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American Pie Literary Devices

1002 Words5 Pages

"In the “autumn of 1971” Don McLean's melancholic American Pie entered the collective consciousness, and over thirty years later remains one of the most discussed, dissected and debated songs that popular music has ever produced (McLean; Morgan, "What Do American Pie's Lyrics Mean?"). A cultural event at the peak of its popularity in “1972, it reached the top of the Billboard 100 charts in a matter of weeks, selling more than 3 million copies;” and at eight and a half minutes long, this was no normal accomplishment (Morgan, "What Do American Pie's Lyrics Mean?"). The song that travels through different times uses literal devices to intensify its meaning it does this by alluding to specific moments in time. As the “1960s end, we find the Don McLean nostalgic for the music of his youth and the simple, joyous spirit it once brought him” (Morgan, "What Do American Pie's …show more content…

"Miss American Pie” is "as American as apple pie," so the saying goes; she could also be a synthesis of this symbol and the beauty queen Miss America (McLean; Morgan, "What Do American Pie's Lyrics Mean?"). "Drove my Chevy to the levee" alludes to a drive "along a levee" mentioned in a series of popular “1950s Chevrolet television commercials sung by Dinah Shore” (McLean; Morgan, "What Do American Pie's Lyrics Mean?"). Just as the Chevrolet it is a familiar icon of 1950s America. In addition, given that a “drive to a levee carries the suggestion of romance” in a car (Moyer, "Gloomy Don McLean Reveals Meaning of ‘American Pie’"). The “levee [is] dry” someone he once loved has betrayed him; something that once gave him sustenance has evaporated (Morgan, "What Do American Pie's Lyrics Mean?"). Don McLean reaches a little further back in time to the days of his youth a time of sock hops, pickup trucks and pink carnations as he wooed a woman who ultimately rejects

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769 Words | 4 Pages

Escape from Camp 14 is the true story of Shin Dong-hyuk, who is the only known person to have been born in and escape from a North Korean labor camp. After numerous interviews, the book’s author, Blaine Harden, details the reader about Shin’s life both inside and outside the camp as he assimilates into different societies. As critical information is revealed, Harden uncovers the corruption in the political landscape in North Korea. Shin’s life in Camp 14 accentuates the struggles to gain basic human freedom and elucidates food as an even more precious commodity. The straightforward diction and intriguing combination of rhetorical devices effectively expresses the brutality and oppression in the North Korean prison camp.

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196 Words | 1 Pages

Truman Capote incorporates unusual diction into his writing to convey a haunting tone. For example, he uses the words “wet twilight” to enhance his tone. These words are not commonly placed together and when they are, they create an eerie feeling. The way that the author chooses to use to word “staring” creates a spooky mood. It reconstructs the way people feel when they feel like they are being watched.

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59 Words | 1 Pages

the idea of equality was taken to the extreme. Satire is also used to exaggerate how awful equality is to persuade readers to believe that total equality will violate human rights. Kurt Vonnegut also uses symbols such as handicaps which make everyone equal and Harrison Bergeron to display the lack of freedom present in a world of total equality.

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773 Words | 4 Pages

David Malouf is the author of the novel of ‘Fly Away Peter’. Fly Away Peter is an Australian novel set before and during the First World War. The first part of the novel is set on the Queensland Gold Coast, and the second part on the Western Front. The way in which he weaves various plot lines throughout his text to highlight the utopia found in the “sanctuary”, as well as the dystopia of the war is an integral element of understanding the power and purpose of ‘Fly Away Peter’. Throughout ‘Fly Away Peter’ Malouf utilises a variety of literary techniques such as contrast, Imagery, Symbolism and foreshadowing to portray ideas and themes.

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687 Words | 3 Pages

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment right before a miracle happens. Don’t give up” (Tengyuen, 2017). This quote demonstrate how hard living can be for someone having suicidal thoughts and how strong you need to be to surpass it. The song Edit the Sad Parts by the band Modest Mouse is about the lead singer and songwriter of the band Isaac Brock having suicidal thoughts.

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331 Words | 2 Pages

Science has proven that reading can provoke positive changes in us as human beings. Annie Murphy Paul is the author of the article ‘Your Brain on Fiction’ published on March 17, 2012. Annie explains how researchers have discovered that reading can initiate different parts of the brain, this is the reason why sometimes literature can make the reader so engaged and attached to a piece of writing. Research also explains how reading has the ability to produce activity in our brain’s motor cortex. Finally, Annie explains how reading fictional pieces can change how you interact with other individuals.

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1614 Words | 7 Pages

Currently, it is hard to find music with a deeper, more sentimental substance to it. If you’re writing a paper in your English class on poetical analysis, and you may find that a lot of the music our generation currently frequents only scrapes the surface in terms of sentimentality. When Professor Snyder asked us to write on poetic analysis of song lyrics, so many songs came to mind that I almost drew a blank in response. I listen to a wide variety of music, with a combined three music libraries containing over 20,000 songs. The results could have been found anywhere between hip hop, EDM, punk rock, chillwave, or more.

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1967 Words | 8 Pages

According to the late, tragic folk hero, Joe Hill, “A good song could be learned and remembered, while a pamphlet would be read once and thrown away.” (Weissman, 175) Such an idea proves its validity when examining the long-lasting professional and societal success of the depression-era folk protest singer, Woody Guthrie. Throughout his adolescence and his adventures as a box-car musician during the early 1930s, Guthrie faced hardships unparalleled by popular singers of his day. Taken aback by the horrors he witnessed as the dust bowl and the Great Depression tore through the badlands he called home, Guthrie faced emotional turmoil, both in himself, and in the society that surrounded him.

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320 Words | 2 Pages

With all of the changes taking place in America from the American System, it brought a change also known as the Market Revolution. This meant a change for most of America such as the farmer could focus on growing a main cash crop, and not a variety of things. Farmers looked at the large money corps as cotton and grains and concentrated their efforts on those markets. Consequently, this showed farmers that they were part of the total economic market place. With this change it meant also that the farmers and others was buying what they didn’t produce, making many producers and consumers alike (Schultz, p.170, 2009).

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184 Words | 1 Pages

The Vietnam War is a well-explored topic in music, but the media of the 1980s brought with it a new perspective; the war was over and the new Reagan era worked towards trying to leave Vietnam and the upheaval of the 1960s in the past and the music of the times presented a reaction against this. Artists did not want to simply forget the bloodshed of the Vietnam War, especially as they witnessed American veterans continue to suffer from the lasting effects of the war on a daily basis. At first glance, Bruce Springsteen seems an unlikely figure to create music condemning the effects of the Vietnam War. Many mistake Springsteen’s short hair, heterosexual demeanour, and fondness of the American flag as a celebration of right wing ideals. It is this

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1179 Words | 5 Pages

Creating a story that transcends time takes the work of a skilled and dedicated writer. To be able to throw a global audience into the mind of a complicated character is a feat not easily done. In the novel “Catcher in the Rye”, the author, J.D Salinger, masterfully uses his story telling skills to portray Holden Caulfield’s miserable decent into adulthood in this expertly written novel. It’s not difficult to see the ingredients that Salinger used to concoct this relatable and dramatic story. He uses excellent themes that audiences have seen in their own lives, he uses symbolism that enriches the reading experience with deeper meaning, and he uses a unique writing style that further immerses the reader into the character and setting.

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2450 Words | 10 Pages

One of the aspects of culture that was influenced by the Cold War is music. The ideals, situations, and figures were described, and criticized in every musical form. This investigation seeks to find the relationship between the creation of the Rock and Roll music genre and the social issues of the Cold War. The main body of evidence will investigate the events that lead up to the desperation of society and why this music genre was born as one of the factors for its creation. Evidence will include both, primary, and secondary sources including investigation about the Cold War, the origins of the musical genre.

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951 Words | 4 Pages

The use of the words “fresh” and “green” create the image of a bountiful land, a new frontier to be explored. This new world represents a land of opportunity and possibility for the settlers. Fitzgerald uses this positive description to show the basis of the American dream; where it originated and what it once meant. He portrays America as an old island

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239 Words | 1 Pages

Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen is a song brimming with different metaphors. This song 's mood is very pensive. The tone of this song is very allegorical. While Streets of Philadelphia at first read could be taken very matter of fact, it is when you spend more time analyzing the lyrics you are better able to see the deeper message. The theme of this song is to be very stoic in the face of the end.

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815 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo’s struggles and how the clans of his tribe were separated by the white colonization of his village represent a powerful proverb throughout the novel. The meaningful proverb in Things Fall Apart exists as “If a frog is jumping in the daylight, you know something is after its life.” Since frogs are nocturnal animals, they dislike the daylight and prefer to jump in the night. In contrast the threatened frog pushes itself to jump in the hot unpreferred daylight. The proverb “if you see a toad jumping in the daylight, you know something is after its life” is manifested by the conflict between the settlers colonizing Okonkwo’s village and Okonkwo’s resistance towards the colonization.

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