To begin my rhetorical analysis of Sia’s music video of “Elastic Heart”, I feel that the main goal of this music video was to show that while we may trust our animalistic instincts, our hearts seem to always prevail in the end, even if it concludes in failure. With that being said, I think the reason she used the analogy of a rubber band and an “elastic heart” was to show that a person can only take so much before they are broken. “I’m like a rubber band until you pull too hard, I may snap but I move fast but you won’t see me fall apart”(Sia Music, Official Lyrics of “Elastic Heart”). She uses strong romanticized diction within this particular song and I find that it blends very well with the video.
Her diction within this song was beautiful and clearly has a pathetic appeal to those who have ever experienced a heartbreak or lost a loved one, I came to this conclusion while watching the music video. Towards the end of it (4:12-5:07), you see that the young girl is trying to pull Shia LeBeouf through the cage but simply cannot due to his size. I feel this relates to heartbreak or losing a loved one in the sense that you don’t want to let that person go, you pull and hold onto that person until you simply cannot anymore. The title of the song, “Elastic Heart,” was the perfect analogy for putting yourself through so much that your heart no longer breaks when you’re hurt, it simply absorbs the blow like a rubber band and conforms back to normal. I feel her diction and analogy go together so well throughout this song and gives those who struggle with the pain of losing someone or heartbreak a sense of hope.
On the University Writing Center at Texas A&M, the word parallelism came to my attention. “Parallelism is repetition of a word/phrase or grammatical structure for effect. The repetition of a word or phrase can create a feeling of cohesion in a paper or strong emotion in the audience. It creates a rhythm and can be used to build a speech to a crescendo.” I quickly realized this fit perfectly within “Elastic Heart” by Sia, because she continually says “I’ve got an elastic heart” (Sia Music, Official Lyrics of “Elastic Heart”) which shows that she is trying to get across the point of trusting your heart will do you well in the long run. In my interpretation of this song, I think she means that going with your gut feeling may not always turn out the way you had planned, but following your heart will lead you in the direction you truly want. Which is why I find the delivery of this song so beautiful, rather than quietly singing it, she is using all of her power to show that she isn’t afraid of the pain anymore. That she isn’t afraid to put herself out there and move on.
Ms. Watson, I do believe that you have the best title for this weeks blog post.
ReplyDeleteI cannot say I have reviewed the lyrics to Sia's hit song, however, I have heard the tune countless times on the radio. Your description to the video, as well as the lyrics do a great job of providing the reader of an interpretation. After reviewing your writing, I found myself thinking about what we consider an "artist" these days. Each musician, regardless of their talent, is considered an artist. However, I think that the title should be reserved for individuals such as Sia, mainly because of her ability to write lyrics in a manner that leaves a deep meaning almost unnoticed.
This was a great analysis but I don't see how it relates to your grades. Regardless, you gave me a new perspective of the video and lyrics. I never thought Shia LeBeouf could be considered a loved one because of the age gap between the two actors but I guess they could have a father daughter relationship. I liked how you analyzed the meaning of the term elastic heart, which I thought was different from the way I analyzed it. Overall it was great.
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