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Michael Jackson took the world by storm from when he was a child, singing in a band with his brothers known as the Jackson 5, until his death in 2009. Jackson was most commonly known at the “King of Pop,” but many people would agree that he was the king of entertainment. He created many record-breaking albums and songs, winning countless awards. Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror” has a motivational, yet urgent tone that surfaces through the imagery, diction, and pathos appeal of the lyrics.
Jackson displays imagery throughout the song that paints a picture in the listener’s head of what kind of people he is singing about. For example, in stanza two, he describes himself walking past hungry kids on the street. He uses phrases such as “the wind is blowing,” and turning up the “collar on his favorite winter coat” to help the listener imagine the scenario. Stanza six provides further evidence
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of imagery through word choice when Jackson sings of “a widow deeply scarred,” and “a washed-out dream.” These details help to create the tone of sadness. Throughout the song, Michael Jackson uses diction in the form of connotation.
The words “I’m starting with the man in the mirror,” do not literally mean he is looking in the mirror and changing what he sees. Conversely, Jackson is referring to self-reflection and changing who he is on the inside. This phrase shifts the tone from sadness to a motivational, urgent, and determined approach. He is pushing himself and encouraging others to make a change in the world.
Jackson also uses rhetorical questions that cause the listener to debate within themselves. He asks questions such as, “Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs?” and “Could it really be me, pretending that they’re not alone?” to provoke reflection in others. This strategy also works to prove a point that we do not pay enough attention to people who may be suffering. Moreover, Jackson uses these rhetorical questions to push the importance of the point he has already made. Lastly, for most listeners, the answers may be ambiguous. The answers are obvious in the sense that there is no right
answer. Finally, he utilizes a pathos appeal and stirs up the listener’s emotions. Jackson pulls at the heartstrings of everyone by broaching issues such as starving children, homelessness, and poverty. Also, an abundance of people can relate to this song because they might be in any of these situations, or they know someone who is. Also, these problems are still commonplace in present-day society, which makes this song relevant today. Ultimately, “Man in the Mirror,” is a motivational song that successfully employs rhetorical techniques including imagery, connotation, rhetorical questions, and appeals to the public’s emotions. Not to mention, Jackson develops a consistent tone throughout the song that is best described as an immediate call for action.
This story made me frustrated at the way people get forced into a rut that they can’t escape. Jackson Jackson isn’t completely innocent, no one is, but most of his problems were a result from the wrong that others had inflicted upon him. The frustrating part was that He was incapable of getting himself out. He did things like spend money on alcohol and cheese burgers, only to end up throwing it all up and even less money. To me, this story is about redemption. Jackson received grace from people like the good cop, and the pawnbroker. None of his own efforts changed his situation, only the kindness of others changed him. These kind deeds helped reconcile the reality of Jackson’ life and his situation. In a story like this, I always hope for a
He has an internal conflict because he wants to save money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia from the pawnbroker, but he also wants to share his money and he receives money throughout the story. “‘I’m hoping, and I don’t know why I’m hoping it, but I hope you can turn thirty bucks into a thousand somehow.’ ‘I believe in magic.’ ‘I believe you’ll take my money and get drunk on it’” (Alexie para 230). When he receives money, he always ends up spending it on alcohol and sometimes spends it on food. He never spends all his money on himself. Jackson has a man versus nature conflict and a man versus man made environment conflict. His man vs. man made environment conflict occurs when he is too drunk to find a good place to sleep. He ends up falling asleep on train tracks. An example of Jackson’s man vs. mother-nature, “’I was cold and sleepy,’ I said. ‘So I lay down.’ ‘You dumb-ass, you passed out on the railroad tracks.’ I sat up and looked around. I was lying on the railroad tracks’” (Alexie para 195). Jackson also has a conflict with white society. “‘One day you have a home and the next you don’t, but I’m not going to tell you my particular reasons for being homeless, because it’s my secret story, and Indians have to work hard to keep secrets from hungry white folks’” (Alexie para 1). Jackson also has a man versus man conflict with Honey Boy, who tries to get Jackson to hook up with him but Jackson says he’s not a homosexual. “‘I’m flattered, Honey Boy, but I don’t play on your team.’” (Alexie para 165). Jackson does not show any signs of complexity. He is also a stereotypical homeless man. He does spend the majority of the money he gets on alcohol. Jackson also is dynamic since he clearly changes because in the beginning he was just a homeless man with his friends with nobody really paying attention to him, then at the end he felt that everybody stopped to watch him
...alf seconds. If Jackson did not change his view of life, work hard at everything he did, and excel at sports, who knows where he would be today. He could be sitting in a jail cell because he never changed his ways and lost his temper, or he could still be living in a small house in a small town. Jackson decided that he did not want to do that, and that he wanted his family to be free from a live full of poverty.
...about. Jackson’s life is based around the successes of the world and the life of humans, in which I do not find as important. In my belief of Christianity, I deem God worthy of my service, as Jesus as an example. I strive to be selfless, giving, and not focused anything else like Jesus. Such that I believe in another worldview as Phil Jackson, I do not see him as a role model.
Through this battle with himself, Jackson continues to pursue the regalia. Gaining the regalia is about gaining pride. Jackson mentions to the newspaper owner that, “It’s now a quest. I need to win it back myself” (14). Jackson also mentions to the cop, “I’m on a mission here. I want to be a hero” (24). Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his
Jackson is proud of his heritage and throughout the story references the way of the Indians, whilst befriending and conversing with a number of other tribal relatives. Jackson, even admits, “Being homeless is probably the only thing I’ve ever been good at. at.” Despite his failure, he is still an Indian man, searching for a proclamation of his. heritage in his grandmother’s regalia.
Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his people. These sayings contradict his actions because every time he gets closer to gaining more money, he spends it. In the long run, Jackson’s pitfalls did not stop his determination to gain back the regalia and ultimately find his personal identity. Given that he is Native American, the reader might assume that Jackson has a feeling of resentment towards white people due to the displacement of his people. From the beginning of the story, Jackson reveals a protective feeling caused by white people.
life, as well as in the lives of the other Jackson’s, there seemed to be so much pressure for success, but they all seemed to lack self-esteem.
named after him. As readers we begin to learn the type of man that Jackson indeed
A homeless and drunk man like Jackson had no motivation in his life until he saw something that made him motivate and work for it. According to Sherman Alexie, Jackson said, “that’s my grandmother’s regalia in your window,” I said. “Somebody stole it from her fifty years ago, and my family has been searching for it since” (3). He saw his grandmother’s regalia maybe it brought him memories. He was a homeless man with no family and he wanted to have something that could make him feel like he had somebody else besides himself. He got surprise when he saw that regalia because according to him, his family was searching for it a long time ago. “he pulled out the regalia out of the window, laid it down on the glass
Introduction: Perhaps no one has received this title in history “the king of pop”, now a days many artist’s have arisen and have performed but not as the king of pop known worldwide and in history, has dominated the world of pop as Michael Jackson.
28). To him he was just trying to retrieve the regalia but what he got instead was his a piece of who he was back. I say this because Jackson's grandmother represents who he is and where he comes from, and by getting the regalia back he got back a piece of himself. Being sober allowed him to connect with the reality of that piece of his identity coming back. Alcohol couldn't give Jackson the sense of who he was no matter how much he drank. Yet it wasn’t necessarily Jackson intentions to be sober that morning, he just found himself in that state due to the events of that day. Knowing Jackson if he had the time to use the five dollars he had left he probably would have but Alexie’s knew it that would have taken away the importance of that moment. Only a sober Jackson could connect with the spirit of his grandmother on such a profound level wherein turn he found
You know him as the singer, the dancer, and the song writer. As the famous Artist whose words were often binary. As a man that was regarded with much adulation and scrutiny for singing and acting with audacity. The one and only, Michael Joseph Jackson, well known performer and the producer of many great songs, as well as the inventor of the moonwalk. Jackson often released songs that had powerful messages behind them e.g. 'We Are the World' and “Black and White”. Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us” released as part of the “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I” album in 1996, was addressed to “the people” in an effort to promote equality, justice, and peace. However, it led to unexpected controversy
Man In The Mirror is a former number one single performed by musical pop sensation Michael Jackson. The theme of the song is easy to pick up when you have a look at the chorus "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself and make a change." The theme of the song clearly incorporates the idea that all wide scale change (changing world and changing perspective) stems from self change.
From the first stanza of this song, you get put into a scene. You know almost immediately that it is about someone, and it is the middle of December, but without stating the obvious, it paints a more illustrated picture for you. The first line states, “A winters day, in a deep and dark December” and I could almost immediately feel a cool breeze around me. When I normally think of a winter’s day, I think of people playing in the snow, and having a good time. This may be because I grew up in Southern California where there has been a lack of snow, but in my head, that is what I imagine. Having them state, in a deep and dark December, turns my attitudes to the more pessimistic way of looking at things. The image of children playing in the snow in my head has now turned to cold and dark emptiness. Reinstating my idea of emptiness, the next line follows with the simply statement, “I am alone”. Personally, I hate being alone. So to have the opening words place us in a deep and dark setting, and then state that you are alone, automatically puts me in a negative mindset.