“Poetry in Music” – How do I formulate a scholarly question?
Congratulations on your decision to contribute a journal song and question for you and your classmates
to discuss!
Please remember: You can only be awarded extra credit points IF:
1. Your song is available in a “clean” version with lyrics on YouTube (or a similar video sharing site).
2. You are able to identify which part of the song we as a class should pay particular attention to.
3. You are able to formulate a scholarly question using one of the following devices:
● Allusion - A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or
another work of literature.
○
Civil War (Guns N’ Roses) – How does the song’s allusions to the civil war, Vietnam, the
Kennedy assassination, etc. highlight the role of violence in American culture? Provide specific
examples.
● Colloquialism - A word, phrase, or form of pronunciation that is acceptable in casual
conversation but not in formal, written communication.
○
Hey Ya (Outkast) – How does the phrase “hey ya” within the song call the listener’s attention to
modern-day romantic interactions between individuals? Why is the impact of this colloquialism on
the song’s overall, deeper meaning?
● Ballad - A narrative (story-telling) poem consisting of quatrains (stanzas of four lines each)
○
Candle in the Wind (Elton John) – How does the song tell a story of the life and death of Princess
Diana? What message is being conveyed?
● Anaphora - the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (We
shall not flag or fail. We shall go on the end. We shall fight in France….)
○
Mockingbird (Eminem) – How does the repetition of “when it” emphasize the progression of the
world and life in general? Explain its impact on the song’s meaning.
● Alliteration - A pattern of sound that includes the repetition of consonant sounds.
○
Double Essay (S.S.A) ( One Be Lo) – How does the alliteration of the “S” sound within this song
add to the song’s meaning ? What sort of feelings are elicited in the listener because of the
frequent “ssss” sound?
● Apostrophe - The act of addressing some abstraction or personification that is not
physically present: ("Oh, Death, be not proud.")
○
Dance With the Devil (Breaking Benjamin) – What does the fact that the speaker addresses the
devil directly (“…feeling your cold dead eyes stealing the life of mine…”) tell listeners about his
story. What is his struggle?
○
Best I Ever Had (Gavin DeGraw) - The speaker address various geographical locations (i.e. “Hey,
North Dakota..) Why do this? What does it do for the song’s meaning? Explain using specific
examples.
○
Oh, Gravity (Switchfoot) - Why does the speaker choose to address gravity? What does this tell us
about the speaker and his/her life?
● Assonance - The repetition of similar vowel sounds in poetry
○
“We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift uses not only blatant word
repetition in its lyrics but also assonance throughout. How does this emphasize the speaker’s
message--as well as its mood?
●
○
Dissonance - A combination of harsh or jarring sounds, especially in poetry; poets
sometimes intentionally make them to achieve particular effects
How does M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” use dissonant sound effects in place of words to drive home the
speaker’s intents and desires?
● Denotation – The literal definition of a word, apart from the impressions or feelings it
creates in the reader
● Connotation - The impression that a word gives beyond its defined meaning
○
Mirror (Justin Timberlake) - Compare the dictionary definition of a mirror with the connotation
that the speaker in the context of the speaker’s life.
● Elegy – A lyric poem that laments the death of a person or the eventual death of all people
○
I Drive Your Truck (Lee Brice) What is being mourned in this song? Support your reasoning
using specific examples from the lyrics.
● Imagery - The use of description or figures of speech such as similes and metaphors to
visualize a mood, an idea, or a character
○
Alert Status Red (Matthew Good Band) - What sort of place does the listener envision as the
speaker describes his surroundings. What kind of place is the speaker in? Is he content to be there- or miserable? Elaborate using examples from the song.
● Euphemism - A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too
harsh or blunt, when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
○
Take a Bow (Rhianna) - What is the speaker trying to say (in a a relatively delicate way) when she
says “take a bow”? Explain using examples from the song.
● Flashback - A device used in literature to present action that occurred before the beginning
of the story
○
Brothers on a Hotel Bed (Death Cab for Cutie) - What past events are being depicted in this
speaker’s look back on his life?
● Hyperbole – deliberate exaggeration used to achieve an effect
○
Grenade (Bruno Mars) - What does the speaker say he would do for the object of his affections?
How is this hyperbolic?
● Irony – The effect of language in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is
stated
○
Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms) - What is ironic regarding the speaker’s kindly greeting of envy?
● Oxymoron - A phrase combining two contradictory terms, like “pretty ugly”
○
Hurt So Good (John Mellencamp) - What effect is achieved by the speaker’s assertion that
something can “hurt so good”? How does this affect the listener’s perception of love?
● Metaphor - A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object
○
Against the Wind (Bob Seger) - What is the metaphor in this song and how does it represent the
speaker’s struggles?
● Paradox - A statement that appears illogical or contradictory at first, but may actually point
to an underlying truth; Example: "Less is more"
○
Shut the Door (Fugazi) -
I close my eyes so I can see...
I burn a fire to stay cool...
Shut the door so I can leave
In what ways do these contradictory statements suggest a deeper, underlying truth, especially
based on what we learn of him and his life?
● Mood - The atmosphere that pervades a literary work with the intention of evoking a
certain emotion or feeling from the audience
○
Daylight (Matt & Kim) - How do the elements of the song represent the speaker’s emotional state?
● Point of View – The narrative perspective from which a literary work is presented to the
reader
○
100 Years (Five for Fighting) - For each of the following ages, explain how the shift in P.O.V
changes as the speaker moves throughout his life: 15, 22, 33, 45, 67, 99.
● Personification – A figure of speech that gives human qualities to abstract ideas, animals,
and inanimate objects
○
Hip Hop Is Dead (Nas) - How does the speaker personify Hip Hop music in this song--how does
he describe such a wholly human element as applicable to a music genre?
● Setting - The time, place, and culture in which the action of a narrative takes place
○
White Houses (Vanessa Carlton) - What are the white houses so important in the context of the
speaker’s described life? What do they represent in the grand scope of her life? Explain using
examples from the song.
● Simile - A comparison, usually using "like" or "as", of two essentially dissimilar things, as
in "coffee as cold as ice" or "He sounded like a broken record."
○
Live Like We’re Dying (Kris Allen) - How does the speaker compare life lived in the typical sense
and life shortly before its end?
● Satire – A work that uses ridicule, humor, and wit to criticize and provoke change in human
nature and institutions
○
Stupid Girls (Pink) - How does the speaker satirize the modern-day misconception of what girls
are “supposed” to be like? Elaborate using specific examples from the song.
● Tone - The author's attitude toward his or her audience or subject matter
○
Me and You (Kenny Chesney) - How does the speaker convey a sense of wonder towards the
relationship between him and his love?
● Symbol - Something that suggests or stands for something else without losing its original
identity
○
Waving Flag (K’Naan) - What does the waving flag represent for the speaker? Explain using
specific examples from the song.
● Understatement - A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker says less than what he or
she means; the opposite of exaggeration
○
"It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. - How is this an underrepresentation of what would be expected in such a dilemma?
● Syntax - Word order, and the way in which it works with grammatical structures. As we
are used to hearing things in certain orders, the effect of breaking with normal syntax is to
draw attention to what is being said and the way it is said
○
Snow (Hey Oh) by Red Hot Chili Peppers - Although the speaker directly commands the listener
to pay attention to the lyrics, how does the structure of the lyrics likewise contribute to
theimportance of listening up?