Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O Connor: Song Analysis

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In the song “Royals” by artiste Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, commonly known as Lorde, she tells her story of poverty to riches. She starts by giving a brief overview of her insecurities about where she grew up and her poor lifestyle. She then progresses into describing her fantasies some of which she feels are unachievable. Finally, she acknowledges that she has figured out the secret to achieving her dreams. She has no specific audience because her message can be applied to individuals of all ages. Because of its argument, about achieving the supposedly unachievable, the text proves that having a good mindset is more pivotal to becoming successful, rather than having a lot of money Humans often base success by how much money you have accumulated, the …show more content…

Her mindset changes. Instead of shunning where she’s from, the persona embraces it and starts to develop ambition. She starts to “crave” other things (Lorde, 14). She now wants to rule and be called “Queen Bee” (Lorde,15). This is symbolistic of wanting something better for herself. Despite where she’s coming from and the fact that she doesn’t have much money, she sees that there is still hope, and she can become something great in life; she can become a ruler. This gives listeners hope that they too can have an Oprah Winfrey rags to riches story. Like the persona Lorde sings about, Oprah was also a victim of abject poverty. She didn’t grow up in a town with a “post code” that would have been envied, she wore potato sacks and was sexually abused (Kashyap, 2011). She probably had never seen diamonds in the flesh either and was perhaps not proud of her address, but this did not deter her. She had an ambitious mindset which led her to become one of the richest persons in the world. As Lorde depicts, with the proper mindset, fantasies can become realities, but the proper mindset also includes

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