Rhetorical Analysis Essay PDF

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Title: SAIL...

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Gross 1 Emily Gross English 101, Fall 2018 1 Sept. 2018 Essay 1 Siahkoohi “SAIL”

“Sail” by AWOLNATION explains a story of a man dealing with his own intellectual disabilities without calling out for help. This disability is shown to be ADD, also known as “attention deficit- disorder.” In this music video the choreography shows what this man is going through and how he is dealing with the conflicts he brings upon himself. The lyrics bring out a logical appeal which has the audience wondering what the outcome will be. This artist shows effectiveness through-out the entire video and gets his point across through the setting portraying that he is going insane alone in his own home and uses emotional appeal to explain his struggle with ADD.

The choreography in the music video portrays a very mentally ill human who is trying to cope with himself. He reveals his inability to handle his ADD by having conversations with himself, being paranoid, and attempting suicide. He is afraid of not meeting people’s expectations because of his overwhelming disease condoning his mind. The point that he is trying to get across is that he is wanting to “sail” away from his problems. Towards the end he is “abducted by aliens” not taken literally, but at that point he is sailing away from his problems as if he committed suicide or he is dreaming. He left it unknown for the audience to start throwing their Gross 2

own ideas and opinions out there. The ethical aspect is shown by his actions through-out the video. The choreography makes the authors credibility effective.

The setting is illustrating a very dark, gloomy, and depressing state of mind. The video starts off with a man running into a house watching his back as he escapes from the threat outside. All of the lights are off, his house is a mess, the blinds are being closed, everything is being left undone, and he begins to fill the bath tub up before he submerges himself fully clothed. It is developing a feel for the audience to understand the same feelings he is dealing with. This type of description is showing more of an appeal to emotion.

The artist effectively establishes credibility through his lyrics. The very first words he sings are “this is how I show my love” meaning because of his ADD he shows his love in ways that might not be recognizable to those without intellectual disabilities. He continues on to say “maybe I’m a different breed, maybe I’m not listening” referring to him feeling so apart from others, he starts to question his own human-ness. Through the duration of the lyrics he constantly repeats himself saying “blame it on my ADD baby” because he feels so different on how he expresses himself to society. An appeal to emotion and reason / logic is shown in the lyrics because of how effective he is at showing his feelings through words and not just actions.

An example, but not to be viewed as perfect in “Sail” the artist effectively persuades people to identify with the emotions of an individual struggling with ADD. The lyrics are powerful and moving, but logical enough that anyone can connect. The setting and choreography help reveal Gross 3

the darkness and pain caused by ADD and mental disorders. All of these elements make it believable that the artist may have ADD.

Gross 4 Work Cited Page

“AWOLNATION - Sail (Official Music Video).” Youtube, uploaded by Red Bull Records, 21 April 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgIqecROs5M....