Concrete Angel Analysis

In today’s society, music controls the way we live our lives. The influence that music has on society has broadened throughout the years and with social media being one of the world’s top priority, the fan base and spectrum for music in general has expanded significantly. Music is used to express feelings, moods, circumstances, experiences, knowledge, and so much more. With this being the case, the lyrics of any song can be interpreted differently by each and every listener. Many song lyrics give positive messages, promoting well-being, whiles others give negative messages, promoting violence, criminal behaviors, sexual contents, and disrespect towards others. With this being said, music reflects what the public demands, and in many cases the negative messages are often times what sells more than those music giving positive messages.

To start off, the first stanza in her song represents a sense of how unavoidable change is and how the confusion of the bond combined with the stress of the blame game can lead to a doomed

In Martina McBride’s Concrete Angel, we have the story of a young girl who is being abused by her mother. According to McBride, this is a true story based on her niece who was abused by her mother (McBride’s sister) and killed at the young age of 7. Child Abuse in recent years has been overshadowed by minor issues in today’s society. But the issue still exists; the sad thing is that these abusers are admitting they hurt children or even their own child and they have no remorse for it. It appears child abuse has gotten worse over the years but it is being ignored and no one talks about it anymore. In 2008 when the song Concrete Angel was released the writers of the song Rob Crosby and Stephanie Bently wanted to really go in depth with the lyrics of the song because at the time child abuse had been spreading all over the world. McBride, the producer, and performer also had a connection to this song because it tells of a personal experience she’s had with her family.

Songs, used to create messages, give singers the ability to speak about concerns that are relevant in the current everyday life. A powerful ways songwriters achieve this is by applying the use of imagery. Lyricists use this help readers of literary works to understand specific ideas that the writer is trying to convey. By using symbolism in songs, singers can discuss issues in ways that connect with the listener on a deeper level. Using this method in songwriting is crucial when discussing important subjects; influencing the public in a way that is not direct and more effective. In “ Don’t You Cry For Me,” songwriter Cobi uses repeated images of trees and individuals hanging as metaphors for his feelings towards facing injustice. It is through

During the American Civil War, the worst battle was the battle of Gettysburg. During the battle the Union and the Confederacy collectively lost over 51,000 men to either death, injury, or they were missing. Michael Shaara wrote The Killer Angels. The author goes into the story by telling why each of the major characters were fighting the war and their viewpoints. The author also tells the story though the letters and other documents and not using the historical opinions of the battle.

When people think of popular music they think of party beats created for pure entertainment and nothing more. People do not see this genre of music as capable of anything else. The stigma of popular music only being a form of amusement for the mass consumer is challenged when artists use music to attract attention to social issues. This paper intends to show how music like Raï challenge the thought that popular music is only for entertainment.

Victor Hugo once said, “music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Music can greatly influence a person, from the way they speak to the way they act. However, not all music can be considered a good influence and many adolescents waste away their youth by thinking, doing, and pursuing things that are more mature. Things such as seeking sexual attention, doing drugs, drinking, or hanging out in rough areas. These things are usually done because the child was hurt in some way, whether it be emotionally, mentally, or physically. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates creates a fictional character, Connie, who illustrates a

Music is a universal way in which people connect, and it does this through its use of literary devices to make the songs meaningful while still appealing. The song, “Wait and See,” uses literary devices like similes and metaphors to contribute to the theme of society’s mistakes and their impacts on the

Introduction Music is something that is supposed to inspire people and bring hope. Today the type of music teens listen and feed their mind is not only degrading of women but redefines self-worth and human beings in a negative way. One of many singers and songwriters, Alecia Beth Moore stands out on her own in the pop music industry. Alecia Moore, better known as Pink exemplifies a new age worldview because of the belief in self, belief in reincarnation, and the different shifting commitments. Background and History First of all, Alecia Beth Moore is not only a singer, songwriter, but also an actress that has changed the scope of pop music.

Palmer tells stories about her art of asking. She uses twitter to send out tweets and her fans will respond, giving her band a place to stay, eat, or just hang out. Palmer continues to grab the audience’s attention with perplexity. It’s not often you’ll hear of someone couch surfing and crowd surfing. These personal stories give Palmer strong credibility because she went through these experiences first hand. Testimony is used as a support material when Palmer tells the story of pulling up to a poor neighborhood in Miami and finding out the 18-year-old girl they were supposed to stay with lived with the rest of her family, all undocumented immigrants from Honduras. The mother says, "Your music has helped my daughter so much. Thank you for staying here. We 're all so grateful." This quote proves Palmer’s point that they all give and receive so much from each other. When people genuinely see each other, they want to help each other. This goes back to Palmer’s thesis of artists being directly supported by fans.

Suicide rates among LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) youth are some of the highest in nation today. The traumatic end result which has lead lgbt youth seeking an ultimate peace to their life is a saddling fact that is becoming all too real too often in society today. The impact of these young lives being loss has sparked a social shift in the appropriate direction yet the rates are continuing raising throughout the country. As with any shifts it has effect, such in the music world, of once untouched speaking through chord, vocals, and beats have taken center stage. Artists such as lead vocalist, Tim Mcllrath of melodic hardcore, punk band Rise Against song, “Make it Stop (September’s Children)”, album entitled End Game (2011) address the youth in the month of September 2010 which saw a huge spike in lgbt suicides-related deaths, and the need for change in society. Forwarding to the modern day of 2015 and the stride the lgbt has made since then, yet lgbt youth continues to be the leader in youth suicide, artist singer/song writer Pauley Perrette’s, “Beautiful Child” independent single (2015), brings about a light in a pit of darkness as the youth turn to thought of suicide, that light is there and that it can get better for them. Both songs provide a glimpse of the reality of the lgbt youth and the struggle they experience during everyday life. The issue of lgbt related suicde is one that spans over many years, kinds of people and through these lyrical works, we

Looking back at when I was assigned to write this Rhetorical Analysis, I was excited. I was given the option of picking two articles or two songs to write about. Being a big lover of music, I took the opportunity to analyze and put into conversation two songs of my choosing. After contemplating over which songs I would be analyzing, I finally chose two and began to brainstorm. However, as I was brainstorming, I realized that one of the songs I chose, did not seem to be very fitting for the message I wanted to talk about. So, after a little more contemplating I chose a different one. The two songs that my Rhetorical Analysis introduce are “Roar” by Katy Perry and “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. I chose these songs because they do a fantastic job at sending out a strong message of self-empowerment. This is a topic that I feel strongly about.

As a result towards being in a domestic violence situation, Rihanna has been victimized by Chris Brown. Nobody will fail to remember that picture of Rihanna. Her swollen face, blackened eyes and all those bruises she had throughout her. Her boyfriend at that time shocked people around the world when they found out that he assaulted her in his vehicle and just left her on the side of the road and left. Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, actress and songwriter. Who would've known she would of been confronted with a devastating incident. Within this being the situation, Rihanna's words and her dreadful experience helped women around the world. By speaking out she helped women seek for help and eventually it helped women gain more power by seeking

Katy Perry, a well-known American pop artist, delivers a message of social awareness in her song and music video titled,“Chained to the Rhythm.” In “Chained to the Rhythm,” the singer asserts that people in American society should not isolate themselves from, and or ignore the problems in the community. Perry encourages her audience to not sit still when an issue arises. Inspiring her onlookers to not stand idly while social injustices occur and to bring about change is the main purpose of her song and music video. Perry uses a plethora of rhetorical devices and appeals between her song and music video to successfully present her message and to get her audience to start making a change.

When looking at the song Concrete Angel, it is apparent from the very first verse that this song addresses child abuse, however the song tells a story about child abuse, and that and the way it was lyrically written is why it was chosen as an example. When looking at this example, the lyrics speak to the child abuse by talking about a little girl going to school wearing the same clothes, and hiding her bruises. Then it speaks about neighbors ignoring the crying, and then it being too late the next morning. In the end the child that is being abused is with her angels, meaning that the abused turned out to be fatal. Therefore this song is almost in the middle in regards to sending a preventative message, because it explains what can happen when people ignore obvious signs of abuse, but then again the message that it should not have happened in the first place is not there. If they included a verse about what the outsiders seeing the abuse should have done then the song could have been seen as more preventative in regards to the child abuse. The second song which is similar to Concrete’s Angel is the song Alyssa Lies by Jason Carroll, this song was chosen because it shows that children who are friends with children are abused, will notice these things and want to help. This song once again conveys the message about child abuse that if you do not seek help, or ask for help from someone else in the beginning that it can be too late. The song addresses the fact