Shelby Moreland

Christine Olding
College Writing
April 28, 2015

Rhetorical Analysis
A rhetorical analysis is a breakdown of a piece of work whether being a song, piece of
art, speech, an essay, an advertisement, a poem, a photograph, a web page, or even a food label.
The analysis focuses on mainly the interaction with the author, text and their audience. It also
focuses on the way that the credibility, emotions, and logistics found through ethos, pathos, and
logos relate to the audience and author as well (Nordquist).
In this rhetorical analysis I will be evaluating two different songs. The first song
Would? by Alice in Chains, and the second song Feel Again by Onerepublic. Alice in Chains
is a 1980s grunge band and Onerepublic an american pop rock band formed in 2002. Though the
two songs come from different genres, have two different sounds and give different vibes, they
both bear profound meaning and emotion.
Alice in Chains is a grunge band formed in Seattle, Washington and signed with
Columbia Records in 1984. At the time many of the bands classified as grunge werent
particularly fond of it. In an interview with Sean Kinney, the drummer of Alice in Chains said, I
mean, before we first came out there was no grunge, they hadnt invented that word. Before they
invented the word grunge we were alternative rock and alternative metal and metal and
rock, and we didnt give a shit whatever, we were a rock and roll band, (Interview: Alice in
Chains). Although the band didnt care what genre they were classified in, they fit perfectly in
grunge music. They wrote about raw emotion and life experiences which is exactly what grunge
was all about. The band was not particularly influenced by one specific band but rather several
grunge bands. They are known for their bitter songs about drug and alcohol abuse and their
harmonizing rock melody. Alice in Chains was composed of 5 men: Layne Staley (vocalist),
Jerry Cantrell (guitarist), Sean Kinney (drummer), Mike Starr (bassist) who was later replaced by

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Mike Inez in 1993 (Simon & Schuster). The band produced 5 albums, sold 20 million records
worldwide, and 14 million in the United States alone. The band never broke up but because of
Staceys drug abuse they stopped producing music in 1996. The band members were always very
close friends and planned on producing music again, but in 2002 when Layne Stacey overdosed
and passed away their future didnt look so bright (Interview: Alice in Chains). Many grunge
bands broke up in the 1990s, but with some new members and even through Staceys death,
Alice in Chains still produces music today. Their latest album was produced in 2013 and
influences many of todays modern rock bands. One of their many songs with raw emotion was
Would? from Alice in Chains 1992 album Dirt.
Would?
The song Would? was written by Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell. Cantrell wrote the
song about his friend Andrew Wood, a former member of Mother Love Bone. Andrew Wood
overdosed on heroin in 1990. Two years later the band released this song. In the 1999s Music
Bank box set collection Jerry Cantrell stated,
I was thinking a lot about Andrew Wood at the time. We always had a great time when we
did hang out, much like Chris Cornell and I do. There was never really a serious moment or
conversation, it was all fun. Andy was a hilarious guy, full of life and it was really sad to lose
him. But I always hate people who judge the decisions others make. So it was also directed
towards people who pass judgments (Would? By Alice in Chains).
ETHOS
Through the lyrics, instrumentals, and vocals Would? tells a story many know all too
well. Cantell wrote the song about his own experience with one of his friends (Would? By Alice
in Chains). The band doesnt necessarily let the listeners know who the song is about in a direct
way. The lyrics are composed in a way to make one think the song is about the singer; however,
the song is written as if Wood was singing. If you know the back-story on the song, you could

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also catch on to the fact that the name of the song (Would?) is also the last name of Andrew. Its
clear that this song is about falling into addiction.
The song doesnt necessarily have an argument or take a side to a certain situation, it just
causes you to think about the things that addicts do before you judge them. Most people who are
struggling from addiction or know someone close to them struggling with addiction can make a
connection to this song. The lyrics show that the writer (Cantrell) looked at the situation fairly by
viewing both sides. Into the flood again/ Same old trip it was back then/ So I made a big
mistake/ Try to see it once my way shows that the character (Wood) knows that he made a
mistake (doing drugs) but wishes that someone could understand and look at things from his
view to see his struggle.
PATHOS
If you or someone you know suffers or has suffered from addiction this song would
evoke many emotions; however, if you have never struggled with addiction, this song may just
make you think differently about people who do. When the instrumental starts out slow and the
vocals start off soft and both gradually get louder and more harsh sounding it makes me think
that Alice in Chains is writing the song as if Andrew is upset about being caught up in addiction
but angry that people judge him. I dont know that the instrumentation necessarily adds or takes
away from the lyrics, but rather works together with them. The one thing that really evoked
emotion in me is that the band had to convince Cantrell to sing the intro to the song. Since
Cantrell was such good friends with Wood he agreed to sing it (Interview: Alice in Chains).
During the performance Stacey wore sunglasses and made little movement on the stage which
made me focus more on what the lyrics were saying rather than being distracted by what the
performer looked like or dance moves and lights.

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Since most of the grunge artists and bands write their lyrics/songs based on raw emotions
it is fair to assume that the listeners like that about the music. The listeners can probably connect
to the music and enjoy that they can relate.
LOGOS
The claim in this song is clear. Wood knows that he made a mistake, but wishes that
people wouldnt judge him for it. He shows this through the lyrics So I made a big mistake/Try
to see it once my way. The song was written about Wood by Cantell proving that he is actually
writing the song about real life situations. Although the lyrics are logical, the song structure is
not. The song is composed of an intro, the first chorus sang twice, and the second chorus sang
twice.
Feel Again
The second song for this rhetorical analysis is Feel Again by OneRepublic.
OneRepublic was formed in 2002 with Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins. They got together and on
a long car ride home, talking about their favorite bands, decided they wanted to start composing
music and playing together. The band gained their success from Myspace. The band became
fairly popular, fairly quick and played all throughout Los Angeles. Many record labels
approached them but they signed with Velvet Hammer. The band added Eddie Fisher, Brent
Kutzle, and Drew Brown. Their first popular single Apologize was released in 2005 and
landed them a Grammy nomination. The band has released many songs that have become
popular and still produces music today. One of their popular songs released in 2012 is Feel
Again. The song is about someone being able to come back to life and being able to fall in love
again after he has been heartbroken by someone.

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ETHOS
OneRepublic represents themselves like any other pop rock, american band. They dress
in leather jackets and jeans, they jump and dance on stage, and they are upbeat and fun for the
most part. The song Feel Again isnt written for anyone specific or about a certain situation
that any of the band members has gone through. The band was trying to keep up with the fame
and success of others around them and wanted to create a song that would become popular (Feel
Again).
The song Feel Again ultimately shows that someone in the narrator's life, that meant
very much to them, hurt them and then in the chorus states that he can finally feel again and
embrace life. The song is one that many can connect to, as everyone feels heartbreak at least
once in their life and eventually realizes that they can live without that person.
PATHOS
The song evokes emotion through the lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation. At first the
singer (Ryan Tedder) sounds as if he is hurt saying Hearts still beating but its not working and
Yeah, my heart is numb but as the song goes on the instrumentation goes on it becomes more
upbeat leading to the happiness when the narrator states But with you, I feel again (Feel
Again).
The song starts out slow and mournful sounding almost like the narrator feels as if he will
never be able to live or love without the person that hurt him, but as the first verse is over there is
clapping in the instrumentation showing that he got over the feeling of being lonely and has
turned a new page. I think the instrumentation absolutely adds to the vocals and lyrics. The song
tells a story and as the lyrics start out sad and mournful, the instrumentation mimics that. As the

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song picks up and becomes happy it is almost as if the clapping is congratulating him and the
instrumentation becomes louder and more upbeat.
LOGOS
The song Feel Again has an obvious claim: even though you feel as if you will always
hurt over a certain situation or person, you will move on and eventually feel better. There is no
evidence that the song is about a certain person because as stated in a reading It's very much an
uptempo song and has a lot of gospel influence in it." "For whatever reason that's something that
was resonating with me and I felt that I really wanted to shift as many of our songs into that vibe
as possible, (Feel Again). To me that shows that there was no real motive behind the lyrics. The
band wanted to produce a song with a gospel influence but didnt actually have raw emotion
behind the lyrics.
The songs are different in many ways and similar in few ways. Alice in Chains song
Would? was based off of a real life situation and has raw emotion put into it, whereas
OneRepublic wanted a song that would become popular and have a new song that sounded
nothing like their other music. I feel that the songs instrumentation and vocals agrees with the
lyrics in both of the songs. Would? is a song about addiction and how he cannot overcome it,
and Feel Again shows how we was able to overcome the feeling of heartbreak. I think that
these two songs show how music is so diverse. These two songs come from two completely
different genres and although they are nothing like each other they both can evoke emotion and
become very popular songs.

References
"Feel Again." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 May 2015.
"Interview: Alice in Chains." The National Student. N.p., 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 May 2015.
Nordquist, Richard. "Rhetorical Analysis." About Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
<http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/Rhetorical-Analysis-term.htm>.
Simon & Schuster. "Alice in Chains Biography." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/alice-in-chains/biography>.
"Would? by Alice in Chains." SongMeanings. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
<http://songmeanings.com/songs/wiki/11829/>.