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This seems to be a very appropriate amount of time, as the full song is able to be played and the stories of the six nameless characters of the music video are able to be told from start to finish. In addition to analyzing specific portions of the song and music video in a general sense – that is, per my specific interpretation and personal experiences – I will analyze the artifact based upon focal points of meaning attribution, focal points of collective memory and the community, and point of view (Brummett 196-201).įirework’s music video is nearly four minutes long, clocking in at 3:53. For this reason, I will utilize primarily the visual critical perspective, as delineated by Barry Brummett in chapter 5 of Rhetoric in Popular Culture. However, the combination of these positive lyrics with the visuals of the music video allows Katy Perry to comment on many social issues in addition to uplifting and encouraging her listeners. Katy Perry, the six nameless characters, and several other young people are shown glowing like fireworks, and run through the city happily and without reservation.įrom the lyrics of the song alone, I am able to perceive Katy Perry’s goal when writing and performing Firework: to “lift up” her listeners, reminding them of their self-worth when they are suffering or faced with difficult decisions and situations.
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The young boy breaks up his parents’ fighting, the teenaged girl goes swimming, the cancer patient leaves his room, the homosexual man kisses his male love interest, the mother gives birth, and the young magician stands up to his bullies. Once they remember that they are “fireworks” per Katy Perry’s song, however, they gain motivation and self-esteem. The sixth character is a teenaged boy who is getting beaten up by his classmates because he likes to do magic tricks.Īt the beginning of the music video, all of these characters are clearly facing hardships. The fifth character is a woman laboring to give birth. The fourth character is a homosexual young man who feels out of place at a party when his heterosexual peers are dancing with their girlfriends around him. The third character is a child with cancer who is reluctant to leave his room because he has lost his hair as a result of chemotherapy. The second character is a teenaged girl who is embarrassed to go swimming because of her weight.
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The first character is a young boy who is comforting his little sister while their parents are fighting in the other room. During the nearly four minute music video, viewers are introduced to six nameless characters, all with distinct storylines. Katy Perry is reminding her listeners that they are “fireworks,” or that they are important and worthy of love. Throughout the duration of the song, “firework” is used as a metaphor. I knew analyzing Firework for this assignment would help me to determine why fans like me find it so easy to call this song and music video one of our favorites. I also consider Firework’s music video to be one of the most powerful and unique I have ever see. I chose to analyze this particular artifact because I am an ardent Katy Perry fan and Firework is by far my favorite song of hers. Most importantly, I hope to determine why the audience might have had such a favorable reaction to this artifact based upon the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the music video. Throughout this rhetorical criticism, I plan to analyze the content and nature of both the lyrics and music video of Katy Perry’s Firework, majorly from a visually critical perspective. Clearly, this song was very well-received by the public, which I believe was in large part due to the positive message of the lyrics, as well as the unique visuals of the music video. This album was nominated for three Grammy Awards, and Firework was nominated for two Grammy Awards, itself: Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance (Recording Academy 1). Popstar Katy Perry’s mega-hit song Firework was released as part of her 2010 album, Teenage Dream.
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Katy Perry’s Firework – A Rhetorical Criticism of the Song/Music Video By: Clare Danner Academic, 2019