"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd
The format of this song relates to a conversation between a doctor and a patient. Throughout the song, the narrator describes being comfortably numb, in which his feelings are gone, to represent his dreams being gone. One example of a simile is included in the song. When the narrator explains the "fever" he had as a child, he says, "My hands felt just like two balloons." This comparison between hands and balloons creates the idea of him being without feeling.
"Yesterday's Feelings" by The Used
This song is about letting go of worries from the past. The first verse includes one example of a simile. When the narrator gets rid of his worries, he can "See the changes, people's faces blurred out/Like sunspots or raindrops." In this simile, blurred out faces are compared to sunspots and raindrops. As he forgets about these faces, they gradually become less clear.
"I Am a Rock" by Simon and Garfunkel
Throughout this song, the narrator illustrates the fact that he is alone and without pain. Two metaphors are used several times to reinforce this image. The narrator says, "I am a rock,/ I am an island." An island can be compared to the narrator in this song because both are lonely in some way. The narrator is separated from other people, and an island is separated from other land. A rock can be compared to the narrator in this song because both do not feel pain despite being alone.
"You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC
This song appeared on the album "Back in Black" in 1980. The first line of the song is an example of a metaphor. The narrator says that "she was a fast machine." This is a metaphor because the woman that he sings about is compared to a machine without using the words "like" or "as." She is not literally a machine; he is comparing her traits to the characteristics of a machine.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Paradox/Irony
"I Can't Explain" ~The Who
This song includes a paradox with the phrase "I feel hot and cold." It is difficult to imagine feeling hot and cold at the same time because they are opposites.
"I'm A Believer" ~The Monkees
This song includes several examples of irony. The second verse ends with, "When I needed sunshine, I got rain," which could be considered situational irony. The contrast of the verses with the chorus could also be considered situational irony. Each verse explains the doubt that the narrator had possessed in his mind, but the chorus declares that now he has "not a trace of doubt in" his mind.
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" ~ The Rolling Stones
This song includes irony in the contrast between its verses and chorus. The verses describe horrible experiences of the narrator, but they all lead into, "But it's all right now..." This example could be argued as either situational or verbal irony because the reader could take it as either a sarcastic tone or as an unexpected situation occuring. It would typically not be expected that someone would be all right after being drowned and "washed up and left for dead."
This song includes a paradox with the phrase "I feel hot and cold." It is difficult to imagine feeling hot and cold at the same time because they are opposites.
"I'm A Believer" ~The Monkees
This song includes several examples of irony. The second verse ends with, "When I needed sunshine, I got rain," which could be considered situational irony. The contrast of the verses with the chorus could also be considered situational irony. Each verse explains the doubt that the narrator had possessed in his mind, but the chorus declares that now he has "not a trace of doubt in" his mind.
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" ~ The Rolling Stones
This song includes irony in the contrast between its verses and chorus. The verses describe horrible experiences of the narrator, but they all lead into, "But it's all right now..." This example could be argued as either situational or verbal irony because the reader could take it as either a sarcastic tone or as an unexpected situation occuring. It would typically not be expected that someone would be all right after being drowned and "washed up and left for dead."
Monday, March 15, 2010
Songs with Personification
The first song that I chose was "Last Kiss," written by Wayne Cochran. It was brought back and performed again by several different artists, such as J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers & Pearl Jam. The first verse, in which two examples of personification appear, describes the car accident according to the narrator's memory. In the car ahead, "the engine was dead." An engine cannot literally die because it would not have been alive in the first place. In the imagery used to illustrate the crash, the narrator mentions "the screaming tires." Tires can make loud noises, but they cannot literally scream like a person screams. These human qualities are given to the parts of the cars to contribute to the tone. The narrator is describing a past event that he does not like to recall and which makes him feel helpless in the present.
I also chose the song "Brain Damage," by Pink Floyd. The beginning of the song describes the "lunatics." Personification is applied with the phrase, "The paper holds their folded faces to the floor." The ability to hold something is a human characteristic; a newspaper does not have hands to hold anything in. Like all other lyrics, there are numerous ways to translate the meaning of each line of this song. However, one possibility is that the paper is given this human quality to explain how it keeps the insane people insane.
I also chose the song "Brain Damage," by Pink Floyd. The beginning of the song describes the "lunatics." Personification is applied with the phrase, "The paper holds their folded faces to the floor." The ability to hold something is a human characteristic; a newspaper does not have hands to hold anything in. Like all other lyrics, there are numerous ways to translate the meaning of each line of this song. However, one possibility is that the paper is given this human quality to explain how it keeps the insane people insane.
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