Another Poem? - Alone

The colour in your paling face drains onto the cold, marble floor

Slow lines of age crawl onto your face, quick as a sudden crack

In glass. Forgotten dreams and unanswered prayers collect upon

Your paper-like cheeks, like dust on a book pleading to be read.

The whisper poised upon your lips has died waiting to be heard.

As your eyes feel the bitter sting of impending tears, your hands,

Disheveled and calloused, wished that they too were able to cry.

As the world passes by in a hurried flutter of broken wings, they

Pay no attention to the forlorn figure in the quiet corner of the room.

"Won't anyone notice?" you ask of them. 

A cold, deafening silence is their reply.

~~

Beginning to find that my words begin to flow onto the paper (or computer screen) more fluidly and smoothly. Not good enough, at least not as good as I want it to be but it is, nonetheless, an encouraging, tiny-little-step-in-the-right-direction kinda thing. I hope u liked it. 

Childhood

My childhood is stranded on the edge of memory

Time has stolen yet another of our precious belongings

I remember once the sweet sounds of children's laughter

As they enjoyed their precious time at the playground

I remember once how when we used to gather together

It was to celebrate something happy; the ecstatic singing

Of a birthday song, the impatient tension as the cake was cut

It's different now. I stare out through the window pane and

I see a playground set against a mushroom cloud, devoid of children

Haunted by shadows, filled with laughter but of a different kind

My eyes shy away from monochrome as I look at the world

I can never relive the joys of my childhood. I can never quite

Feel the same happiness as was before. Cold hands callously

Document the episodes of my previous life upon fragile glass

In a desperate attempt to them from the cruel tragedy of time

I know the glass will easily shatter, yet it offers better protection

Than I could ever wish for, if I still maintain the capacity to wish

But soon, my childhood will be but meaningless, inadequate words

Which fail to capture its very essence

~~

A change of pace might be nice. I just decided to write a random poem as a break from all this analysis. Is it good? Maybe. But I dont think its good enough. It doesnt quite hit the mark of the poem i want it to be. The language is acceptable. I havent said much about my life recently, so Ill just get you up to speed. There was a a 1-day drama workshop on Friday. You are now up to speed. OMG haha drama was so fun, but that will be the topic of another day. 

ttyl

Violet Hill by Coldplay

Hey guys! In a once again continuous theme of song analyses cuz i have like nothing better to blog about and I find finding profound and deep meanings in things fun (cuz I feel pro :p), I have decided to analyze 2 REALLY GOOD SONGS FOR ANALYSIS. I mean, if u look at the lyrics, u will realize that there's a lot of symbolism in the songs, and a certain poetry to them. So, I will try my best to do justice to the songs and analyze them well XD I will be using a different format from my previous analyses (or failed attempts at, cuz i think theyre good at getting the meanings but very very disorganized), I will do line by line analysis in the actually lyrics itself (lyrics are bold, comments in brackets), then followed by a general overview of the song itself, so uh, here we go? O.o 

It was a long and dark December (long, dark winters; despair)
From the rooftops I remember 
There was snow, white snow (apart from being constant with the winter thing going on, this is also a symbolism for 2 things, one being faith, hope and purity, the other being a thing which blinds you)

Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching (note the interesting position of these observers. the narrator is at the rooftops yet someone is higher than them. possibly suggests God or angels in heaven)
While we froze down below (We can link this with the refrain, 'if you love me, won't you let me know?', in which God says that he loves everyone but yet the world is such a terrible place, rife with corruption and evil)

When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show (a comment on the state of the world right now where leaders talk a lot to impress the crowd yet do nothing. they are merely for show and if they try to do something, they end up doing  something wrong)
You'd better lie low

If you love me, won't you let me know? (in the bible, God says that he loves everyone. yet there is no evidence to 'prove' this. the narrator is pleading to God to show him that his faith is worth something)

Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals (the world has lost its faith and turned into a gigantic, consumerist and materialistic society. they worship money)
And a fox became God (a reference to Fox news, a symbolism for how everyone believes everything they hear without questioning it) 

Priests clutched onto bibles 
Hollowed out to fit their rifles (when they hollow out their bibles, it can be taken to mean that they remove it of all meaning and that it is just for show. they hide their rifles in the bible, to make people believe that what they are doing is right)
And the cross held aloft (they 'fight' in the name of God, who advocates peace. it is a possible reference to the Crusades.)
Bury me in armour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
A love back home, it unfolds (his faith eventually perseveres)
And if you love me, won't you let me know?

I don't want to be a soldier (there are many interpretations to this: we could say that he wants to be able to have his own opinion and not be bossed around, or if we consider the next line, that he wants to follow someone who is more capable)
With the captain of some sinking ship
With snow, far below.
So if you love me, why d'you let me go? (again, he feels betrayed that he is made to suffer even if God loves him)

I took my love down to violet hill (he took his faith down to Violet Hill; a possible symbolism for a sleepy place, violet usually associated with calm and lackadaisicality. the people are sleeping and need to wake up)   
There we sat in snow (they sat, blinded by a veneer people use to hide their true intentions)
All that time she was silent still
So if you love me, won't you let me know?
If you love me, won't you let me know?

~~
The song generally uses repetition and beautiful symbolism to attempt to call the world awake; to ask them to see the world as it is, that its not perfect but rife with troubles. AIDS and HIV are still rampant. Corrupt leaders and leaders who aren't corrupt but do nothing exist and the honest politician is an endangered species. The people are bombarded with random noise and fuzzy messages by the mass media and they are unable to analyze it and take it word for word. For example, I saw an advertisement once about a McCormick seasoning packet. On the left, it said "Has plenty of antioxidants". On the right, it said "1/2 tablespoon of seasoning is equal to 3 cups of spinach". At first sight, they will say "OMG, so little is already = to 3 cups of spinach?! BUY BUY BUY!!!" and they buy it. but if you pay attention, you will realize that the seasoning is only equal to 3 cups of spinach in the antioxidant amount and not in other ways.

I like the song XD and i like the imagery, 'specially the part where he says that he is on the rooftops, yet someone is looking at him from the windows. very beautiful imagery and creative use of propositions (or whatever that word is >.<)

~~
Alright, this is gonna my 2nd last analysis for a long time. I will do an analysis on another song tmr. Equally beautiful and sweet with its usage of symbolism. The song's gonna be Dustland Fairytale by The Killers. If u want, u can listen to it first and form ur own opinions on the meaning of the song before reading mine (:

ttyl

A Dustland Fairytale

I <3 this song. So much symbolism and the tune is catchy

Are we human or are we dancers?

"America is raising a generation of dancers."

-Hunter S. Thompson

I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could

And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
Let me know, is your heart still beating?

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer

You've gotta let me know
Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Are we human or are we dancers?
Are we human or are we dancers?


~~


Are we human or are we dancers? An interesting question reiterated throughout the song. Really, the song is a semi-satire of the obedient, soul-dead, conformist members of society, and partially a philosophical query into the meaning of being human. 


The dancer is a symbolism for both being an unthinking person who puts on a show to gain the acceptance of others and as a person who relies the beat of the music or the choreography of someone else to make a move. It is a statement criticizing how we are put under social pressure to behave in a way that is viewed as socially acceptable, rather than attempting to find our own way of living.

Up to the platform of surrender/ I was brought but I was kind

The platform of surrender mentioned is the stage where the dance is taking place where everyone has to follow the choreography and be synchronized with each other and every single mistake, no matter how small, is magnified and inflated out of control and immediately picked upon by the finicky and extremely particular audience. The lines imply that we, as humans, are not forced to conform to society but we choose to do so without protest.

And sometimes I get nervous/ when I see an open door/ 

Again, the theme that we are unable to make a move without the society's approval is restated. We get nervous when we 'see an open door', because we know that once we walk out that door, there will be no one there to tell us what to do. We are a people afraid of the responsibilities associated with freedom. 

Close your eyes, clear your heart/ Cut the cord

The song now discusses the brainwashing that all of us are going through everyday, be it in the form of advertisements or political speeches, we are told to 'clear our hearts' and 'cut the cord'; to fit into society, we must eliminate all traces of ourselves such that we are able to be indoctrinated into the community and that we must be emotionally detached, there must not be any feelings of protest within us.

Are we human or are we dancers?/

My sign is vital, my hands are cold/

And I'm on my knees looking for the answer/

Are we human or are we dancers?

The chorus, I feel, is the most beautiful part of the song because of the way it is delivered to the reader. They first give you information, which you trust without checking, and then ask you a rhetorical question. Based on the information, you decide whether you are a human or a dancer. The information leads you to believe that the person is dead and so the answer is obvious; we are all dancers. Now, the reader/listener is struck with a sudden realization of his actual position in society. That all the gobbledygook about freedom and free choice is nonsense; really, think about it, we are given an illusion of free choice. We can choose whatever we want to do, but we will always eventually have to conform to society. 

Will your system be alright/ When you dream of home tonight?

So they say, home is where the heart is. What the line is trying to say is that when we really look and question society, we will be shocked because we realize that we do not decide what we want to do; society dictates it for us. The word system is also used, downgrading us to but simple, unthinking machines who do as they are told. We are functioning, but we cannot feel anything. Like the operating system of a computer, our minds are emotionless.

There is no message we're receiving/ Let me know, is your heart still beating?

Now, the person is asked whether he can function of there is no telling them what to do. The answer of course is a 'no'. 

The song, in general, I find beautiful. The way it is sung, as we are absorbed into the robotic beat. The lyrics are very meaningful and the symbolism of the dancer is creative, but really, what I enjoyed was how it got me thinking. We are asked whether we are human or dancers. The answer is that we are all dancers. The song is trying to say that we should not be dancers, but we should be humans. The question now is:

What does it mean to be human?

NaNoWriMo!?

Wow, thanks to Anthea, I actually decided to join (OMG THIS IS GONNA BE A TOUGH ONE)... NaNoWriMo! D: National November Writing Month. I'm gonna be spending half my holidays writing a 50,000 word story (approx. 175 pages) IN 30 DAYS. Three-Zee-Row, 30 DAYS. I was originally planning on writing a short poem but then Ant asked me whether I was writing for nanowrimo and decided, Oh Well, what the hell/ and clicked on the sign up button ^^ 

Heh. Im gonna commit to this task to prove how much of an wuliao person I am, but also to prove that I can do something. Well, I need inspiration, but basically, im doing a story on a boy who is locked up in a basement and the only communication/ method of understanding between him and the outside world is 1) a book, Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities, 2) the pet door flap thingy where his food is delivered and 3) THE ALL IMPORTANT WINDOW PANE. Yes, that's my story. About the WINDOW PANE.

Okay, that's all from me, a short spastic message because nao I must go back to writing for Nanowrimo and must go back to procrastinate by listening to The Killers' songs and watching Eddie Izzard's comedy.

The Irony of Mr. Brightside

Fell in love with British songs, especially with The Killers' Smile Like You Mean It, When You Were Young (despite the fact that song sounds Americanized) and Mr. Brightside. I love the song, it sounds nice and I like the way he seems to be talking more than singing. Plus, I love songs that manage to say exactly what I wanted to say but just couldn't find the right words to frame it with. Gah, it's stuck in my head >.<

And since I'm getting lazy cuz I still have writer's block, Im just gonna OVERANALYZE THE SONG and try to look for inspiration ^^ 

I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Got to, got to be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head

But she's touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
Because I'm Mr. Brightside

The opening lines 'I've been coming out of my cage/ And I've been doing just fine' signify that the song is written in a retrospective or reflective point of view, thus fixing the chronology of the song. The events in the song have happened in the past and the writer is now recounting the events.

The fourth line 'Because I want it all' clearly state Mr Brightside's aspirations or objectives in any relationship. He wants the relationship to last and he wants to be a serious, long-term one and does not just want a one-night-stand. 

Because of this mindset, his personality tends to be one which is possessive and constantly exaggerates or overstates the limits of something. This can be seen from the next two lines 'It started out with a kiss/How did it end up like this?' in which something as trivial as a kiss instigates his mad love for this woman. 

The second paragraph is interesting as the whole paragraph is dedicated to the build up of the conflict. If we pay close attention to the words, we will notice that Mr Brightside is slowly getting separated from the the woman as the woman slowly drifts closer to someone else. This leads to Mr Brightside's jealousy later on.

Now I'm falling asleep

And she's calling a cab

While he's taking a smoke

And she's taking a drag

Here, Mr Brightside is separated from the woman. The line 'she's calling a cab' implies that the woman is trying to get away from the person. Also, we notice that the man and the woman are both partaking in the same activity, namely, smoking, while Mr Brightside falls asleep. The man and woman begin to grow closer to each other while Mr Brightside drifts apart.

Now, the song takes on a more complex, multi-layered, dreamy nature in the next three lines, 'Now, they're going to bed/ And my stomach is sick/ And it's all in my head'. The fact that the woman and the man are now going to bed is simply imagined by Mr Brightside and is not taking place in real life. Now, the negative effects of Mr Brightside love for the woman are beginning to show. He is inflating the situation, complicating something which is very simple and making false accusations due to his paranoia. He imagines that the woman is cheating but experiences real pain. 

If you ask why I separated dream from reality at that point (right after 'And she's taking a drag'), it's because in the third line, the writer says, in slang, 'got to, got to be down' which states Mr Brightside wish to attend a social gathering. The first 4 lines of the 2nd paragraph actually describe the usual behaviour of people after a party whereas the next 3 do not. Again, Mr Brightside has demonstrated his ability to overstate things and interpret's the 'post-party' behaviour as something more than that.

The 3rd paragraph continues to describe Mr Brightside's paranoid visions and imaginations and states that these falsifications are starting to become so powerful that they begin to control his thoughts, as can be seen from '...It's killing me/ And taking control'.

And btw if you haven't realized why I think the song is ironic, this is why: The persona's name is Mr Brightside, a portmanteau which is an allusion to the phrase 'look at the bright side of life', which implies that Mr Brightside should be someone of a bubbly, cheery and generally happy character. However, throughout the middle of the song, Mr Brightside is shown to have had very negative thoughts swirling in his head, thus the irony of it....alrite, ^^ back to the analysis...

Now, the writer uses beautiful rhetoric to describe how he viewed the entire series of events.

'Jealousy, turning saints in to the sea', this is the line where Mr Brightside confesses and acknowledges that he is jealous and even states the extent of his jealousy which is supposedly so powerful that it could turn something which represents good into something less sublime.

'Swimming through sick lullabies/Choking on your alibis' shows that Mr Brightside is unable to sleep because of his paranoia and that he rejects the woman's explanation, thinking that there is something more to it when there isn't. When he tries to repeat the woman's explanation, he 'chokes' on it, meaning that he cannot quite say it, thus implying that does not believe it wholeheartedly.

Now, the writer reverts back to the present, where he is in retrospect, with the line 'But it's just the price I pay/ Destiny is calling me'. Mr Brightside now understands that all of his hysteria and panic and negativity actually taught him how to be nice, something which he was supposed to be all along but somehow wasn't.

The last two lines 'Open up my eager eyes/ Because I'm Mr Brightside' signify Mr Brightside's wish to view the world in a more positive light after admitting his mistakes in the past. He asks people to open up his eager eyes meaning that he is willing to look at things in a more happy light. Also, this implies that his eyes before were closed, which shows that he understand that all of his negativity was misplaced and unjustified and that he was blinded by jealousy. 'Because I'm Mr Brightside' now shows Mr Brightside's wish to be the person who he is supposed to be.

Now, we link this back to the start of the song where Mr Brightside says that he's coming out of his cage, which is his blind, unjustified jealousy, and that he's doing just fine because of his new, positive mindset.

~~

Wow, that was long and tiring >.< I was almost about to write something about character development in Mr Brightside, but I'll save that for tmr or tuesday. Heh, finally understand why the kids on road trips in american movies all ask "are we there yet?". Are we there yet? I sure hope we are.