Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wake Me Up When September Ends Rhetorical Analysis
Billy Joe Armstrong's song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a tribute not only to his father who died twenty years ago, but also to the victims of 9/11. The song also acted as an anti-war protest against the Iraq War. Armstrong uses ethos throughout the song as he speaks about his father's death. "Here comes the rain again" shows how Armstrong cries every time he remembers his father's death, but it could also represent the pain and sadness victims feel on the anniversary of 9/11. The lines "as my memory rests but never forgets what I lost" represents how Armstrong still has not forgotten about his father's death and how American citizens have not forgotten about 9/11 to this day. The song title itself indicates how Armstrong wanted to escape reality when his father died and hide away until September ended. The music video for the song showcases a loving couple torn apart by the Iraq War. They each promised to never leave each other, but the boyfriend decided to enlist in the war to help protect America and his girlfriend. The music video shows how American's lives were ruined by the Iraq War and the pain and suffering it brought with it.
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I really like the idea of rhetorically analyzing song lyrics! There is so much that can be done with that.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of the song lyrics. I like that you tied in the importance of the music video that accompanies the song because that is another form of media that accompanies the song and helps with the analyzing the song.
ReplyDeleteWow! The song lyrics make so much more sense with the rhetorical context. I finally know why the singer doesn't like September. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to consider the two meanings behind the song and their similarities and differences. It does lend a bit of ethos, since Armstrong kind of explains how he's felt this kind of pain before by using the fact that there are two meanings to his advantage.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis!
Your analysis of the song is really interesting, and I also think it is interesting that you are looking at the music video of the song. The music video is sort of Armstrong's own interpretation of his song, so it would be cool to look that any differences between what he intended for the song to mean and what people might interpret the raw lyrics to mean.
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