Rhetorical Analysis #2

Please post Rhetorical Analysis #2 by 4pm on Wed. 11/6.  Post in addition to submitting a hard copy by 9:15am.  Comments are due by 5pm on Fri. 11/8.

Labels:  Rhetorical Analysis 2, Your Name

"Let It Go"- Jo Dee Messina

Jo Dee Messina's "Let It Go" perfectly outlines the relationship between the protagonist in Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, and his son, Biff. The song describes the lack of communication between the two men and gives the only solution to their issues, letting go of everything that is separating them.

One's Own Mind

Jimi Hendrix's performance of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock sparked widespread controversy as an inappropriate defecation of the sacred anthem. Like Willy Loman, Hendrix was struggling to find an identity, to create art, between society's dream-- the underlying, ringing notes of the anthem (or in Willy's case, the conception of a salesman)-- and his own-- the overwhelming static that ultimately consumes. The result is madness-- a breakdown into disjointed, distorted riffs-- tragically symbolic of the nation's, and Willy's, struggle to distinguish one's own mind from the next.

"Jack and Diane"

"Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp is a song written about a couple living in rural America with big hopes and dreams for the future, however, through the song, it is seen that they were not able to accomplish these dreams. This is similar to how Willy Loman believed that his son would be successful in the sales business, however, Biff never lived up to his father's idea. Likewise, Willy's life as a salesman was filled with failure as he can never achieve anything he strives for. The lines "Oh yeah life goes on/Long after the thrill of living is gone" relate to how nothing in Willy's life changes for the better as he continuously works in this job of a salesman but never accomplishes any of his dreams. "Long after the thrill of living gone" relates to how Wily is holding on to a past and false hope that he can accomplish what Dave Singleton or his brother accomplished.

"Royals" - Lorde

The message portrayed in the song Royals by Lorde relates to Willy Lomas's desire for money, popularity, and status through its beginning verses and chorus.  In addition it illustrates that Willy has "never seen a diamond in the flesh" because he did not follow Ben into the African jungle to discover riches and wealth.  In result of this lack of money, Willy is reduced to creating his ideal world, where he is rich and wealthy, through dreams.

"The Entertainer" - Billy Joel

"The Entertainer" by Billy Joel is similar to Miller's Death of a Salesman in that both works shed light on the impracticality and brokenness of the professions of "selling" one's personality, whether as a musician or salesman. Both works describe the failure of each man to establish personal connections with others because of societal pressure to perform well in order to survive in this world. 

This song effortlessly displays a certain inability to grapple with the true meaning of one's life and the refusal to accept that the life one is living is anything below extraordinary, thoughts that Willy Loman often struggled with. He eventually let these thoughts control him, acting as a catalyst for his tragic downfall.

"Wake Me Up"

      "Wake Me Up" by Avicii can be applied to either Willy or Biff Loman. Both are desperately seeking something tangible and real- something they feel will finally complete them. However in this process they are losing themselves by forgetting what is truly important: "all this time I was finding myself and I didn't know i was lost". For Willy, he did not realize this was happening until his " life [had passed him] by", because he chose to close his eyes and sleep through his troubles. The song also alludes to the concept of plans for big dreams, which are never actually followed through on- "hope I get the chance to travel the world, but I don't have any plans".

"Roger Rabbit"

Roger Rabbit by Sleeping with Sirens relates to Death of a Salesman, specifically Willy Loman, by emphasizing the need to love yourself in order for others to love you. It also focuses on self reflection rather than taking one's anger out on others, which is a frequent habit of Willy's.

When You Wish Upon a Star

The classic Disney song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," is reflective of Willy Loman's mentality of how one may achieve success. The song says, "when you wish upon a star/ makes no difference who you are/ anything your heart desires/ will come to you." This is similar to Willy's thought that any man can "start off with the clothes on his back and end with diamonds." However it raises the question, does Willy's heart really desire success as a salesman? If he did, wouldn't success just come to him?

"Sweet Escape"

In the Death of a Salesman, all the characters want a "Sweet Escape" from their life. Even though they desire freedom from specific things in their lives, they cannot manage to escape due to their life holding them back. For example, Happy wants escape from the shadows and wants to be recognized. Biff wants to escape from uncertainty and find who he is in his life. And Willy wants to escape loneliness. Whatever the case, they all want to "recreate a place that's their own world" and "make their life better."

"I Don't Wanna Be a Waste"

"Dreamer's Disease" by letlive. delineates the struggle of prioritizing dreams over relationships and the stifling affect that it can have on commitment and love. The Loman family has suffered tremendously because of the the family members' futile attempts at achieving society's idea of success.

"Hope is a four letter word"

One Republic's "Counting Stars" speaks most readily to Biff Loman's struggle with pursuing his own happiness or fulfilling his father's, and society's, expectations for him.   Just listen to the lyrics.

Levon- Elton John

The title character in Elton John's "Levon" is a "good man/ In tradition with the family plan," similar to Willy Loman in his stereotypical ideas of success which have been passed down through generations. Additionally, Levon's son, Jesus, "blows up balloons all day" as part of his father's business, but really "wants to go to Venus/ And leave Levon far behind." This desire for a departure from familial values and traditions is echoed in Biff's continual search for himself outside of the narrow business world his father inhabits, and literally in his Western migrations as part of a quest for meaning and happiness.

Snap Out Of It- Arctic Monkeys

"Snap Out Of It" by the Arctic Monkeys relates to Linda's relationship to Willy. She desperately wants him to snap out of his delusions but never takes direct action to make a change. Since she is not actively making a change, she is simply "waiting ever so patiently" for him to stop hallucinating on his own. The idea that "forever isn't for everyone" can be applied to the death of a salesman as a profession. They had their peak, and currently are on a downward spiral towards irrelevance. Willy settling for what he has can be reflected by the lyrics: "It sounds like settling down/ or giving up".

DOAS Song Connection

Post a YouTube link to the song you referenced today in class, and briefly (a few sentences) explain the most poignant connection to Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

Labels:  your name, DOAS Song

"Injustice For All"

This morality picture on the death penalty blatantly represents the biased, underlying problem of the criminal justice system. To the left of the picture is Lady Justice, representing the whites put on trial. To the whites, Lady Justice is blindfolded in order to be impartial to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The sword of Lady Justice represents the enforcement of her convictions, which are supposedly fair and just to all. However, this is not the case seeing as the whites on trial for the death penalty end with their lives, unlike the people of color, who end with the looming prospect of death. The right half of the picture is the Grim Reaper, representing the other side of Lady Justice as the personification of death. This Grim Reaper side of justice, unlike Lady Justice, is not blindfolded, seeing everything and judging everything. In his hands is the scythe, the weapon with which the Grim Reaper harvests the souls of the lives he takes and transports them to the afterlife. This just adds to the suspense of imminent death that awaits people of color. In the bottom right hand corner, barely visible, is a seemingly out of place bird, looking onto the scene of supposed "justice" and realizing that, in reality, the death penalty is "injustice for all," posing the question in the viewers mind: is the criminal justice system actually fair for all? The title of the picture is "And Justice for All (a study in black and white). This satirical play on the words “a study in black and white” means not only that the picture is in black and white but represents study of whites vs blacks when it comes to who gets death, unjustly, more often than the other. This picture accurately represents biases of the criminal justice system through the two sides of Lady Justice: the seen and the unseen. 

Welcome to the Plastic Beach

The beauty of this album cover for the Gorillaz’ plastic beach is its ability to mix a playful artistic flare with a public plea for environmental and ecological safety and preservation. It hits at the center of and brings awareness to our world’s problems; through it’s playful representation of the tackiness of modern culture. The hazy atmosphere and brownish orange color pallet speak to the mistreatment of the environment in the modern world. The only green in the entire piece is a few sad-looking palm trees and a bit of brownish grass on the mushroom shaped island, which confirms that there is bad air quality and lack of oxygen in the air around the island. The mushroom shaped island is symbolic of psychedelic drugs and that in a world as far-gone and desolate as this, consolation could only be found in escape. The humans in this world are trapped. They are trapped in the bird-shaped house that looks like it is trapped inside the island. A bird with only one wing forever attached to the island and the world it destroyed, only able to escape in its mind, unable to escape the horrors of what it has done to its own world. Humans have become these flightless birds entirely alone and isolated on small islands, having already destroyed everything we needed to be happy, namely our environment. It is most effective in communicating its message of environmental awareness because of these unusual images.

Personal Space

This advertisement deftly creates a juxtaposition between consumer and product, allowing no room for separation in the mind of the man or woman filling their car with gas. The identification of the common nightmare – to be poor, dirty, and unhealthy, judging by the cigarette – and the artistic iconic representation of that job relates on a psychological level with the consumer, who seeing their own stance the same as the man pumping gas in the picture, searches for some means out of the comparison to the poor. The placement of the ad is vital for effectiveness because the direct positioning of the dirty, common working man next to the average all though poverty dreading person creates a psychological situation in the mind of the consumer that they wish seek refuge from, in the form of the product being advertised.

My Body Is My Body

This image works to combat slut shaming, or the societal idea that women must cover their bodies in society's standard of modesty to maintain dignity. Stylistically, the photo’s black and white coloring adds a tone of drama or seriousness while the simple backdrop hones the viewer’s eye onto the written words. The capital letters and thick black paint express the message clearly. The image also effectively communicates the woman’s comfort in her own body. Her bare upper torso appears as something natural instead of dirty or sinful, relaying the message that the naked body is not inherently “wrong”. She exudes confidence with a slight smile and straight posture. The effectiveness of this underlying message comes from how out of the norm it is. Naked women usually appear in ads or age-restricted movies, not in such a toned down environment. This change in setting takes away the scandal associated with the female body.