1. Due to my absence today, the “Soundtrack of My Life Presentations” will be pushed to Monday and Wednesday of next week. Be prepared to present on Monday, and be sure that you’ve emailed me a Power Point attachment (tkefor@norton.k12.ma.us) by the end of the block. Make sure the files are free of any grammatical, punctuation, or capitalization errors.
2. If you are one of the several students who have not submitted a tonal analysis for ½ (late) credit, you need to complete it now. Submissions received after today will not be scored, and missing a test grade will likely result in an F for term 4. If you choose to complete it today, email a copy to Mr. Kefor.
3. Review the SSRS form- if you’ve misplaced your copy, you can download one from Edline. Locate 3 devices that a) we haven’t covered in class or b) you are still confused about. As a comment to this post, type the terms and their definitions; locate an example (quote) from a song we’ve covered in class (note the title and artist); and offer a statement explaining how the sample exemplifies the term.
4. Finally, after looking carefully at the dynamics of the SSRS, attempt to locate a song (any song) that you believe could potentially outscore any other song when cycled through the form’s tabulation. In other words, locate what you believe is the most poetic song out there. Post the lyrics to your blog under the heading “SSRS Throwdown: Proposed Lyrics.” Beginning next week, we will have an SSRS Throwdown, whereby teams select a song, evaluate it based on the SSRS, and go head-to-head to make their case. Grades are based on your song’s performance and your group’s ability to identify its elements and devices.
15 comments:
3 Devices:
SIMILE: Comparison using "like" or "as".
Example from "Escape" by Rupert Holmes, "I was tired of my lady, We'd been together too long. Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song."
Explanation: The speaker compares being tired of his wife to a worn-out recording of a favorite song using the word "like".
METAPHOR: Comparison devoid of "like" or "as".
Example from Carly Simon's "You're so vain", " I had some dreams, they were clouds in coffee."
Explanation: The speaker compares "dreams" to "clouds in coffee" without using the words "like" or "as".
ONOMATOPOEIA: the use of words which imitate a sound.
Example from "Sympathy for the devil" by The Rolling Stones, "Woo woo woo woo".
Explanation: "woo" is a word in which the speaker uses as a sound.
Gwen Saccocia
May 15, 2014
1. simile: comparison using “like” or “as”
example: “Beautifully Broken” by: Govt. Mule: “I see the way she cast her spell / It’s like drowning in moonlight”
explanation: They way the girl completes certain actions makes him feel like he is dazed under her spell.
2. metaphor: comparison without using “like” or “as”
example: “You’re So Vain” by: Carly Simon: “I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee”
explanation: Carly’s dreams she envisioned are being compared to the lightness and airiness of clouds (in her coffee).
3. personification: the act of providing inanimate things with human characteristics
example: “Idiot Wind” by: Bob Dylan: “and destiny which broke us apart”
explanation: The couple was never truly meant to be together, but destiny did not actually physically break the two apart.
1. OXYMORON – the juxtaposition of contradictory terms
“Beautifully Broken” by Gov’t Mule – “Why do I lie to myself and pretend that I can break her, When she's already been so beautifully broken”
Beautifully broken is an oxymoron because beautiful things and broken things are seldom the same; the terms are contradictory
2. ALLUSION – a direct or indirect reference to something beyond the lyrics
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John – “My future lies beyond the yellow brick road”
The yellow brick road is an allusion to the movie “The Wizard Of Oz”
3. HYPERBOLE –an exaggeration for effect
“Drowning In My Own Tears” by Ray Charles – “Since you’ve been gone, I guess I’m drowning in my own tears, I sit and cry, Just like a child, My pouring tears are running wild”
People can’t actually drown in their own tears, the speaker’s sadness is being exaggerated, making it a hyperbole.
1. personification: giving human characteristics to something nonhuman.
example: “Idiot Wind” by Bob Dylan: “Visions of your chesnut mare shoot through my head and are making me see stars”
explanation: Visions can’t actually make him see stars
2. metaphor: comparing two things without using like or as
example: “A National Acrobat” by Black Sabbath: “I am the world”
explanation: Comparing himself, a single person, to the entire world
3. simile: comparing two things using like or as
example: “Whipping Post” by The Allman Brother Band: “Sometimes I feel like I’ve been tied to a whipping post”
explanation: Comparing his bad emotions to being tied to a whipping post
Apostrophe- speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object; addressing that person or thing by name
Ex: “Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me”- “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan
Explanation: The speaker in the song is talking to “Mr. Tambourine Man” throughout the song, whether it be a real person or a figment of Dylan’s imagination.
Euphemism- an expression substituted for something unpleasant
Ex: “Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain”- “Last Dance with Mary Jane” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Explanation: Mary Jane is a euphemism for marijuana, using an innocent expression in place of a well-known drug.
Simile- comparison using “like” or “as”
Ex: “I see the way she casts her spell/It’s like drowning in moonlight”- “Beautifully Broken” by Govt. Mule
Explanation: Comparing the feeling of drowning in moonlight to how the feeling of being under the “spell” of the girl in “Beautifully Broken”.
Satire (The use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc): "Have a cigar" by Pink Floyd
"The band is just fantastic/ that's really what I think/ Oh by the way, which one's Pink?"
This entire song, but particularly this quote, is sarcastically poking fun at those who work for record deal companies.
Cliche (an overused expression): "Ironic" by Alanis Morrissette
"like rain on your wedding day"
This expression is used often to describe an unfortunate event.
Synecdoche (a term denoting a part a part of something used to refer to the whole thing): "Little Green" by Joni Mitchell
"winters cannot fade her"
Assuming winters are representative of her struggles, one could suggest that this is a use of synecdoche using "winters" to represent people.
Satire (The use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc): "Have a cigar" by Pink Floyd
"The band is just fantastic/ that's really what I think/ Oh by the way, which one's Pink?"
This entire song, but particularly this quote, is sarcastically poking fun at those who work for record deal companies.
Cliche (an overused expression): "Ironic" by Alanis Morrissette
"like rain on your wedding day"
This expression is used often to describe an unfortunate event.
Synecdoche (a term denoting a part a part of something used to refer to the whole thing): "Little Green" by Joni Mitchell
"winters cannot fade her"
Assuming winters are representative of her struggles, one could suggest that this is a use of synecdoche using "winters" to represent people.
Slant Rhyme: in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical
EX: “Nasty” by Nas; “Silent rage, pristine in my vintage shade”
Original 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
EX: “Take a Bow,” by Rihanna, “Go on and take a bow” is a nicer way of saying “get out” or “leave
Paraprosdokian: a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected
EX: “Into Your Arms” by The Maine; “I’ll state something rash/ She had the most amazing…smile/ I bet you didn’t expect that”
1. Simile: comparison using “like” or “as”
“Pourin’ off of every page / Like it was written in my soul from me to you,”
“Tangled Up In Blue” Bob Dylan
Explanation: He is comparing himself to the pages.
2. Personification: the act of providing inanimate things with human characteristics
“They’re planting stories in the press”
“Idiot Wind” Bob Dylan
Explanation:You can’t plant stories.
3. Cliché: an overused expression
“Isn’t it ironic … don’t you think”
“ironic” Alanis Morrissette
Explanation: It wasn’t really ironic, just bad luck.
Matthew Jacobs
Enjambment- The meaning runs-over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation
Example: “You had me several years ago when I was still quite naïve Well you said that we made such a pretty pair And that you would never leave.” These three lines all focus on the idea of naivety of the singer. This includes all the promises made which are obviously false.
Slant Rhyme- a type of rhyme formed by words with similar, not identical, sounds
Example: “Walking onto a yacht… it was apricot.” Though mildly subjective based on accent to my mind these two words are similar but do not share an identical ending sound making this an example of slant rhyme.
Synesthesia- A phenomena where stimulation of one sense may lead to another being stimulated as well. In poetry this is usually used for imagery to try and inspire further feelings in people.
Example: “I feel like I’m dyin’” Taken from The Allman Brothers’ whipping post’ this line brings to mind feelings of heartache, sadness, and misery more than just auditory. It uses words to bring the various feeling of lost love to the mind.
Ryan Landry
(I Only did one song but got the different examples)
“Juicy” Biggie Smalls
Irony: When the opposite of what is expected happens.
“Girls used to diss me,
Now they write letters ‘cause they miss me”
Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within a series of words.
“Peace to Ron G, Brucey B, Kid Capri,
Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starsky”
First Person Point of View: The vantage point from which a story is told.
“I made a change from a common thief,
To up close and personal with Robin Leach”
Metaphor/Simile: Comparison devoid of “like” or “as”
“Time to get paid, Blow up like the World Trade”
Local Color: Details pertaining to a particular geographical location.
“From Mississippi down to the East Coast”
Double entendre- A spoken or written phrase is devised to be or is unintentionally understood in either of two ways.
Motif- Is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.
Slant Rhyme- rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllabus are identical
Understatement: form of speech which contains an expression of less strength than what would be expected
Example from “Burden in My Hand” by Soundgarden- “Just a burden in my hand, just an anchor on my heart, just a tumor in my head.”
Explanation: This is constructed to be an understatement because with the word “just,” it almost makes it seem like the scenario isn’t as bad as it should be. It’s almost considered as an everyday thing when it should have an intense response.
Satire: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
Example from “Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette- “It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid.”
Explanation: This is considered to be a satire because although it is ironic that you paid when it was free, it is also considered to be put in a humor way because there could have been a sign saying “Free” right near the ride, yet you paid.
Paradox: an inherently contradictory statement which may be constructed as true or possible
Example from “Funny the Way It Is” by Dave Matthews Band- “One kid walks 10 miles to school, another’s dropping out.”
Explanation: This is constructed to be a paradox because although it is considered ironic that one kid walked 10 miles because he wanted to go school and the other dropped out because he didn’t want to go to school, this statement may be considered true.
Metaphor is displayed in the song
Whipping post by ''like i been tied to the whippin post'' showing that he has been pushed around throughout his relationship.''Good lord, i feel like im dyin'' presents that he is done being beaten around by his girlfriend.
Paradox is displayed in the song ''i just want you'','' There are no unbelievable gods'' saying is god really a real thing, ''there are no identical twins or forgivable sins''to say no one is the same person everyone is different in there own way. To say there is no really forgiveness for doing something bad or wrong.
Irony is discussed in the song ''Ironic'' ''its like ten thousands spoons, and all you need is a knife'' Seeing how when you need something it is not always there for you . ''Its like a traffic jam when your already late''Something has happened and it get worst. Showing how one thing can lead to another awful thing. Throwing everything at you at once as your already stress enough.
Paradox: an inherently contradictory statement which may be construed as true or possible
-Example: "no incurable ills...no unnameable gods" ('I Just Want You' by-Ozzy Osbourne)
*Explanation: it is possible for there to be 'incurable ills' which is why this is considered a paradox
Oxymoron: the juxtaposition of contradictory terms
-Example: "beautifully broken" ('Beautifully Broken' by-Govt. Mule)
*Explanation: it is two terms that you wouldn't normally see next to each other since they mean the exact opposite of each other.
Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds within a series of words
-Example: "rampant just stamp...Supporting the troops... manners wave your banner" ('Sleep Through The Static' by-Jack Johnson)
*Explanation: the vowel sounds are similar in the snippets of lyrics from the song like -amp in rampant and stamp.
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