The music video “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry portrays an Egyptian Queen searching for her love. The video takes place in a modernized version of Memphis, Egypt a crazy long time ago. It successfully combines Hip-Hop culture and Ancient Egyptian culture. Kings from a variety of places across the world come confidently to make the Queen their “one and only” true love. A far-reaching line of men bearing gifts await their judgement whether they are truly hers or not and meet their doom. In “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry the video takes the perspective of the mate less Queen, uses descriptive diction from the lyrics of the song, and symbolic imagery to convey the message that men are to beware of a powerful woman. This music video is told from the perspective of the queen. She has no king and is searching for an equal. A group of men come to her bearing gifts to show they are worthy of such an honor. If the gift is not sufficient Perry uses her dark magic upon the man and transforms the man into an object. Katy Perry is the center of attention and is always in the front of the camera. The …show more content…
Katy is mimicking the Ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra by the way she carries herself. The men bringing the Queen gifts depicts the stereotypical way of how men try to win a woman’s heart by offering them a gift. The music video pocks fun at this by having Katy Perry transform each man who delivers her a gift into an object relevant to their gift, because just offering a gift is not enough for a powerful woman like Perry. Another example of the use of symbolism in the music video was when Perry sings “Are you ready for? Ready for? A perfect storm? Perfect storm?” The “perfect storm” represents the conflict between Perry’s personalities. She is the girl of the men’s dreams, but at the same has the power to crush them if she is crossed in
If we just simply look at the video from a viewer’s perspective, we will just see a poor farmer boy falling in love with a rich and powerful girl. We must look further than just the basic of the video and pay attention to the behind the scenes meanings of each image and object. In the last couple of seconds of the video, we see Nintuda preparing the time and place for where Hunabatum and Kullasina-Bel will meet to confess their love for each other. She prepares a nice rug on the floor of a room in the Ziggurat. This represents the bridal sheet and represents the high priestess preparing the holy bed where Dumuzi and Inanna come together. When Kullasina-Bel makes his way to the temple, he is carrying with him Billy the Goat to take as an offering to Hunabatum. This is one of the most powerful scenes in the video because it depicts exactly when King Dumuzi brings many offerings to Queen Inanna to prove that he is worthy of her. Once Hunabatum and Kullasina-Bel meet, there is an instant energy that rejoices their hearts and makes them fall in love with each other. Just as the music video ends, we hear two last lines of the song which utter “Let it flow from eat to mouth, Hunabatum and Kullasina-Bel kiss sensually with no doubt” (Hymns 36). This last clip seals the theme of the video as a scared union between both Hunabatum and Kullasina-Bel as they follow the same foundations of Dumuzi and Inanna and where they
“Wrecking Ball” is pop ballad sung by the American recoding artist Miley Cyrus. Once known and adored by many as “Hannah Montana”, Cyrus shed her childish shell and adopted a sexualized and edgy persona for her fourth album, Bangerz, which “Wrecking Ball” is the album’s second single. The song starts with a quiet and minimalist synthesized keyboard instrumentation which is immediately met with the anguished vocals of Cyrus. Even in the first 30 seconds where only 26 words were sung, the topic of the song is quite evident: a failing relationship. Cyrus starts by crooning “We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain, we jumped never asking why, we kissed, I fell under your spell. A love no one could deny” which could be interpreted as two lovers fought to be together and succeeded in doing so but it was ultimately useless as denoted by “we chained our hearts in vain”. As the song progresses the minimalist keyboard continues creating an open environment in which Cyrus’ emotive vocals can shine. When the refrain is introduced Cyrus’ vocals and the keyboard instrumentation briefly disappear and when they reemerge they are joined with booming percussion that hits sharply, then slowly dissipates. Cyrus’ vocal delivery also changes from the softer, anguished sound to a powerful, almost vindictive roar which quickly returns to the soft delivery with a quiver as Cyrus sings “Yeah, you, yo...
... by it. This is symbolic of her marriage which started out as happy and desirable and in such a short time she doubts her love for him and starts to see him as undesirable and animal-like. Women are afraid not to submit to the male species in fear of losing what they have and not being able to make it on their own.
Disney’s 1998 classic tale, Mulan, is renowned as a timeless film, one that inspires young girls everywhere. It is by far the most girl-power filled film in the Disney Princess franchise due to its eponymous heroine who goes to war in place of her father by impersonating a male soldier. Not only does she singlehandedly save the whole country of China, but she also manages to get a husband in the process, with whom she lives happily ever after. Although this sounds like the perfect tale of girl power, some more sinister themes lay beneath the innocuous, picturesque surface.
The performance sets up the scene with the female dancers dressed as prominent women throughout history such as Rosie the Riveter, Nillie Bly, Mother Teresa, Amelia Earhart, and Florence Nightingale. The women take turns in the spotlight, using their movements to tell their story and significance in history. The story of Amelia Earhart was told symbolically through the performer’s actions. The audience are introduced to Earhart’s love of flying and her aspirations to be a renown female pilot through the performer’s imitation as a graceful plane flying across the stage with glee. However, her story takes a dark turn when she embarks on a quest to prove herself as a capable pilot in spite of being a woman. We see her downfall when her character, as a plane, struggles to stay in flight and eventually tumbles and falls, exiting the stage soon after to show her mysterious disappearance during her quest. The performer playing as Earhart succeeded in portraying her story and her downfall. The dancer’s performance as Earhart was followed by another significant performance which was the dance of Mother Teresa, who took the spotlight with her reserved yet expressive dances. During her dance, Mother Teresa made a notable move where she wanders the stage and places a hand on each of the women in a caring way, like a mother would do to her child. This action she performed in her dance
At the beginning of the battle royal a nude woman is in the ring dancing to slow music while all the men watch in pleasure. But then the music speeds up and she is forced to dance faster while the men try to grab her. The narrator described the event by saying, “It was mad. Chairs went crashing, drinks were spilt, as they ran laughing and howling after her. They caught her just as she reached the door, raised her from the floor, and tossed her as college boys are tossed at a hazing, and above her red, fixed smiling lips I saw terror and disgust in her eyes… they tossed her twice… Some of the more sober ones helped her escape” (Ellison 270). This event showed that men during this time did not see women as people, but instead as objects. The dancing woman can be used as a symbol of America. The event showed how America was divided at the time on many different issues, because some wanted to throw her out while others tried to help her. The dancing women is a symbol of the issues that plagued America during this
In the novel She and in the stories of The Arabian Nights, both Haggard and Haddawy explore the expanding gender roles of women within the nineteenth century. At a time that focused on the New Woman Question, traditional gender roles were shifted to produce greater rights and responsibilities for women. Both Ayesha, from Haggard’s novel She, and Shahrazad, from Haddawy’s translation of The Arabian Nights, transgress the traditional roles of women as they are being portrayed as strong and educated females, unwilling to yield to men’s commands. While She (Ayesha) takes her power to the extreme (i.e. embodying the femme fatale), Shahrazad offers a counterpart to She (i.e. she is strong yet selfless and concerned with the welfare of others). Thus, from the two characters emerge the idea of a woman who does not abide by the constraints of nineteenth century gender roles and, instead, symbolizes the New Woman.
There are many times when feminism is incorporated into song lyrics to give a sense of women’s empowerment in an audience. Alicia Keys is an American Hip hop and R&B songwriter and singer who wrote the song “Girl on Fire” that was released in her fifth studio album in 2012 (Girl on Fire (song), 2014), and was inspired by her son, Egypt. This song is about a lonely girl who is starting to be comfortable in her own skin. It says how everyone is staring at her as she goes by because everyone can see the flame burning and glistening in her eyes. In my paper, I will talk about how the lyrics in this song are very bold that can be applicable to all girls. I will analyze “Girl on Fire” using a method that was developed by Kenneth Burke called cluster analysis (Foss, 2009). Through this method, I can identify key terms in this song and put them into clusters to discover the meaning behind the key words explained: girl, hottest, and on fire.
June, wearing a very feminine outfit, dances to the song of “Let Me Entertain You” while Louise has a more masculine appearance. This gender division continues in the dance, as June seems to be more elegant then Louise. This is a clear example of Frye’s definition of sexism, as both June and Louise are buying into the gender binary. Extrapolating from how June and Louise are contributing to the gender binary, it can be assumed that June and Louise’s guardian also does the same, which is not the case. Rose, their mother, comes onto the stage to critique the children and make it apparent to the director that her kids deserve the part. The dedication and strong will Rose elicits when talking about her kids is empowering, and contrasted by the other stage moms who emphasize the binary by being pushed around and rushed off the stage. Uncle Jocko emphasizes this strength of Rose’s character in his comment “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions” when Rose is talking about the technical parts of the act, implying that he is actually listening to what she has to say (4:50). Rose is different and refuses to fit into this normal feminine category that allows them to be pushed around and get told what to do. This ambiance of individualism is inspiring, but starkly shows how she does not imbue these values on her
The snake has acted as a diverse symbol throughout history, representing immortality, evil, femininity, and masculinity. In the book Dream Animals, Marilyn Nissenson and Susan Jonas further reveal the awe that the snake has inspired throughout the centuries, "They [snakes] were believed to mediate between life and death, earth and sky, this world and the next" (19). The snake slithers through our subconscious, evoking varying associations. Cleopatra identified with the snake during her life, and it becomes even more highly symbolic in her death. By examining three movies (DeMille's Cleopatra, Mankiewicz's Cleopatra and the ABC version of Cleopatra) and two dramas (Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Mary Sidney's Tragedy of Antonie) different symbolic representations of the snake emerge along with contrasting depictions of the Queen of the Nile. These varying representations of the asp and slightly contrary portrayals of Cleopatra prove to us that we know very little about the enigmatic ancient Queen.
In conclusion , I believe that as strong as the protagonist’s self image of herself was, one girl is no match for all of society, which has efficiently put her “in her place”. This manipulation of the girl’s self image is not only the end of her unique identity, but it is also a blow against freedom and individualism. Unfortunately for this horse, she could not roam free forever, and she has finally been caught.
Katy Perry has something to say to the more than 70% of young people in America who are suffering from the effects of low self-esteem: “Believe in yourself and you can be anything” (Katy Perry: Part Of Me). She accomplishes this through uplifting music and videos aimed at the very population most affected by serious feelings of inadequacy, doubt and inferiority. Acceptance issues are not a new problem in our society; as a matter of fact, they are growing at an alarming rate that is not restricted to one gender or the other. Disillusioned by the inability of their parents, teachers and even peers to relate and guide them through these issues, many teens turn to music and the artists for understanding and guidance; consequently problems may become more pronounced if the right message is not heard. This is not an issue with Katy’s music, which is full of inspirational messages, peppy pop beats and more than a little enthusiasm; as a result, it is the perfect conduit for giving a boost to anyone’s self-esteem. Her song, “Firework,” aspires to uplift the listeners and inspire them to see the uniqueness inherent in each individual. It is accompanied by a genuinely caring video that follows the song and gives moving examples of the message. Everyone can agree that many young people experience problems relating to low self-esteem; therefore, “Firework” is a fantastic resource for troubled individuals because it provides a supportive understanding of their problems along with guidance to achieve self-acceptance and confidence; furthermore, it gives the audience an empowering command to believe in themselves and show the world their inner beauty.
Under her relationships with these men it shows that she uses sex as one of her many strengths and not as a sign of submission. She does not allow men to define what and who she is as a person, which makes her a force to be reckoned with, because there was no man that could really show her soft side. When women think of empowerment, they look for someone who is admirable in showing they can be independent and maybe even rule an entire country. Cleopatra is not only the queen of Egypt, but she is the idea of Egypt itself. She is full of character including enjoyment, playfulness, sensuality, and passion. (Cedar
From the idea of the figures being vengeful spirits, to the singer herself being the knife behind the killing en masse. Even she went on to explain how she made this video with the intention of it being the kind of visual not bound to only one modus of deciphering. But rather, that she’d prefer the viewers to come up with their own deduction of the whole act. Their own take. This is one of the reasons why I chose it.
...heir own sense of independence. But they also present the reality of it all, that in the end they are back to where they started, and that women will never be able to let their guard down, because of the constant struggle of becoming equally self-reliant as men are, which still remains today.