How Do Literary Elements Effect a Song

Poems and songs may have strength in literary terms, but have you ever wondered what makes them powerful? In this essay, there will be analyzed two poems “The Boy Died in my Alley” and “Daddy”, as well as the song “Firework” in which theme, metaphor, and repetition are the literary devices that make them powerful.

I believe that music as an agent of socialization is prominent in Symbolic Interactionism. Songwriters and musicians, like poets, includes symbolism in there lyrics. They give musical symbols by which we

One example of a simile in The Secret Life of Bees is “Something about this caused my own eyes to sting like sand had flown into them.” (KIdd 249). In this sentence, Kidd compares something in Lily’s eyes to sand. The word that justifies this as a simile is the usage of the word “like”. This is a comparison that shows how Lily was about to cry because of something that she saw.

Often music is consisted not only by sounds made from musical instruments, but also by voice and verbal messages. The structure of the voice, or as Roland Barthes describes it ‘the grain of voice’ is the element in a certain piece of music which is responsible for creating the emotions when listening. The grain and the lyrics make the signified and carry out the message. The vocal part of music is formed of words, text, which communicate and make the representation and expression of what it is sung - talked about. According to Barthes the emotive modes of the voice and the changes of the tones from low to high is what delivers the final message and makes us feel the music. (Barthes, R. 1977 [1972]).

Simile is one of the main literary devices Markus Zusak used in the book, The Book Thief. A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using like or as. On page 140 it says, “He felt like a man in a paper suit”. He is trying to say that every time the person, in the book would move he would make a noise. Imagine being covered in paper, every move you make, the paper would cringe and move without being heard. Another example on page 12 it says “Bodies were stuck there like

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. In the novel Kidd used a simile to compare and make readers understand more. “ I was the only one who knew that despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved me beyond reason”.(11) Kidd compared Rosaleen to a flower to express that at times

Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.

Similes allows the readers to make connections and it creates a criticizing tone to technology and American society. The book states, "He felt his smile slide away, melt, fold over and down on itself like a tallow skin, like the stuff of a fantastic candle burning too long and now collapsing and now blown out. Darkness. He was not happy" (12). The author has a negative tone due to the words such as "melt," "collapsing," "blown out," "darkness" and "not happy." Montag says that he is happy, but soon as he enters the house, he realizes that he is not happy and his smile is gone. Probably there are people like Montag in the society, where they think they are happy but actually they are miserable. This simile is comparing how Montag's smile left

A simile is a form of figurative language that uses the word “like” or “as” to make a comparison. An effective simile can tell a lot about a character or scenario. Early on in Wiesel’s book he describes Moishe as “Physically, he was awkward as a clown. His waiflike shyness made people smile” (3).

In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, Alliteration is used to connect the ideas together into a central theme of how the protagonists lives’ could’ve been if they weren’t in the war. Alliteration was used when the protagonist is on sentry duty at night on the front lines and he “stand[s] there and wonder[s] whether, when [he] is twenty, [if he] shall experience the bewildering emotions of love ”(Remarque 119). This quote helps tie together the idea that he has not experience life as an adult since he has been in the war this entire time, he begins to not want to fight in the war any longer and wants to go home. The author uses this technique to create a rhyme scheme in the sentence and to connect this related ideas. (158

Poets use comparisons frequently to help them discuss two or more things. Poets can use similes or metaphors to make these comparisons. A simile is a comparison that uses the words “like” or “as.” When Robert Frost says “life is too much like a pathless wood,” then he is using a simile.

Gloria K. Fiero writes, “The strong association between poetry and music suggests that the human voice [has] a significant influence in both melody and rhythm” (58). The voice of the singer is what gives the song that distinct twist that sets it apart from others, and if the song is originally written as a poem it gives the artist the freedom to interpret and express the lyrics however they see is best fit. Any person is capable of singing or rapping a song, but not everyone is capable of making audiences feel emotions simply through the power and emotion behind their

The song “Ross Capicchioni” by Joyner Lucas can be a prime example of a literary piece because of its plot, multi perspectives, and tone throughout the song. Manipulating words so that it could fit into different rhyming schemes to set a specific tone has added a dramatic and poetic effect on literary writings. A good plot is one of, if not the most critical part of a literary piece because it keeps a reader, viewer or listener interested in the piece. Lastly, the multi perspectives of the piece makes it literary because of the ability to imagine and “bring to life” both points of views are rare in writings, songs and poems.

Music itself is considered as a language. Music and language are related in many ways. Because music stimulates our sense of hearing, it is clear that music can, and inevitably does, convey information. I consider that music is, by its very nature, has the power to express everything, whether a feeling, an attitude of mind, a psychological mood, a phenomenon of nature, etc. Although it can be said that music usually tends to express something, this is only an illusion, and not a reality. It is precisely this, which produces in us a unique emotion which has nothing in common with our ordinary sensations and our responses to the impressions of daily life. Music expresses, at different moments, serenity or liveliness, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language. In that case, musicians often like to say that it has only a purely musical meaning. They sometimes go farther and say that all music has only a purely musical meaning. My own belief is that all music has an expressive power, some more and some less, but that all music has a certain

Literature is not made up of just stories. Poems and songs can be attributed to literature. Poetry and songs, like the nursery rhymes of childhood, are also vital to a culture. Sometimes a story is told in the form of a poem or song. And sometimes a poem or song can be pure entertainment. However labeled in a culture, the poems and songs