Song Analysis

 

7-Step Analysis

 

1.Determine the subject of the poem

It is about protecting someone because he says beat it meaning get away many times in the song because someone is mad and they are looking for someone. The music video demonstrates that it is about gangs and fighting which is dangerous and if you don’t leave you will be hurt. It is about a fight which is a social phenomenon because those happen and often in gangs.

2. Identify the Poem’s Narrator

Michael Jackson is speaking. He is trying to protect someone before they go do something stupid and hurt themselves, he tells them to leave and “beat it”.

3. Note the Word Choice of the Poem

There are no denotations or connotations to be found in the song. All the words used in the song are concrete and simple. A cliche of this song would be beat it because it is said a lot and repeated especially at the end a lot, the song is called beat it as well which makes sense. I think the poem is pretty simple with common and plain words like the ones in it but it is a good song to sing along to if it is easier to sing and remember.

4. Determine the tone of the poem

The poem is serious and intense, it is about keeping someone safe and he is serious that he wants them to get out otherwise they will get hurt. It is about fighting which is intense because we don’t want the person to get hurt or into a fight. Using the word fight makes the mood darker because they are dangerous and rough. The tone does change throughout the song by him going from saying you better leave because someone is mad and they are after you to fight them and show everyone you are strong and that you can do it.

5. Determine the rhythmical devices used by the poet

The line lengths in the story all vary and change in each stanza. The stanzas are all 4 lines long except for the parts where they repeat “beat it”. There is some rhyming in the song like “fight” and “right” in the chorus. It is an open poem because there is no patterns that the song follows.

6. What are the uses of other literary devices

The song uses the allusion of macho man who was a old wrestler. An example of alliteration in the song is “but you wanna be bad” which is a repeated sound of “b”. “Fire in their eyes” is imagery where it shows a image in my mind of fire in someone eyes and I can imagine it. Some words are shortened with an apostrophe ex:  showin’, playin’. I think this title suits the song because it is short and sweet that everyone would remember it, it is also said over 50 times in the song.

7. Determining the values of the poem

It is repetitive and simple so people find it to be a catchy tune. It doesn’t really have a story line, its just about him telling someone to leave while they can so that they don’t get hurt. I think the song does try and tell listeners to trust people when they say something to you to try and protect you.