ipl-logo

Use Of Symbols In DAMN By Kendrick Lamar

1093 Words5 Pages

Kendrick Lamar uses symbols throughout his 2017 album DAMN. in many songs and a multitude of ways. A writer for Esquire magazine commented on how through this album “Kendrick ambitiously grapples with his and our damnation, and yet he doesn't leave us to linger in purgatory. He wants to deliver us.” (Weathersby). By utilizing this symbol of religion, Lamar can communicate many messages to readers through something a large majority of people understand. Catholicism is the religion Lamar references in this album and it is a part of many people's lives which helps them to understand his ideas. Lamar develops the symbol of religion in his album DAMN. by comparing himself to God, utilizing biblical references, and speaking about his relationship …show more content…

Lamar often writes about how in times of trouble he searches for God’s presence in his life. His religion is a symbol of his struggles and coping mechanisms when it comes to facing the realities of this world he lives in. “YAH.” is a song that is about Lamar finding God in the times he needs him most. In these lines, he is listing bad behaviour from his life but then interrupting each line with the word ‘yah’ which represents how he is trying to let God in amongst all of these sins in his life: I know he walks the Earth But it’s money to get, bitches to hit, yah Zeros to flip, temptation is, yah First on my list, I can’t resist, yah (Lamar 1:40) By showcasing his relationship with God it develops the symbol of religion as a coping mechanism. It is a vessel for the part of his life that is his relationship with God and demonstrates to readers how he copes with negativity through God. Since Lamar lives in such a negative world he has a hard time trusting others, but he trusts God. This is heard in “LOYALTY.” when he asks the audience questions about the lengths they are willing to go to for others before saying that God is whom they should do those things for: I said, tell me who you loyal to Is it anybody that you would die for? Anybody you would slide for? Anybody you would die for? That’s what God …show more content…

With these, he demonstrates his immense knowledge of Catholicism and despite presenting the idea that he does not belong to one religion he religiously references the Bible to get his point across. In “YAH.”, he speaks about the book of Deuteronomy and how it says we are all cursed, “My cousin called, my cousin Carl Duckworth / Said know my worth / And Deuteronomy say that we all been cursed” (Lamar 1:32), this passage in the Bible is speaking about how Adam and Eve cursed the Earth with sin. This is important to his message because it shows how we have all been cursed with sin and have yet to find a way to peace. Using this biblical reference develops the symbol of religion is impactful because it showcases his knowledge on the subject and how his message has been preached for centuries. He alludes to other biblical events not just by name but also through metaphors. This can be seen in the song “XXX.”, “Throw a steak off the yacht / To a pool full of sharks, he’ll take it” (Lamar 0:25), here he is alluding to the story of Noah’s arc. Following his reference to a story in the Bible when humans first sin, this allusion references when humans first asked for forgiveness. This is significant because the symbol of religion in this album is developed through these biblical references and he uses them to convey a message to the reader. Lamar’s references develop from speaking about why we as

Show More
Related
627 Words | 3 Pages

In the book “Mexican Whiteboy¨- by Matt de la Peña some of the biggest symbols that stood out to me were stickball, mental health and a hawk because there was a common occurring symbol that continuously popped up in the book. I chose these symbols because they are all connected with Danny and effect him a different way The first symbol that I would be explaining is stickball because In the book the main character Danny plays and talks about stickball a lot. Danny enjoys playing stickball so much that he hopes to be in a team but to him stickball is not only a sport it's his passion even when danny went to a new place the only way he felt like he was fitting in was when he was playing stickball and that's the reason why I chose stickball as a symbol is because even when he was sad and depressed he was still thinking about stickball and how he didn’t enter the team he wanted to, on page 41 and 42 it says “This had been Danny’s spot since Coach Sullivan pulled him aside after the last day of tryouts-in front of everybody-patted him on the back and tried to let him down easy.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

The first allusion was presented by Denny, who’s spiritual journey led him to a revelation of doubt and suffering. Denny’s mantra, “Enoch walked with God; and he was no more, for God took him”. (142) Eisner wanted the reader to

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

This sermon, delivered by Jonathon Edwards, is one of the most renowned throughout the time of the Great Awakening. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was effective and persuasive in nature, so much that it convinced several individuals to convert and repent for their sins. Although Edwards was a theologian and preached among several of his faith, it was not the main factor of the sermon’s appeal; however, the literary contents were and it contributed to the sermon’s credibility as well as its beauty. The main factors of this appeal are the styles in which he writes, the tone in which it was written in, and the content of the sermon.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the sermon, Edwards uses imagery to emphasize his message. He states, “The God that holds you over the pit of

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

In the opening of the sermon an analogy is stated between the ability of a person to crush a worm with the ability of God to cast his enemies to hell (First Paragraph). This supports the main idea of how God is a superior being, able to freely decide people’s fate. The author’s persistent imagery of Gods abhorrence towards sinners is continually mentioned as a form of repetition, to cause a vivid depiction of Gods wrath in the audience’s perspective of him. This is illustrated when it’s stated how unconverted men walk over the pit of hell and how God has unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world (Paragraph 3). He also introduces a metaphor where he associates Gods wrath as a bent bow with an arrow aiming towards your heart; this again typifies Gods supremacy to take away sinners existence unless they convert (Paragraph 6).

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

Callahan suggest that this prophecy is a major tool for the liberation of slaves he goes on to note, “African Americans interpreted the prophecy in ways that made them more than but players and stage props in the divine drama of human history.” He went on to state “In the mind of some African Americans, however, it also suggested that they would become emancipators.” suggesting that it was not only a means for mental liberation but one that could’ve triggered violent acts for

Read More
673 Words | 3 Pages

(Edwards) . Edwards is addressing his younger audience by introducing to them the Wrath of God who is supposedly angry at them for not converting. Edwards uses tone to draw attention to the believers and give them a way into the light of

Read More
412 Words | 2 Pages

Imagine everyone’s life was judged every second of everyday. By a greater power, God. And that greater power would hold someone over a pit of fire, because they committed a sin, would you commit a sin? Jonathan Edwards was a powerful fire-and-brimstone preacher during the Great Awakening and author of the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Edwards uses a variety of metaphors in his writing, all metaphors have a strong effect on what Edwards experience during the Great Awakening.

Read More
190 Words | 1 Pages

The image of justice bending the arrow towards the heart signifies the imminent judgment and punishment that awaits the sinners. Edwards employs

Read More
829 Words | 4 Pages

By doing this, he is giving attention to the impact that the symbol has on the culture. He is neither rejecting the idea of

Read More
1157 Words | 5 Pages

Douglass is relentless when attacking the church, he states, “The American Church is Guilty” (Douglass 1039). This has a slightly taste of irony, because here Douglass, a colored man, is calling out the most “sacred” body of people. It almost as if he was the master and they were the slave now. Next, the main theme expressed by

Read More
367 Words | 2 Pages

To make a great protagonist that flows well with other characters, authors tend to use themes of great leadership in their stories. Homer’s, The Odyssey, is an epic poem about the journey home of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces many challenges, including the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon. In the story, Odysseus shows examples of leadership through instances of human flaw and great warriorship throughout the epic poem.

Read More
1119 Words | 5 Pages

It conveys the depth of his anger and his fluctuating belief that God will save

Read More
346 Words | 2 Pages

He does it to bring to light “the attitude of the American church towards the anti-slavery movement” (32).

Read More
1253 Words | 6 Pages

It was during the Great Awakening, when powerful preachers like Jonathan Edwards decided to intensify their ways of broadcasting their religious seriousness. The idea of secularism and religious neglect had been the cause for this religious movement. In his sermon, from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards used strategies to guilt, persuade, and redirect the “sinners” into conversion, and to give a wakeup call to those who overemphasize their own worthiness as holy citizens. Throughout his sermon, Edwards used a variety of figurative language like imagery, metaphors, personification, and allusions to reveal his attitude towards “sinners” as unworthy and insignificant in the eyes of God, and his attitude towards God as being enraged

Read More

More about Use Of Symbols In DAMN By Kendrick Lamar

Related Topics

Open Document