One might not have the best life, but one must learn to keep moving on. The song “Smile” by Eyedea and Abilities might make one think of a happy joyful song; in reality this song makes us take a step back and see how vulnerable humans are to this harsh world, trying to stay alive. As humans, one may get stuck in life, and one must eventually realize the world does not stop moving, the clock does not stop ticking, and life carries on. “Smile” comes from an album about addiction and loss, these topics are shown throughout the duration of this song. Ironically, Michael Larson, or Eyedea, died from an overdose of some sorts which has not been discovered. This song makes you think, the more you look into it, the more you are intrigued. One knows …show more content…
If one does not look into the song it may not mean much to someone, however, when one looks into the song they are drawn in. Each lyric has meaning to it, and the emotion the song gives off is incredible. One way that this song appeals to our emotion, is the way “Smile” presents stories that one can relate to. From a “prince in practice”, to “the sadly married” one can relate to this and take them back in time to when they were struggling, to this one feels their sadness and wants to help them as they understand what is like to be in the same position. In this song it is pointed out that everyone is caught up in things and that they do not notice what is around them. A quote in this song that really shows this situation is stated by Eyedea and says that, “This city runs fast, no one has time to sit with themselves,no time to look into our pain or see the same despair in everyone else.” This quote is very powerful. It is true, within our society one is always busy and always has something to do. Again the newspaper refers back to this. Something is always happening in the world, but how much is one actually aware of what is going on around them? In the video on several occasions people are on fire along and everything is in black and white. People want to feel alive in a world of black and white but they are drowning in sadness and sometimes one does not even realize their own …show more content…
With this logic we allow ourselves to believe what is said and shown in this song is true and reliable. An example of this would be that Eyedea and Abilities are able to make one believe that the stories told are true and facts that have happened in history. If you look back to the newspapers you can see this as logic. Newspapers are made up of facts about events happening, and this song like the newspaper is made up of facts. In this video slow motion is used showing one everything that is happening, from people sitting in despair to people being put on fire. Here one sees that no one is paying attention to each other and each is oblivious to the world one sees it with their own eyes throughout the whole video. In each verse Eyedea builds one’s trust to where one wants to believe him with their full heart. He starts off with stories that we have known or experienced like the sadly married setting up alibis with no harm and no regret; something everyone has seen sometime within their life. Then, he flips it towards himself in order for the audience to reflect and realize how they can get through life or where to go now. He goes to state in the lyrics that, “And I refuse to let past bruises cover the light it ain’t good, but its all good enough, so I know I’m alright. . .” This is a strong message to the listener, he knows what struggle is like, and that one can make it through their tough times. It’s
The whole music video is in remembrance of the little girl Aiyana Jones and to show its audience the injustice it served in America (Alexis 5). The music video does not focus on the lyrics, but focuses on a whole different story. Although the music video is about the war between the government and drugs, the lyrics and the music video share a mutual message and that is to seek peace not only in the community, but also in our minds. Today, there have been issues on police brutality and unlawful arrests. This music video really illustrated different point of views of different people such as the victim and the policemen. Although the music video displayed a different message, the lyrics also provided a great message to people especially young women. Both music video and lyrics
All of humanity suffers at one point or another during the course of their lives. It is in this suffering, this inevitable pain, that one truly experiences life. While suffering unites humankind, it is how we choose to cope with this pain that defines us as individuals. The question becomes do we let suffering consume us, or do we let it define our lives? Through James Baldwin’s story, “Sonny’s Blues”, the manner by which one confronts the light and darkness of suffering determines whether one is consumed by it, or embraces it in order to “survive.” Viewing a collection of these motifs, James Baldwin’s unique perspective on suffering as a crucial component of human development becomes apparent. It is through his compassionate portrayal of life’s inescapable hardships that one finds the ability to connect with humankind’s general pool of hardship. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” makes use of the motifs of darkness and light to illuminate the universal human condition of suffering and its coping mechanisms.
This song talks a lot about the baggage of the past that people hold onto instead of letting it go. All that baggage is only going to end up hurting you more and more instead of helping you in any way possible. An example is the opening
Pathos: The emotions that are really being played on the most are anger. People have so much anger when they can not understand the world or what is going on in it. The audience becomes furious to all the killing and death in the world and they need someone there to sympathize with them. Anti-Flag gets the listener angry by exposing the faults of the world. The listener appreciates this because Anti-Flag will not sell into the wrongs of the world. It uses the emotion of finding comfort in that there is someone else out there that has the same views as the listener does. The band uses punk rock music as a common ground with the listeners and expresses their views through their songs. This relates back to the author because this is a great way to protest through music.
Everyone at some time in their lives must come to the realization that they or others around them will not live forever. After they come to that moment of realization, they will either accept death when it comes and live life to the fullest or deny and live a more sheltered life. James Dickey shows this moment of realization in his poem “The Hospital Window” where a son who has just finished his terminally ill father starts to realize the frail thing called life is compared the great aspect of enjoying life. Dickey’s purpose for this poem is to the reader to realize that life is a feeble thing and one needs to have that revelation for one to truly be able to cherish life and others around oneself. Through Dickey’s use of similes, metaphors, and imagery he is able to fully convey his purpose for this poem and allow for his readers to have a new view of life from the hospital window.
This song is primarily about (surprise) being young, gifted and black, and what that means in a Euro-centric society Simone is celebrating the "billions" of black youth with unbound talent, and telling them not to back down from their gifts and talents. Aretha Franklin She remodels Nina Simone’s Young, Gifted and Black as a gospel anthem. It is arguably its most potent recorded version. Although there are those that will always argue that the best long-form Aretha Franklin recording is a hits compilation, Young, Gifted and Black exudes superiority, confidence and
If analyzed carefully, the melancholy verses of the song are in sharp contrast to the overpowering chorus. Ignore the addictive chorus "Born in the U.S.A.” and what you really hear is a protest song that tells the depressing story and struggle of Vietnam Veterans returning home to a disillusioned life. To his most devoted ...
The main piece of symbolism that carried itself through the music video was a teddy bear that was once only a little girl’s stuffed animal, but later turns into a meaningful and sentimental piece of hope and a sort of light at the end of the tunnel. The teddy bear was first stolen, taunted, and teased with, in the beginning of the video. Fighting back, the little girl was punished and restrained by the teacher. Building up to the second time the teddy bear is shown in the music video, the girl goes through many traumatic situations. When she is looking outside a window to the neighbors house where there are kids playing inside a castle, she immediately ducks down as she is spotted. She doesn’t know she is being alienated and isolated from the kids next door. All she feels is that she is on her own. So as she grows up, she decides to become “herself”, dressed in dark, grim and Goth looking clothes, but is stopped immediately by her mother. She is being influenced that she can’t be her self without the world not accepting her as she is. The excuse for parents when they see their kids going through sudden changes that are actually a sign of depression is that they are kids or teens acting like regular “their age”. Yet, there are many ways depression and other social problems could be treated but there is no one there to notice the problems itself, “Many parents don 't recognize when adolescents are depressed…” (Hosansky para.
In today’s society, people are taught to conform to the masses in order to fit in; however, it is imperative that one’s individuality is maintained, as it preserves their identity and encourages uniqueness. For example, in the song, “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends”, Phil Ochs discusses the social norm where people are too afraid to stand out, often times, leading them to pay little to no attention to the wellbeing of others. Instead of adhering to their own judgment and moral values, the person in the song continues to abide by the notions of the rest of the group. In addition, in “The Dying Girl that No One Helped”, Loudon Wainright describes the brutal murder of a young 28 year old women, while over 38 of
Tuesdays with Morrie is a touching video revealing the significance and meaning of life (Albom, 1997). The main character Morrie, enlightens a former student Mitch, what it truly means to live a fulfilling and rewarding life as opposed to allowing life to merely happen. This profound message is inspirational, embracing the transformation of the monotonous events in life to develop into a mature perspective of appreciation for others. A deep life lesson rooted from a dying man in his last several months speaks volumes for the younger generations. The purpose of this paper is to present my initial reaction of the video, discuss touch and intimacy, provide insightful interpretations of Morrie, and analyze the significance of quotes from the
...t of people around you. The images are really helped clarify what the singer really wants to talk about. Without the images in the video some many things could have been interpreted from the song itself. Before I watched the video I just thought the author was talking about war, and specially the wars America was fighting at the time of the song’s release. The music in combination with the instrumentals and video create a piece of art that enlightens the soul.
The lyrics sung slowly, the instruments aided by the mournful violin and harp, all gave the song a haunting quality. Its lyrics, while simple, hold depth. The first three verses are repetitive, the first verse talks about Abraham Lincoln, the second refers to John F. Kennedy and the third is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The verses explain how one day the men were no longer around because they were shot and killed. It then says how he freed a lot of people, that is referring to the fact that each man was an advocate for civil rights. Finally, it sums up the verse explaining how the good die young and each man died suddenly. The next, fourth verse, changes a bit. It states, how each man stood for a valuable cause and saw the good in people. it also states hope that their dream of equality will one day be achieved. Finally the fifth and final verse starts similar to the first three remembering Bobby Kennedy. It states, how he died for his beliefs and in doing so, joined the men who had done the same before him, including his older brother, John Kennedy. It was not a shock when the song did so well on the music charts. While rarely heard on the radio in the twenty-first century, in the decade following its release Abraham, Martin, and John was constantly playing. Numerous bands have done covers of the song as well, including a popular version by Whitney Houston.
In essence, this song carries various sociological concepts. It concentrates on the main idea about the social construction of reality and talking about how reality is changing. The song questions the actions and mentally of individuals violating the norms and values of society. The band takes into consideration various factors of why it is happening including the media and religion. As a result they talk about such influences taking control building and developing a sense of self. This is a great song about present day problems and how society changes with them.
For many of us, one of the most accurate and effective ways to express the feelings that really matter to us is through music. We don’t only grow to attached to songs that are catchy, but also those with lyrics that we can relate to. It is not uncommon to feel like sometimes, artists can convey the way we feel better than we could ourselves. The storybook-like lines you read at the start of this page are a collection of lyrics
Throughout the song the tone changes from a disappointed and unsatisfied feeling until it progresses into a hopeful and maturing tone. This transformation of tone follows the story almost perfectly and allows the reader to feel a connection to the transformation of the protagonist. This transformation from “expecting the world” (line 1) to realising that some things must happen for others to come into motion “the sun must set to rise” (line 24) is especially impactful and emotional when paired with the lines “ This could be para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise” that are repeated to show her newly established happiness and maturity. Ultimately, this progression from disappointed