Analysis of Lone Star Lone Star is a song by The Front Bottoms, written by Brian Sella. Brian says he wrote this song as an exercise to tell a story within song, and is not autobiographical in any way. The song tells the short story of him and his pregnant girlfriend. In the first stanza, it is already learned the outcome of the pregnancy. The line “watch my bank account run dry 437 dollars spent/ to put things back to the way they used to be” tells that he spent 437 dollars on an abortion, so that their relationship could go back to “the way they used to be.” Throughout the rest of the song he further talks about how difficult his life is getting and what he is doing because of it. The third stanza talks about the changes associated with the …show more content…
termination, and how it affects them both as in the line “Nothing feels alright now/ the length of my hair or the fit of my clothes/ crying like a baby now/ soft and nothing.” In the fourth stanza, the girlfriend is telling Brian to “get on your hands and knees and pray for us.” and that's obviously implying forgiveness from god. They feel poorly about the decision they made and not only are they going to be feeling the guilt for a while, but they don’t know if even God forgives them. Brian uses a few similar techniques to get across the basic imagery and ideas, but they all go a long way if the time is taken to think about them.
When he talks about “Nothing feels alright now/ The length of my hair or the fit of my clothes” it’s implied that nothing could ever feel the same, because he has too much guilt behind him after their decision. He wants to change everything but he doesn’t know how, so he’s stuck in a state of crisis, he doesn't feel like he belongs. The next imagery detail used is “‘Cause I could imagine myself throwing all my things/ inside a suitcase without bothering to fold them” and that is a powerful detail. The only time somebody ever throws all their clothes into a suitcase without caring how the go in, just that it closes, is when they’re in a rush. He doesn’t care that they aren’t folded, and he won’t even be taking most of his things. What mattered is that he could leave now, he’s got no responsibility to her. This is gathered from the line “”cause I can leave so what now what, so where do I go.” He is saying that all because, since they terminated the pregnancy, he’s got no responsibility to her, if He isn’t happy, he could leave. And he imagines it. over and over, almost romanticizing it. Most of the imagery described is all sight, in one way or another. The thoughts can evoke imagination about this exact situation, and a couple can be seen arguing, or crying, or
leaving. My reaction to the song was initially different, mostly because I never thought of the lyrics in the way they are meant to be interpreted. Throughout the whole initial listen to write this poem, I didn’t really think it was that imagery filled, or even the theme of the song in all honesty. I think this is a fairly powerful song, at least to me, and it evokes some interesting thoughts and imagery through words. I think the line “nothing feels alright now/ the length of my hair or the fit of my clothes” is my favorite for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a relatable emotion he’s feeling. Almost anyone can relate to a time where they made a mistake, and because of it, nothing they did felt right. It makes it seem like you couldn’t settle into your own body, no matter how hard you tried.
Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” follows Leroy and Norma Jean Moffitt, a husband and wife, and their struggling marriage. In the beginning they had a typical marriage, and then as bother her and her husband evolve, Norma Jean questions her marriage and who her husband is. Norma Jean finds herself struggling to make sense of her marriage, and Leroy struggles to move beyond his accident. Through plot structure and third person dramatic point of view, Mason explores the issues of evolving and changing gender roles within a marriage.
She thinks that if she vandalizes his precious “souped-up four wheel drive” it will stop him from being unfaithful- to teach him a lesson. However, in “perfect” the thoughts haunt her mind as she realizes she serves no purpose to her boyfriend. “ I hear you talking 'bout her in your sleep”, she feels as if he’s distancing himself from her; as if he has lost the love he had for her; it can make any women feel defeated wondering what the other women is doing that has such of an effect on them. “I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too”. She has reached a turning point in the relationship; she knows he is being unfaithful from the way he acts towards her, tasting her lipstick as she kisses him, when he says her name in his sleep. She knows he’s being unfaithful yet she still stays- she stays hoping he will change when he does not. While in “Before He Cheats” she does not stay another second to an unfaithful man; she leaves the relationship. Secondly, in “Before He Cheats” she keeps thinking about her ex, thinking back to the memories they had and insulting his new replacement how she is nothing like her and how she believes she is much more better than who he preferred to be with. “He’s
Previously, the narrator has intimated, “She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own.” Her thoughts and emotions engulf her, but she does not “struggle” with them. They “belonged to her and were her own.” She does not have to share them with anyone; conversely, she must share her life and her money with her husband and children and with the many social organizations and functions her role demands.
The narrator, a new mother, is revoked of her freedom to live a free life and denied the fact that she is “sick”, perhaps with postpartum depression, by her husband, a physician, who believes whatever sorrows she is feeling now will pass over soon. The problematic part of this narrative is that this woman is not only kept isolated in a room she wishes to have nothing to do with, but her creative expression is revoked by her husband as we can see when she writes: “there comes John, and I must put this away, - he hates to have me write a word (Gilman,
In the song he states, “I can plow a field all day long/ I can catch catfish from dusk ‘till dawn/ We make our on whiskey and our own smoke, too/ Ain’t too many things these old boys can’t do.” In addition, He stated, “But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife/ For 43 dollars my friend lost his life/ I’d love to spit some beech nut in that dude’s eyes/ And shoot him with my old 45.” The author is really trying to persuade everyone that they can do pretty much anything to live on their own because that is how they are raised and that if you mess with one of them; you got it coming your way.
There are several elements of literature that can be analyzed when discussing a good short or long story. The elements are plot, characterization, theme, setting, point of view, irony and symbolism. I read the short story Shiloh and have chosen to discuss the plot of this story. This is a great story expressing the way miscommunication in a marriage can tear the marriage apart.
The constantly growing and changing world is trying its best to sway and alter the minds of the common people by using as many influential platforms possible from ads on television, entertainment in the theaters, politics in the government, to music on the radio. The Dave Matthews Band sings about either issues in life or in love. To find a song that correlates to individualism is not a surprise. When singer Dave Matthews performs the song "Drunken Soldier" live, he puts an emphasis on the lyrics "Don't waste time trying to be something you're not/ Fill up your head/ Fill up your heart/ And take your shot/ Don't waste
The narrator makes comments and observations that demonstrate her will to overcome the oppression of the male dominant society. The conflict between her views and those of the society can be seen in the way she interacts physically, mentally, and emotionally with the three most prominent aspects of her life: her husband, John, the yellow wallpaper in her room, and her illness, "temporary nervous depression. " In the end, her illness becomes a method of coping with the injustices forced upon her as a woman. As the reader delves into the narrative, a progression can be seen from the normality the narrator displays early in the passage, to the insanity she demonstrates near the conclusion.
It starts by describing a young woman in college, stating, “she has no idea what she’s doing in college, the major she majored in don’t make no money, she won’t drop out, her parents will look at her funny (West).” By doing this the song establishes that this woman wants success but she doesn’t know how to obtain it since she was basically pushed into pursuing a career in college that she was unsure of in order to obtain success. The song furthers the story of the woman when she states that she gives up and goes on to say that her tuition money is enough to buy a few pairs of new shoes. The desire for success and frustration of not being able to achieve it, is what essentially leads the woman to take this shortcut of dropping out of school to acquire material possessions in the “now” instead of the slower, more standard route of finishing her education and finding success through that. Kanye West then describes in the song his addiction to material possessions when he began to acquire wealth from his music career.
She used to live one way and now that she has to live another way she has decided that she wants to try new things. She begins to focus on herself instead of taking care of her family and their needs. She lost her child, and now her husband is a completely different person due to his accident. She started to see the world differently and I think that it shows through her hobbies. I think her hobbies show that she could feel differently about her husband. She used to take care of him, but now that he’s at home, she may feel like she needs time for herself. I think her hobbies shows that she’s more interested in taking care of herself and making changes that will eventually better her life. I think the conflict between the two shows greatly in their hobbies and interests. The accident clearly reversed their roles that they played in the family. Their differences in hobbies and interests show how much they have changed and it takes an effect on their marriage. They became two completely different people, they switched roles, and it eventually destroys their
The death of an infant can modify one’s characteristic and psychological behavior to the point of suicide. In Bobbie Ann Mason’s "Shiloh" she leaves the ending of the story for her readers to draw their own conclusion of how Norma Jean leaves her husband Leroy. Most readers see her divorcing Leroy and starting a new life as an independent woman (Cooke 196 par.1). When in fact, this is a story about a bereaved mother who at the end, takes her own life due to the guilt over her child’s death.
The moment he felt Curley¡¦s wife moving away, he acted on his inner feelings and he was frightened. The scene portrayed a good example of the interaction of two complete strangers, it was interesting to see how they shared things and opened up to each other.Part Two:This scene is related to the theme in different ways. I think that it incorporates three main aspects of the theme. It is related to belonging, loneliness and dreams.
The narrator suffers from hallucinations, bizarre behavior, and inability to sleep or eat, all of which are symptoms of postpartum depression. John’s plan to deal with the narrator’s illness consists of complete bed rest and the narrator not seeing her child. He also says that the narrator is not allowed to write in her journal, which she blatantly ignores. “There comes John, and I must put this away, --he hates to have me write a word” (Gilman n.pag.). The narrator uses the journal as an escape from her husband’s abuse. When the narrator suggests changing the wallpaper, her husband calls her his “blessed little goose” and changes the subject (Gilman n.pag.). This, along with John repeatedly calling the narrator little girl, implies that he thinks of the narrator as his child more than his wife. Furthermore, many times throughout the story, the narrator says “personally,” which “suggests that the following idea can be ignored as a mere opinion” (Ford, n.pag.). The room where the narrator stays also represents the theme of female oppression. The narrator thinks that the room she sleeps in is normal, but the reader can infer that the room used to house a mentally insane person. The bed is nailed down, the windows are barred shut, and the wallpaper is chipped. This
I’d thought something was required of me, but I hadn’t wanted to find out what it was” (9). The words “relieved” and “tearful” show a drastic contrast about how the narrator feels and at the same time even after knowing he is required or expected to do something he tries to circumvent it. This shows how he is at a battle with his own thoughts and isn’t able to decide what is needed of him at the moment. This makes the reader feel remorseful for the hitchhiker as they can recognize that he is a dilemma in his own mind. Moreover, when taken to the doctor, even though he had minor injuries when asked about how he was he replied, “There is nothing wrong with me” (11) and later that he was “surprised” that he let those words out. This erratic behaviour of the hitchhiker confounds the reader. Even though he needs help he denies it. This makes the reader sympathize with his situation as the narrator is clearing in a situation where he needs desperate help. This desolating and despairing tone evokes a sentimental mood for the reader and makes them sympathise with the
He comes to terms with the fact that “I’ve lived this way long enough” (6). He is finally beginning to come to the realization that the grief of his dead wife has been consuming him. Personification and symbolism is once again employed in the lines 7-8 as the author believes his wife is a part of the vacuums overall being stating “when my old woman died her soul/ went into that vacuum cleaner”. Now that his wife is dead the vacuum itself is no longer a cleaning tool and is now simply a dead object.