are the people who harvest the most in life. The lines "I will sail my vessel, 'Til the river runs dry is used extensively throughout the because it is the main focus of the song. If you give up often, you will find yourself regretting your decisions often. The song was easy to analyze because it was written to be analyzed as it was listened to. I think that everyone should listen to this song because it could really change lives.
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Kara DetschOctober 18, 2015 at 9:27 AM
Ironic by Alanis Morissette
Lyrics- http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alanismorissette/ironic.html
Video- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc

In this song, many examples of the coincidences of life are listed. The song starts out with the metaphors "An old man turned ninety-eight, He won the lottery and died the next day; It's a black fly in your Chardonnay, It's a death row pardon two minutes too late, And isn't it ironic... don't you think" These lyrics describe the unexpectedness of every day life and just how random it can be. Nearly every person can relate to this song because of how it actually applies to the domino effect of daily activities, even though these examples are not of irony. If one thing goes wrong, everything else just seems to go wrong after that.
Morissette says, "It's like rain on your wedding day, it's a free ride when you've already paid, it's the good advice that you just didn't take, who would've thought... it figures" She uses these examples to show how life can just blow up in your face sometimes and uses imagery to help the listener picture the events. Morissette uses repetitive diction with the use of the word "life" and asks the question "don't ya think?" frequently. This shows that life's unpredictable nature is almost at times funny, or better in Morissette's words, it figures. The song also brings up the importance of being careful of what we wish for. Using the example of the old man who wins the lottery, we can venture into this idea. That man could have lived a terrible, angry life but just happened to get lucky. Unfortunately his luck ended abruptly. So does this have anything to do with fate? Do the ways we live our lives contribute to our eventual fate? This is something that as Catholics we like to believe is true.
Morissette appeals to all three rhetorical appeals as well. Ethos is established by the situations she presents, clearly identifying that she has encountered during some point in her life. Logos is established by the mere fact that they are all logical tasks that need to be completed, but life gets in the way. Lastly, pathos is established by the connection to the emotions of the listeners through the scenarios. Every person can in some way relate to these common, almost laughable, issues. The deep meaning within this song is hidden. She encourages people to take risks and live life to the fullest despite what life throws at you. Even when it looks as though the odds are against you, persevere. At the end of the song, Morissette uses the phrase "life has a funny, funny way of helping you out." Essentially, this is saying that the setbacks that life cause us actually propel us forward. By being thrown off, we can grow and learn. Isn't it ironic how life works?
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Catherine CerroniOctober 18, 2015 at 9:38 AM
Face Down- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O4rwGeoFSXU

Face down is a song written by the band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The song is written because a girl, that the main singer is in love with, is being abused by her boyfriend. The song is mainly directed towards the boyfriend, but occasionally makes an appeal to the girl. The reason this song is being written is to stop the abuse from happening and eventually get the girl. You can tell by the angry tine if the song and the word choice that the man does care for the girl. He uses this to his advantage in the first lines of the song. He says "Hey girl you know you drive me crazy, one look puts the rhythm in my hand, still I'll never understand why you hang around, I see what's going down." With these lyrics, the lead singer is using ethos to convince the girl that there is something wrong. He tells her that he loves her and she should trust her because he would never do that to her because he loves her. He then makes an appeal to logos, saying that him hitting her so that she has to cover it up with makeup and him leaving her alone emotionally is not love.
The lead singer then redirects his attention towards the man who is abusing her. He says "Do you feel like a man, when you push her around? Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?" The intention of these words is to make the abuser evaluate why he is doing what he is doing, in attempt to make him realize that it's wrong. It also establishes ethos over the man, with the lead singer saying that he does not need to put someone down to pick himself up. He uses logos against the abuser also, saying that one day it will catch up to him and the consequences will affect him forever. He uses the words "Heed my lecture" which could be directed to the girl or the man. The girl because he is saying it is not good for her and it needs to stop immediately before something even worse happens. It could be directed towards the man because he is saying that the girl will eventually understand and will leave. He says this multiple times using the words "One day she will tell you that she has had enough.", and "it's coming round again" in reference to the consequences, and "Face down in the dirt, she says this doesn't hurt, she says I finally had enough." The lead singers main goal is for this to happen, for the girl to realize that she is being treated badly and that someone, possibly him, will treat her better.
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Really HerzingOctober 18, 2015 at 10:22 AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FYogZ1KER_k
http://www.directlyrics.com/coldplay-miracles-lyrics.html
Miracles- Coldplay
In this song the writer opens up with "From up above I heard the angles sing to me these words, and somethings in your eyes I see the beauty in the world". From just this first lyric I can decipher that Chris Martin, the writer, explains a new love for God that he never knew before. Also, in the chorus of the song he writes "Oh how I'm floating so high I blossom and die send your storm and your lightening to strike right between the eyes". He is trying to explain to the audience that even when he is blossoming or dying, maybe like a flower, that God will always be there to open his eyes when the lightning strikes. While creating the song o feel as if the purpose of this emotional song is to empower people to find God and preserve in their own daily lives.
The majority of this song was developed from pathos of the writer because he is expressing his feelings from everything within him. He refers to himself a good amount in his writing, by using "I", because he was open used into something beautiful that he never knew before. He had feelings of sensation and truth that he never knew before so while creating the song his feelings must have been intense. He is creating an idea that may question or persuade someone into finding a love for the faith God because of the tone he refers to. If you listen to this song you will come to the realization that he is jubilant and found a new profound love for something bigger then himself. Also, when he writes the song he mentions the negatives of life that everyone faces, but he jumps back into the reasoning that God will help you through anything. One line states, "Sometimes the stars decide to reflect the petals in the dirt. When I look in your eyes I forget all about what hurts." He mentions something that isn't exactly wonderful, but then enforces that everything is better with God and nothing will hurt anymore; it will feel like Heaven.
So, basically the the argument that is presented before us is of we would give up our own selfish ways to bask in all of Gods glory. From this song I developed a strong sense that the write, once before, did not have a feeling, love, or understanding for God, but when he opened his eyes to see what was really put before him he understood the world more clearly. In the context of the paper he mentioned a lot of struggles that a lot of people may understand, but he made it clear that God will be with you no matter what. One produced lyric writes that "Believed in Miracles" because everyone goes through hard things, but God can get you thought it. In all, this song reveals a story and irrupts a question that is very difficult for one to answer. Will you believe God even in the worst times?

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Mitchell CashmerOctober 18, 2015 at 10:56 AM
Take me to Church Hozier
Lyrics http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hozier/takemetochurch.html
Video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t0imaSCnSuA

The first verse starts out with a message that is not of the norm. "My lover's got humor she's the giggle at a funeral knows everybody's disapproval I should've worshipped her sooner." This message is very powerful, because it shows that the "lover" has a dark sense of humor, or that she gets in a lot of trouble. Then the speaker uses worshipped, which is a very strong word. It implies that she is his/her religion. The next part of the verse builds upon the religion theme. "If the heavens ever did speak she's the last true mouthpiece every Sunday's getting more bleak a fresh poison each week." The speaker uses words like heavens, every Sunday and the mouthpiece. These words are very relatable to other religions. The speaker is drawing these parallels to criticize part of the other religion, or he is trying to establish his ethos with the parallels with popular religions. The final part of the verse shows that he is criticizing the popular believes. The speaker says "We were born sick," you heard them say it. This can be referring to stances of religions on sexual orientation. The speaker then says, "But I love it." This means he does not care about what other say. The final part of the verse says Amen three times. To me this first verse sounds like a prayer. This is a prayer to the lover he talks about in the first line.

The chorus builds even more parallels with other regions. Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife offer me that deathless death good God, let me give you my life. The chorus shows that the speaker's religion is similar to Catholicism. It talks about confession, a deathless death, and good God. A deathless death which is like heaven.

The speaker establishes pathos, by statements, like "We were born sick," you heard them say it." This makes the listener feel sorry or bad for the speaker. The speaker establishes their authority, by drawing parallels between the religion of he speaker and poplar religions. The purpose of the speak was to show opposing views of sexual orientation.
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Frank SingerOctober 18, 2015 at 11:22 AM
I Drive Your Truck- Lee Brice

"I Drive Your Truck" is a country song written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary. This song was recorded and made famous by American country artist Lee Brice. The meaning behind this song is how to deal with the death of a family member or a loved one. In the case of this song, it is about dealing with the death of a big brother.
The song starts off with Brice describing his brother and his truck. He says "Eighty-nine cents in the ash tray, Half empty bottle of Gatorade rolling in the floorboard, That dirty Braves cap on the dash, Dog tags hanging from the rear view, Old Skoal can, and cowboy boots and a Go Army Shirt Folded in the back." These lyrics can be interpreted as an example of showing ethos. The character of the older brother is being displayed by showing that he was a member of the United States Army, and was a typical country boy. Brice next hits the main verse of the song, it goes "I drive your truck I roll every window down and I burn up Every back road in this town I find a field, I tear it up Till all the pain’s a cloud of dust Yeah, sometimes I drive your truck." This part of the song is an example of pathos being used, stating the emotional connection between the two brothers. An example of logos is shown at the end of the next verse, it goes "And Momma asked me this morning, if I’d been by your grave But that flag and stone ain’t where I feel you anyway." This is an example of logos because Brice is being logical and stating that his way of coping with the death of his brother is not by going to his grave, but by driving his truck the place "he feels" his brother best.
"I Drive Your Truck" is a very emotional and powerful song. The writers of this song do a fantastic job of using ethos, pathos, and logos very effectively. Also, like all songs it uses repetition very well, by constantly saying "I Drive Your Truck" over and over.
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 11:39 AM
Where I Come From - Montgomery Gentry

In this very relatable song, Montgomery Gentry hits close to home by talking of who we really are and "Where We Come From." The basis of the song consists of the writer trying to connect with an audience of people who are away from home, but take a little part of their hometown with them. This song speaks to any person who truly appreciates their roots and takes great pride in where they come from. I think anyone who hears this song will be able to listen to and reflect on their earlier years in life, and the place they grew up, and appreciate the lyrics of the song.
He starts off by telling the audience to appreciate your own town no matter where it is you may come from. He writes in his song "we may live our lives a little slower, but that don't mean I wouldn't be proud to show you." He obviously has great appreciation from where he comes from and any person, including me, truly can relate to those words. A person from a big city could see a country town and laugh, but it is special to us in our own way. He really appeals to pathos throughout this song because a person missing home can listen to this song and reflect on their life back home. It really appealed to me emotionally because Saint Marys is a country town that is very unique and I think it could be a lot like the town he is describing in his song. I can just picture myself being in college or being away from home and listening to this song and appreciate the lyrics even more than I do now. In the chorus of the song he writes about things that take place in his town, like "there's a preacher man in a cowboy shirt." They are very different than what most people are use to, but that is what is special and unique about where he comes from. Each of us have something special to us at home that define our character, and that is why that line speaks to me. At the end of the song he says "that river runs across that old flat rock." To many people that might not sound like much of a sentence, but to me it means he remembers a special spot or place that meant a lot to him. This can make a person look back at a spot they had in their hometown that might remember them of a person or family they miss.

Overall this song reveals a great amount of pathos and appreciation from where our roots come from. Any person who is looking back on their childhood or high school years can truly relate to every word in this song, especially people who live in a town like Saint Marys. It also can relate to soldiers overseas who are away from home for long periods of time. Overall, the message I took from this song is when you leave home never forget where you came from.
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AnonymousOctober 18, 2015 at 11:46 AM
Imagine Dragons: The Fall
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G3_PzyCqJD8

I chose the song "The Fall" by Imagine Dragons and I discovered that there is a hidden message throughout the song. I believe that the song is a metaphor for life and death.
The song opens by saying, "Maybe I'm broken. Maybe I'm wrong." These lyrics start off the song by telling the listener that the singer has made mistakes that they now regret. As the song continued, I felt that more of the lyrics were portraying this message. The next set of lyrics begins with the author saying, "But only the good die old. That's what they told me, but I don't know." A few lines later the singer asks himself if he should just believe what he's been told. As I analyzed these lyrics it made me feel that the singer had a sense of hope. He wanted to believe that the good die old because that's what others have told him, yet from his experiences the good die young. In the next part of the song, the author uses repetition as he asks someone a question. I understood this to be a conversation that the writer has with someone else to apologize and make up for their mistakes. The singer repeatedly asks, "Do you know?", and answers with, "You're all I know." The chorus then begins and uses an example of the seasons to relate to death. In the lines, "I’m ready for the fall. I’m ready for everything that I believed in to drift away. Ready for the leaves. Ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away.", the singer says that he is ready for his life to pass. He uses the example of the change from summer to autumn to make his point clear. He also discusses how the leaves are dying but before they do they become golden and more beautiful than ever before. The song continues into the next verse with the musicians once again declaring that they have made mistakes, but they are trying to fix them and "see the light." The pre-chorus repeats along with the chorus. This helps add to the author's acceptance of death and the beauty of the circle of life continuing through him. The bridge to the song once again uses repetition in a very powerful way. The author says, "You were the one who helped me see. You were the one. Oh you gave it all to me." These words add to the author's message of making mistakes and regretting them. The lyrics repeat several times and start off in a quiet whisper, but then they crescendo into intense music and the conclusion of the song. The music suddenly drops and the singer gently repeats, "I’m ready for the fall. Ready for the leaves. Ready for the colors to burn to gold and crumble away." The song ends by leading me to believe that death has finally come, yet it did with grace and beauty. Like the singer, the leaves changed and then accepted the after-life like it was an old friend.
This song has always been a favorite of mine, and I learned to appreciate it even more now that I understand the actual concept behind it. I also think that the music and lyrics are even more beautiful when I listen to them with the concept of life and death on my mind.
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Allie GierOctober 18, 2015 at 1:07 PM
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 1:14 PM
"The Dance" by Garth Brooks

Brooks said the song, which is written by Tony Arata, has a double meaning. The first is about the end of a passionate love story. The second is about someone dying after fighting for what they believed.

The song starts with "Looking back on the memory of the dance we shared 'neath the stars above". What happened to make his recall these specific memories? It seems that something traumatic of depressing has happened, not something joyful. The song is already starting off with pathos, as he has an emotional attachment to this memory. He is most likely talking about a relationship he had by mentioning being under the stars. He then talks about this moment being when all the world was right. This gives the impression that happiness was short lived in his life. Something must have happened to make this happiness go away. He then wonders how he could have known she'd say goodbye. This line makes all the connections in the first part of the song. He is looking back on memories because of the sadness he feels because some girl left him. Based on his sadness, it doesn't seem like the separation was through any fault of his own. So why did this girl leave him? Did she find somebody new? How does this relate to "the dance"?

The chorus starts off with him stating that he's glad he didn't know the way it all would end, the way it all would go. It's possible he feels this way so that he could enjoy those moments of happiness. If he would have known she would break up with him, then he wouldn't have tried in the relationship, and therefore have learned nothing from it. By having this reasonable connection, logos are established. He then says "Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance." Are our lives really left to chance though? Is it everything that happens in our live random? But doesn't everything happen for a reason? These questions don't have a clear answer. The dance is a metaphor for life and how we have to have pain to have happiness. The rest of the song centers on that idea. At the end he says "my life is better left to chance", which makes a personal connection. It's not hard to establish ethos for writing this song because all you have to do is life live and experience pain.

The metaphor of the dance is repeated throughout the song and makes up most of it's lyrics. The diction is a little informal, yet emotional. The tone is sad and despairing throughout the song. I believe the main argument in the song is that life is better left to chance. This is supported through the mention of his breakup and how it's good he didn't know it would happen because that could have affected the outcome in a more negative manner.
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Allie GierOctober 18, 2015 at 1:18 PM
Each song we hear sheds a hidden meaning. The song I chose is "Gold Forever" by The Wanted. I think this song has a hidden meaning in it. There are also many hidden references to the three rhetorical appeals. The song really establishes authority, reasoning, and emotion. At first, the title kinda says it all, especially the word "forever". In the song, they talk about everything staying the same and not changing. I believe that the singer wants something or someone to always stay the same no matter what happens between them. He also states the memory of memories will always be with him, throughout his whole life of ups and downs. The singer also states how even tomorrow is coming it still will not change. I believe the singer is referring to that no matter what happens, tomorrow really is not going to change what happened previously. The singer states the words, "Cause some days stay gold forever", during these words I think the singer is also referring to that not every day is a good day. With the singer stating "some", he realizes that there is bad days and good days and according to him, the good days will stay good and bright forever in his life, which appeals to logos. The chorus is where all of these words primarily take place, the chorus really tells the story and so does the very first verse which introduces the song. The singer talks about how they will never be as bright as they are now in the first verse. This too sheds a hidden meaning throughout the song, stating that something happened and that things are really not going to be the same between them, which appeals to a sort of ethos with the singer establishing this type of concept or thought. The whole song has pathos. But as the singer states in the chorus and mostly the whole song, he wants everything to be okay and to still be okay throughout the ups and downs they may encounter together or individually.

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/wanted/goldforever.html
Music video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XvGHtcjQZec
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Rachel HerbstrittOctober 18, 2015 at 1:20 PM
Willow by Jasmine Thompson

This song is one of my favorites, and after further analysis it seems to have a much deeper meaning than I originally thought. The whole song is a metaphor for having a child. The willow is the child or life in this song. The whole song is written in the form of an allegory, at first it seems like it is about a couple and a willow tree, but the actual meaning is much deeper.
The first verse of the song starts with a man and his wife planting a willow and they planned for it to grow up to be big and strong. The couple is preparing to have a child and they are trying their best to make it all work, but unfortunately it doesn't work out.
Each verse it talks of the seasons passing, I take that as the couple trying to have children and time is passing and they remain unsuccessful. There is a line that says they miss out on the lives they once had, because after each miscarriage their lives are changed because they want the child so badly. The chorus of the song "I wouldn't leave you, I would hold you, when the last day comes..." centers around the last day. On the last day of our lives we are saved by God and taken into heaven. This focuses around how each of their children are saved. They still turn to God in the hard times of their life, they trust that he is doing this for the best and things will work out.
In the second verse it speaks of how they dreamed of a willow to carve their names into, the willow is a child that they wanted to have and leave their mark on.The last verse of the song is a happy ending,"Somewhere the timing will all come together. The mishaps will turn into sunny Decembers.The lovers – will be able - to find their willow." When you truly analyze the song you see that this verse focuses on a high point in the couples lives and how they are finally able to have a child or adopt a child.
This song is one that made me really think about what is important and how people keep faith in God. This couple kept their believe in God and "found their willow."

Lyrics -http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jasminethompson/willow.html
Song- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1JyJj-54SV0
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 3:01 PM
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 3:02 PM
First-Cold War Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZzJ78FWjl8

I chose the song, First by Cold War Kids. This song has rhetorical appeals to pathos, in particular. The song begins with “Cheated and lied, broken so bad, You made a vow, never get bad”. When I first read this I thought immediately of a relationship issue that the singer is relating this to. Continuing on with “First you loose trust, then you get worried”, again relating to the relationship. The repetition comes in, “First you lose trust, then you get worried”, changing the word to hurt and close for trust, and worried to sorry. As the song progresses, the relationship aspect I thought was the meaning, was actually a relationship between the singer and himself. As the chorus says, “How am I the lucky one? I do not deserve”, so the speaker feels something in his life is going wrong, trying tirelessly to fix it. The chorus is repeated four times in the song, with a metaphor of falling to the Earth, being “heavy as a feather when you hit the dirt”, which is an oxymoron.

I believe the speaker has an obvious audience of the listeners, but a more specific audience. An audience which includes people who do not give up, finally reaching a point of burning the candle from both ends. This part appears towards the end of the song, when the speaker mentions, “You wanna light it now, the candle from both ends”. This term means putting forth extreme effort without a certain time to rest, or burning yourself out. Throughout the song, the speaker is angry towards the life he is living, wanting to “turn in around, get a rewrite”, change what is going on in his life. I believe this whole song relates highly to pathos, making you feel bad for a person whose life is falling apart, while they are trying to pick up the pieces, but possibly running out physically.
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Fight Song by Rachel Platten
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc

Fight Song by Rachel Platten is the song I chose. This song has a lot of emotion to it. There are many pathos in it, such as "And I don't really care if nobody else believes". This is said many times in Rachel's song. She is trying to say that people may not believe she can do something or get anywhere in life but she believes in herself and that is all that matters. Also "This is my fight song" really is the main piece in this song because she is saying that she will fight as hard as she has to. She might be a little person and people might not think that she can do it but she will fight and prove them wrong. "Like how a single word Can make a heart open" this is a metaphor that Rachel uses to show that anyone that says something that supports her can show her that she can do it.
I think that the speaker is trying to tell her audience that you have to fight for what you want in life and people are going to doubt you. As long as you believe in yourself you can do anything. Through out the song the speaker is very honest in what she believes. She isn't backing down on anything and she is fighting till the end. "like a small boat on the ocean sending big waves into motion" these here is saying that she may only be a small girl and did not come from much but she can battle all the big situations in life. I believe that this song is mainly about pathos, it makes people feel song inside and wants them to believe in themselves.
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine

This song has always appealed to me, and drawn my attention. I knew that there was a deeper, more thought out meaning to the song than it was actually suggesting. By looking into the broader meaning of the song, I've come to understand the purpose of it on a more advance level. In the beginning of the song, Florence referees to a protagonist that has "happiness hit her life a train on a track." This person, who we find out is a girl, has obviously not known real happiness in her life before, and she seems to be frightened by it altogether. The song appeals to pathos throughout its three minutes and forty-five seconds and this appeal starts from the very first note. Florence utilizes imagery by describing the way that the girl hides and tries to escape from her impending happiness. She very eloquently distinguished herself from other artists in her diction and syntax and her beautiful way she puts her words together. The way she describes the girls dissatisfaction with happiness' forceful grip on her life, allows you to picture the instance for yourself. She perfectly projects the image of the girl trying to evade the happiness, and it brings you to a better understanding of the song. Florence appeals and affects the pathos aforementioned with her imagery throughout the ballad. The song also experiences anaphora. Florence repeats much of what's eh says in the song especially the chorus, "The Dig Days are Over, the dog days are dong. The horses are coming, so you better run." By reiterating herself, she makes it known that "the dog days" of the protagonist's life are over and happiness has come to stay. The way Florence wrote this song obviously was meant to make the listener feel something for troubled protagonist and her ongoing battle wither her own happiness.
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 5:37 PM
SONG - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wheJrsRiuCM
LYRICS - http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/avengedsevenfold/seizetheday.html

The song "Seize The Day" by Avenged Sevenfold is the song I chose to do a rhetorical analysis of. It contains anaphora, rhetorical questions, and pathos. Throughout the song the use of anaphora, repetition, is prominent. The chorus, "I see my vision burn, I feel my memory fade with time but I'm too young to worry (a melody, a memory, or just one picture). Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost it's empty and cold without you here, too many people to ache over." These lines illustrate the value the singer places on living for today. He believes if you don't "seize the day" you will regret it. There are many rhetorical questions in the second verse of the song, "Newborn life replacing all of us, changing this fable we live in no longer needed here so where do we go? Will you take a journey tonight, follow me past the walls of death? But girl, what if there is no eternal life?" The singer is asking rhetorical questions in his belief of the afterlife. He wants to be with this woman for the rest of eternity but he has his doubts in the afterlife. These rhetorical questions show the singers fear of losing this woman because he has lost so many people already. This song also demonstrates the use of pathos. It appeals to the emotions fear and love. The singer is afraid of death and the trials of life, he has lost so much and he is afraid to lose any more. The singer is also in love. His love of this woman contributes to his fear of loss. This analysis of "Seize The Day" gave me new insights into the true meaning of this song. It is actually a lot deeper than I thought.
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Morgan RenwickOctober 18, 2015 at 6:12 PM
Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has always been known for writing about her breakups and crazy ex boyfriends. From her history in her past songs, just from the title, Wildest Dreams, you can tell before the song starts, the song will contain memories, fantasies, and yet again.. heartbreak. This is how she establishes ethos. Everyone knows Taylor Swift. They know what the song will be about. The first line of the song, "He said let's get out of this town", states not too much, but enough to understand a guy is involved, and they had a connection. They wanted to get away. It leads your mind away too. What did they want to get away from? Just a vacation? But a great deal of things could've led to being so young and wanting to get away. Then the heartbreak comes. "I thought heaven can't help me now. Nothing lasts forever". This song does not contain the usual anger and confidence to her previous heartbreak songs. Just by the rhythm of the music and the words she uses to describe this guy, you can feel the emotional attachment she had to him. This is how she establishes pathos. She gains the sympathy and emotion from her audience. She wants this guy to remember her. The same goes for her audience. She wants her audience to remember her. Every singers goal is to be known by everyone, to become something. Taylor Swift established who she was at a very young age which is hard to do. She establishes logos by using such intimate adjectives to describe this man to make you hate him for whatever he has done to her when she has such great feelings for him.
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Mrs. MessineoOctober 18, 2015 at 6:14 PM
Blog is closed
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UnknownOctober 18, 2015 at 7:00 PM
In the song "Semper Fi" by Trace Adkins he proposes the idea of the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis is the Marine Corps motto which is Latin for "always faithful", this is huge when it relates to the brotherhood that surrounds this group of individuals. He is putting this song out there for all men and women considering to enter such a difficult but proud profession. He represents how a young man decided to go into the service and now must stick with his decision. In the very beginning of the song he explains how one man is in the first state of boot camp, or basic training. "He sat in that long line of barber chairs" within this he has already shipped to Parris Island, which is the location of one of the two USMC basic training facilities. "And the Sergeant asked him, Son, would you like to keep your hair? He said yes sir, as he heard those clippers buzzing home. Sergeant said, well, hold out your hand, here it comes." From this important section of the song you can infer that the young man is scared and questioning his decision. Trace is showing his audience that once you sign that dotted line there is no turning back, and that when you make this life changing choice, you must be certain. "Semper Fi, Do or Die. So Gung-ho to go and pay the price. Here's to Leathernecks, Devil Dogs, and Jarheads. And Parris Island in July, Semper Fi". Adkins is interpreting that the Marines is much more than just being in the military. That there is a price to pay to protect the loved ones back home and there must be a cost for many men to do this. This is a really sad thing to say but it is true. I believe that this is the whole meaning of the song, that he is trying to bring to people attention the sacrifice and effort given to keep us safe. "For the few that wear the Dress Blues. With haircut High and Tight. Who are Proud to be the first ones in a fight. Semper Fi". This verse of the song strongly describes ethos. He is embracing the ideals upheld my this branch of the military. Trace shows that there are a select few that can hold this duty in that the marines is the smallest branch of the military and that they go through the highest level of training. The Few, The Proud, The Marines.
This entire song represents pathos because it is inferred that Adkins is talking to the audience, which is everyone. He uses a style of diction as if he actually telling a story to a single individual. "Never leave a man behind...A Marine, A Marine for Life. Semper Fi". This is the biggest part of the song as he refers to not only "always faithful" but to a good moral to hold with in you. Never leave a man behind. This song is very important to me because of my decision to join the Marine Corps and truly makes me more confident about going.

Link to lyrics http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/trace_adkins/semper_fi.html
Link to video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=roKCUFeWFmQ
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