Thursday, November 8, 2012

I won't give up song analysis

"I wont give up on us, even if the skies get rough, I'm giving you all my love, I'm still looking up." This quote from the chorus of Jason Mraz's "I won't give up" epitomizes the meaning of the song. Jason scatters similes. metonomies, and metaphors throughout his song to express his feelings for this girl and explain that he will not give up on their relationship. The melodies accompanying these lyrics help the audience to feel the same as Jason Mraz. Overall, Jason Mraz, is saying that he and this girl that he is in love with have to learn from their relationship. He talks about how they have gone through so much in their relationship. Despite all of that, he's not going to give up, "even if the skies get rough". Jason goes on to explain "Our differences they do alot to teach us how to use the tools and gofts we got", meaning that they can learn from eachother, as well as the difficulties presented to them in their relationship. The biggest, and most meaningful, point that Jason makes is that despite all of these difficulties that they go through, his love for this girl makes him realize that it's all worth it. Jason Mraz uses many literary terms to express his feelings in this song. In the beginning of the song, he uses the simile "like watching the night skies" to compare the girl who he loves' eyes to the night sky. This gives the listener a mental picture of the girl's beauty. Jason also uses metonomy in saying that he won't give up, "even if the skies get rough". In this situation, the skies symbolize life, meaning that Jason will not give up on the relationship, even if life gets difficult. He also uses the hyperbole "We had to learn how to bend, without the world caving in" to exagerate the difficulties of the relationship. The world would not literally cave in, but saying that it would helps the listeners understand the magnitude of their problems.  What really makes this song emotionally touching and relatable is the music accompanying the lyrics. Different tones and notes in music can often evoke feelings within the listeners. A great example of this is in Jennifer Donneley's Revolution when the main character, Andi, says that the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" "sounds exactly how saddness feels" (Donneley, 18). This same principle applies to Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up". You can also hear in Jason's voice how much he cares about the girl he is singing about. This would not be possible if the lyrics were a poem, rather than a song. All in all, Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up" is a very emotional song. It explains how people can learn from the hardships they encounter in both relationships, and in life. Jason uses several literary devices in his song to explain this. The musical background adds the emotional effect that is needed to capture the audience.

3 comments:

  1. This was a really good song analysis! I love the outside citation you used to prove your point and the point you made about the feeling in the voice bringing more meaning into the song.

    Just make sure to fix the typo in the beginning, where it says "gofts we got" instead of "gifts". And perhaps reword the "compare the girl he loves' eyes" to something like "compare the eyes of the girl he loves" or something similar. And you can probably add on a bit more of a conclusion to the end. But it was very good!

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  2. Your analysis is very good, and well thought about. But it would be easier to follow if it was in paragraph form. It would be easier to tell where one thought ends and another begins.

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