For this assignment I found a video
by the one and only “King of Pop”.Michael Jackson, a well-known and unique pop star, was always an
inspirational singer. He became famous with his talent, not with the fancy props
you see used by entertainers today. Not only did Jackson
have a great voice, he inspired us all with his humanitarianism.
In
the music industry, Michael Jackson’s career flourished simultaneously with the
use of videos. So when his music was converted to video, the message in his songs
became more powerful. Jackson used these
videos to promote his messages about poverty, health, and homelessness. In the
music video, “Man in the Mirror”, Jackson’s
only intent was to demonstrate the plight of people in the world. He used clips
of starving kids, bombs, and revolutionists – like Martin Luther King, Guandi,
Mother Teresa - to illustrate his humanitarian heroes. The clips in this video
were very graphic but influential in getting Jackson’s
point out to the public about supporting him with this world crisis.
The video begins
with Jackson showing emaciated
children. Jackson wants his
followers to see what hunger really looks like. Some of the children are dying
– there is even one who is dead. These scenes would grab the attention of
anyone with a soul and make them want to help somehow.
Jackson
also wants to end warfare. There are people out on the street protesting war
and there is the bombing of Hiroshima.
These images are used to remind viewers of past mistakes against mankind. Since
Jackson is black, he wanted to
bring attention to outrages acts of racism. Again there are extreme clips of racist’s
acts by whites and the KKK. Notice during the scene when one of the white
officers in blue is beating the person in the crowd with a stick. Then, the
video goes black and white, except that particular officer is still in blue. This
brings attention to that officer. The video intent is to show the amount of unnecessary
anticipation from that officer when that person he is beating – of course black
- has probably done nothing wrong, but needs to be punished anyway. Jackson
portrays many underprivileged blacks living in houses made of cardboard and kids
with their ribs showing under their skin. But white people are living in luxury.
Jackson revealed more racism with
the Nazi’s having a black and white clip of Hitler. But Hitler had a colored
swastika on his arm. We should make a change.
Jackson
was successful with his intent to bring attention to the sufferings in the world.
The video reached number 1 Billboard Hot 100 list. It was seen by audiences in
many countries. Jackson wanted
people to look at themselves in the mirror and “Make a Change” starting with
the “Man in the Mirror”.
Thanks Taylor. You've picked a fantastic song, and a memorable music video. Jackson packs so much into this short video that it would be almost impossible to write a short analysis of it. A complete analysis would take significantly more space. I respect your attempt. For the most part, your analysis is quite strong. You do a nice job of analyzing Jackson's intent, and not the audience's reaction. You also organize your post fairly well.
There are some lapses in the writing. Let me point those out to you. Look at these sentences and phrases:
"Michael Jackson’s career flourished simultaneously with the use of videos": Technically, this does not make sense. I understand what you are trying to say about the rise of Jackson's career paralleling the rise of music videos. However, you do not present this clearly. This sentence is called a faulty comparison. You really shouldn't try to compare Jackson's career to the "use" of videos.
In this phrase, "about supporting him with this world crisis," you imply that there is a specific world crisis, yet you have made it clear that Jackson tackles a variety of different issues.
In this sentence, "Jackson revealed more racism with the Nazi’s having a black and white clip of Hitler," you have a dangling participle. In this sentence, technically, the Nazis are the ones "having a black and white clip of Hitler." You need to restructure it so that Jackson is the one "having." I might avoid the use of the verb "having" because it confuses things. Perhaps the verb "incorporating" might have been better.
In this phrase, "extreme clips of racist’s acts," the "clips" are not "extreme," the "racist's [sic] acts" are. You should have written "clips of racists' extreme acts."
None of these issues prevent a reader from understanding your argument, which is good. However, each of these minor issues detract from your overall credibility as a writer. Be careful how you arrange words.
Thanks Taylor. You've picked a fantastic song, and a memorable music video. Jackson packs so much into this short video that it would be almost impossible to write a short analysis of it. A complete analysis would take significantly more space. I respect your attempt. For the most part, your analysis is quite strong. You do a nice job of analyzing Jackson's intent, and not the audience's reaction. You also organize your post fairly well.
ReplyDeleteThere are some lapses in the writing. Let me point those out to you. Look at these sentences and phrases:
"Michael Jackson’s career flourished simultaneously with the use of videos": Technically, this does not make sense. I understand what you are trying to say about the rise of Jackson's career paralleling the rise of music videos. However, you do not present this clearly. This sentence is called a faulty comparison. You really shouldn't try to compare Jackson's career to the "use" of videos.
In this phrase, "about supporting him with this world crisis," you imply that there is a specific world crisis, yet you have made it clear that Jackson tackles a variety of different issues.
In this sentence, "Jackson revealed more racism with the Nazi’s having a black and white clip of Hitler," you have a dangling participle. In this sentence, technically, the Nazis are the ones "having a black and white clip of Hitler." You need to restructure it so that Jackson is the one "having." I might avoid the use of the verb "having" because it confuses things. Perhaps the verb "incorporating" might have been better.
In this phrase, "extreme clips of racist’s acts," the "clips" are not "extreme," the "racist's [sic] acts" are. You should have written "clips of racists' extreme acts."
None of these issues prevent a reader from understanding your argument, which is good. However, each of these minor issues detract from your overall credibility as a writer. Be careful how you arrange words.