God's Away On Business Rhetorical Analysis

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In today’s pop culture, it has become necessary for musical artists to rely on music videos to garner interest in their songs and disseminate their messages. Consequently, the phenomenon that is YouTube has had a pronounced effect in bringing music videos to viewers of all ages and has brought about a convenience of viewing never before imagined. Many Americans from Baby Boomers to Generation Z alike turn to YouTube to see their favorite videos, and to discover new artists. This visual analysis of the music video, “God’s Away On Business” 2008, performed by Tom Waits, produced by Anti Records, will examine the rhetoric used to deliver Mr. Waits message. Geared more towards the cerebral Baby Boomer than younger generations, this piece holds …show more content…

This works for both ethos and pathos. It brings credibility to the author’s story that the world is in disrepair, but it also puts us in a dour mood and shows the hopelessness of the situation. Then Mr. Waits says, “I’d sell your heart to the junkman baby / for a buck, for a buck” this shows he is in a state of desperation willing to do anything for money. This type of emotional appeal continues throughout the video; every room is bleak, naked of any decorations. The hallway, at times decorated with black balloons, brings to mind the inverse of a party. At other times, there is a single lonely light behind the speaker, casting him in shadows. Mr. Waits’ black suit and fedora, which is similar to something a funeral director, mortician or a sinister being might wear, speak to a dark, negative, and melancholy mood. These elements really connect with the empathic audience and set the ambiance for the …show more content…

Through most of the video, he is standing on stilts, as if he is trying to stay above rising water. In an early scene, he is hiding under an umbrella and standing on stilts, as if he is trying to protect himself from the deluge and keep above the rising water level at the same time. Emus appear often in the video, stupid flightless birds who cannot escape and are likely unaware of what is occurring, the birds are most likely representative of uninformed people who choose ignorance. In one scene, which corresponds to the line “Who are the ones that we kept in charge / killers thieves and lawyers,” Mr. Waits is standing over the emus with his arms outstretched and fingers splayed similar to a puppet master, he is insinuating how the emus are being controlled by the ones they have allowed to be in charge. In this way, Mr. Waits brings his message together in a logical and reasoned way, inviting the critical thinker to share his

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