Rhetorical Analysis of The Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime”

For my rhetorical analysis paper I chose to use one of the most influential British singers of all time, John Lennon. In his song Imagine, the very first line, "Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try," (John Lennon, Imagine), causes the listener to automatically begin thinking. The song is emotionally filled and full of instances where a listener is forced to think of what Lennon is saying in the song. Lennon was considered a very influential leader in efforts of world peace during his time, and still to this day his messages reach across the world in his music. Songs such as “Imagine” which still have a strong and powerful message decades after its first release. Lennon had a simple style and approach which left nothing for deliberation, leading the listener straight to the point of his messages. "Imagine" is one of the best examples of this, Lennon establishes his point multiple times throughout this song and it creates a bond with his listeners which in turn creates a trust within himself and his words.

“Your greatest self has been waiting your whole life; don’t make it wait any longer.”(Maraboli) When you make that decision in your life that you aren’t content with where you are, it finally clicks that you need to get up and make that change in your life. Giving yourself the power to go in any direction and being able to make the decision on how your attitude will affect your day. Knowing your self worth even at the lowest points in life that when you want to be great, you will be. It may not be easy to climb out of your lowest points because you start to make excuses for yourself on why you could never be happy again. Thinking that it just isn’t meant for you to be successful after the depressing times you have been through. Similar to, “Fight Song,” Rachel Platten wrote this song at her worst times in her life, but used it to remind her not to give up, that she believed in herself and still had fight left. The rhetorical devices used in Rachel Patton’s “Fight Song” are intended to reveal to the listener that to empower yourself, the listener needs to make those changes their life for their own happiness.

Most of the time, when we listen to a song, we don’t listen to the words, or what message they are trying to give us. Each song out there has a message in the lyrics somewhere. For this assignment, we were to analyze a song and the lyrics and find the thesis of that song. With thesis, I mean what the message within the song is trying to tell us. The song “I hope you dance” by Lee Ann Womack has a good thesis in some ways, but the thesis could also be argumentative also.

I sit in this AP Language and Composition class trying to decipher the essence of the unending annotations and floods of random texts for the past quarter. Little did I know that I would be taking flight and soaring through the smallest details and threads of literary devices and techniques of analyzing language. Before this class, I looked at a book, aware that it was filled with potential symbolism and crucial themes that were definitely worth considering. Yet, I often paid far less attention to the way words are crafted in efforts to create a beautiful masterpiece. Who knew that the jargon used in Snow Falling on Cedars could significantly shape the overall tone of the book? From the years leading up to this class, the main goal I had

Hozier’s 2015 song “Work Song” suggests that true love comes from hard work, devotion, and sense of faith. The author creates a story that illustrates how someone who is miserable and at his lowest point, can find love and finally have a greater purpose. Hozier’s song encourages his listeners by showing them that true love can make someone strive to be better. As the song progresses, rhythm, the juxtaposition an image, and careful diction convey that above all, love is the root of happiness, but it is not achieved without laborious work.

Hozier’s 2015 song “Work Song” suggests that true love comes from hard work, devotion, and sense of faith. The author creates a story that illustrates how someone who is miserable and at his lowest point can find love and finally have a greater purpose. Hozier’s song encourages his listeners by showing them that true love can make someone strive to be better. As the song progresses, rhythm, the juxtaposition of images, and careful diction convey that above all, love is the root of happiness, but it is not achieved without laborious work.

"Take Me to Church" is a music video by singer Hozier which argues against homophobia and for the rights of homosexuals. The arguments are made using a combination of ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade the audience. The video begins by portraying two men who are romantically involved. The men are then attacked by a group of people because of their life style choice. The video then argues for the two main characters and against the gang.

Has there ever been a tragedy in your life that made you hit rock bottom? Was there someone in your life that changed you when they passed? Have you ever lost somebody close to you? Cheryl Strayed expresses, in her book Wild, that everybody handles grief differently. She also would like everybody to know that anybody can come back from hitting rock bottom. This essay will evaluate Strayed’s use of rhetorical appeals and rhetorical analysis in order to show how Strayed unsuccessful crafted her memoir Wild.

Many great writers have a way of connecting to their audience and influence the way we analyze their writing strategies. Cheryl Strayed created a biography, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, about her life changing experience that allows us the opportunity to apply aspects of a rhetorical analysis to her writing. Cheryl’s memory of her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail, that extends over 1,000 miles from Mexico to Canada, provides us with explicit details and evidence that tie into her motives and conditions for writing and her intended audience. Cheryl also makes appeals to her knowledge, trustworthiness, and emotions that help us illustrate her insights as she traveled along the trail.

In the music video "Same Love", Macklemore used pathos, history, and symbolism to emphasize on gay marriage, marriage equality, and homophobia in hip-hop. It follows a storyline of how a boy started to feel like he was gay in the 3rd grade, but his mom reassured him that it was just a phase. Throughout his life, he still had that strange feeling that he could not shake. He was even pressured by his peers to play a game called seven minutes in heaven. He became very uncomfortable which caused him to leave to another party. One day, he decided to bring his partner to his parents' house for dinner and disclosed that they were getting married. As usual, the parents are surprised to hear that their child likes the same sex. Towards the end of the story, the two men get married and by their sides were their families supporting them in every way. Finally, they were happy with a child

‘From the margins to the mainstream: the political power of hip-hop’ by Katina R. Stapleton

Claim: The Chainsmokers craft ineffective arguments as they fail to give background information for evidence, they do not have creible or sufficient evidence, they lack diversity in use of rhetorical devices, and they do not convey their argument clearly. The Chainsmokers fail to create well written arguments due to the lack of background information given to the audience when they state evidence. One example of this was shown in the song “Something Just Like This” in which Coldplay and the Chainsmokers express, “‘Achilles and his gold, Hercules and his gifts’” (3-4).

“I have a dream that one day all men are created equal.” Arguably the most powerful quote said by the most powerful men at the most powerful of speeches known as the “I Have a Dream Speech” during the African American Civil Rights Movement. So, it does require deep analyzation to fully grasp the piece and the author as whole. Analyzing the style of the author as a writer and a speaker, the audience and the rhetorical themes will help you to fully grasp the piece and the author. The author his name, Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King is an astonishing speaker. He is also a great writer too. Martin Luther King’s speech changed the landscape of civil rights immediately and for years to come. Since there is the speech itself and a written piece I will be analyzing a mix of both from the speech and the written peace.

America in the 1960s was not the finest time for African Americans, especially in the South. There was racism, injustice and inequality. However, the ‘devotees’ of the civil rights movement were dedicated and passionate about making a difference. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those pioneers that remained true in what he believed in no matter what the circumstance.

The reader must participate in the making of the poem or story by digging the structure out and create coherence out of the seeming incoherence. Therefore, the search for meaning, even if it does not succeed, becomes meaningful itself.