ipl-logo

What Does To Pimp A Butterfly Mean

1316 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critically essay on metaphors

The journey of achieving self-love in To pimp a butterfly Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper and songwriter known for his uplifting and progressive music. His music is known to be aware of issues within society and communities. It is also aware of deeper issues within himself, which Lamar takes a careful interest in considering his youth in Compton. The album, To Pimp a Butterfly, addresses the topics of racism, oppression, materialism, and self-love. Although each song shadows different themes, the conflict of achieving self-love follows through in almost every song, which exists through narcissistic injury, alcoholism, and the misuse of influence. Through the use of metaphors and incorporating symbolism and imagery, Kendrick Lamar creates …show more content…

He briefly forgot his self-hatred and his reference to alcohol content is a metaphor for how his emotions are constantly fluctuating. This momentary slip in his thoughts is an indication of his inner struggle. He wants to be in a place of contentment, but his inner demons keep resurfacing. This is further demonstrated in the lines "I can feel your vibe and /recognize that you're ashamed of me/Yes, I hate you, too." The alcohol served as a temporary escape from his troubles, allowing him to forget the pain of being unloved. He embraced the idea of being intoxicated, as it meant forgetting his sorrows. Afterwards a housekeeper interrupts the song “Housekeeping, housekeeping (what do i got to do to get to you) ¡Abre la puerta! ¡Abre la puerta tengo que limpiar el cuarto!..¡Es que no hay mucho tiempo tengo que limpiar el cuarto!" which translates to "open the door, I need to clean the room, there's not a lot of time." This is a symbol used to represent the lack of time Kendrick feels he has, as he can’t bring himself to open the door to allow the housekeeper to clean, the alcohol helps endure his shame for being a hypocrite. This leads up to the next section of the song, where Kendrick continues to sing in a drunkish tone, slurring his words and sobbing. In this part of the song, Kendrick has left his ruminative style and his now in a slow, hopeless tone. Kendricks writes “I know you are irresponsible, selfish, in denial, can’t help it” which further exposes the pure self deprecation brought on by the guilt of his past and his narcissistic

Show More
Related
767 Words | 4 Pages

Her dad, who is irresponsible, demands for her to give him money do that he can buy beer. Jeannette argues, “I’ve got bills piling up,”... I heard my voice growing shrill, but I couldn’t control it. “I’ve got kids to feed” (Walls 210). • Alcoholism has devastating impacts on behavior and the lives of others - For Jeannette, since her childhood, her dad returning drunk, late in the night was a regular occurrence: “He came home in such a drunken fury that Mom usually hid while we kids tried to calm him down” (Walls 112).

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

However, his free-will gravitated towards alcohol and pushed his fate to the side. Jeanette suffered with his decisions, even on the days that are supposed to be filled with nothing but joy.

Read More
1019 Words | 5 Pages

Likewise, Saul uses the influence of alcohol to feel less when he is anxious and stressed. When Saul was going through this period of depression, he states, “The bleakness and me were old companions by then, and the only thing I knew how to do about it was drink”(186). The burden of anxiety that Saul was feeling made drinking feel as if it were an easy way to relieve the unfamiliar feelings that were surfacing because of events in the past, such as familial deaths or the relationship he had with Father Leboutillier. Undoubtedly, this is only temporary relief because Saul is only capable of finding true solace after he is sober and able to address his feelings surrounding his past. Therefore, Saul’s alcoholism is only a temporary form of

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

I’d made of my body and how another bout of drinking like I did would likely kill me, and for some strange reason, I listened. I don’t recall wanting to listen. I just did. When I got here, though, it was all about getting strong enough to leave. I was as addicted to leaving as I was to the booze.

Read More
145 Words | 1 Pages

This song have showed us very different representation of what it means to be our own person and what this world has come to. Macklemore shows us makes us realize we buy things based on what’s popular and makes us fits in, how we let material items determine our identities and change who we are as people, the people we look up to make us do things and how Americans buy items based on an advertisement. He brought back a way that was effect knowing we would listen because it came in a form that was direct, but you would not understand if you did not listen so closely. With what message we were giving are you really going to let matlertic items make you as a person or are you going to be yourself creating your own identity by standing outside

Read More
1019 Words | 5 Pages

Likely, the second stanza states the drug addiction and the effects on Diaz’s family. Diaz states how

Read More
727 Words | 3 Pages

Soon Louie became so traumatized by the events of War World II, he became an alcoholic. Once Louie’s friends and family realized how bad his drinking habit was they begged him to stop, but their words were not convincing enough. Then one day Louie turned to God and stopped drinking. Hillenbrand wrote “ When they entered the apartment, Louie went straight to his cache of liquor. It was the time of night when they usually took hold of him, but for the first time in years, Louie had no desire to drink”(383).

Read More
534 Words | 3 Pages

The main character, Leni is constantly surrounded by it, being both her mother and father often rely on drinking and smoking to get away from their problems, ultimately causing Leni to feel both alone and depressed. Substance abuse is the act of relying on a substances to deal with ones problems. When Ernt was stressed out he would drink to escape but drinking would only bring out the worst in him. “Dad stood there, his eyes bright with alcohol and rage” (Hannah 182). Ernt is relying on alcohol to get away from the scarring memories of the vietnam war.

Read More
965 Words | 4 Pages

This can be the lifestyle that some people enjoy, although it may not be healthy. Also, many people can drink for personal reasons such as anxiety, depression, or to escape their problems. Then some just do it to have fun and enjoy their lives. In the story alcohol is presented in a way that ruins the man's life, he goes to a bar and the next thing you know he is a father. They use the use of alcohol in his life as the thing that makes him not know his actions, it is what creates all the problems in his life.

Read More
262 Words | 2 Pages

One’s education is the world’s most powerful weapon. In fact, Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (“BrainyQuote,” n.d.). Yet, in today’s class, I got the chance to realize that inequalities between urban and suburban schools still exist today. Today, I find it pivotal for one to understand that his or her educational career is a victim of the cruel business world, mainly because at the end of the day, his or her education revolves around money. In addition, during the late 1700s and early 1800s, Horace Mann, an educational reformer, believed that society is responsible for the production of educated citizens, especially since society depends on an educated citizenry.

Read More
588 Words | 3 Pages

In that passage, Sander says “the main reason why am using the past tense not because my father never quit drinking, it’s because my father already quit living” (p. 71). On other words, Sander uses this example to show how his father’s alcoholism behavior ruined his life while in his childhood. According to Sanders, his father could not live without being alcohol. Sander shows us how life became enjoyable to him and his family. Apart from comparison and metaphors, the author has also used figurative language in describing his father’s habit.

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

Alcoholics are often used in stories as comic relief, which to a person who grew up under the shadow of alcoholism, isn’t very funny at all. This point was to illustrate that people really don’t understand alcoholism for what it really is: a disease that has devastating effects on families for generations. Instead of directly countering those misconceptions, Sanders describes his upbringing in vivid detail. He describes his father’s behavior in a way that makes the reader appreciate that there comes a point where alcoholism is not really a matter of a person having a moral weakness, a lack of self-control, or is weak-willed. It’s a disease that robs people of their lives and of themselves.

Read More
1589 Words | 7 Pages

It is indicated that he already convinced himself, and was trying to convince others that alcoholism is just a foolish habit and he can stop it anytime he wished. The analysis of those around him, the places he visits, how he relates with his family members and the people at work brought out facts about his real life. This convinced him to attend the AA program. His brothers had also given up on him, and they did not care about him so long as he was employed and was not causing trouble at home. After and involvement with the researchers of the AA program, the brothers accepted that alcoholism is a disease, and that their brother needed

Read More
653 Words | 3 Pages

Finally, Cole talks about how he’s going to make something out of himself even though he grew up living a struggling lifestyle. “Love Yourz” is one of the songs I can relate to because the lyrics show that no matter how messed up your life is, you should learn to love the life you have. “Love Yourz” made me realize that there will always be someone there to support my decisions and accept the person I am, and who I am to become Even though I cannot relate to having the status of a successful rapper, it is important to reflect on the ideas that J Cole emphasizes on. The hook (“No such thing as a life that’s better than yours”) sums up the whole idea of the song.

Read More
1468 Words | 6 Pages

The music video conveys a very deep meaning that is culturally relevant and is something many people struggle with everyday. Hozier utilizes imagery, symbolism and rhetorical strategies as an attempt to expose the

Read More

More about What Does To Pimp A Butterfly Mean

Related Topics

Open Document