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Krista Wells

Professor Lisa Cook

English Composition II

28 June 2020

Analyzing Visual Texts

Music this day in age has had a great impact on this society, especially as a result of this

global pandemic we all are affected by. Songs such as this bring up feelings that we may or may

not want to display. Otherwise, it could be empowering like it was intended. Rise Up is about

walking through those circumstances that otherwise are unpleasant and growing stronger in our

faith, such that we hope there is something better in the end. Something that makes every trial

worth it. The song begins with these lyrics: “You're broken down and tired / Of living life on a

merry go round / And you can't find the fighter / But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out /

And move mountains / We gonna walk it out / And move mountains.” This is what life is like. It

throws you every which way and you begin to feel tired and weary, yet you have that little voice

nagging inside of your head to keep going, no matter how bad it hurts. Rise Up by Andra Day is

a story about walking through difficulties and trials while the cover version by Trevor Hoffmann,

Brett Pruneau, and Doug Gorkoff conveys the same appeal but under different pretenses.

Rise Up had grown to be a music sensation overnight. As Andra would describe it, it is a

song or perseverance. Life is full of obstacles, yet we push through with faith that there is light in

the end of the tunnel. The original music video is an excellent example of what it means to

persevere and struggle, even when it is not something you had in store for your life. Its claim is

precisely that. On the other hand, even though both versions of the song have the same lyrics, the

cover version is to an extent a soothing song with less of an emotional and logical meaning.
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Because there is no “story” told, it is troublesome to imagine what the song is more about

because there is no visual depiction portrayed. However, this does not mean that each video is

incapable of alluring an audience.

The appeals that have been most prominent are logos and pathos. Logically, the words

that have been spoken through the song make several points to not give up, even when it is not

easy. There will be times that we are defeated, but we need to rise above it which only makes us

stronger. Pathos on the other hand is conveyed through the story of two people throughout the

video. There is emotion that can be heard and seen. Andra uses a voice of which can be heard

with a sort of passion that is hard to come by. A man and his wife go out to dinner, but the man

is a quadirpalegic. Therefore, the wife is his caretaker. It is common with these types of

relationships that the caretaker, regardless of gender, will receive looks of pity and empathy.

Maybe even questioning why they would “throw their life away” to be with someone that cannot

take care of themself. This is how emotion can be drawn out of a person, which is by taking a

storyline as such to lead people to a specific belief.

The audience that this song seems to be geared towards is about everybody, but more

specifically, those who have led a life of hardships and brokenness. Unfortunately, not everyone

would truly understand what this song means because not everyone has experienced a

circumstance where it changed the rest of their life. Some people have been kept in the dark or in

a bubble of fantasy their entire lives that they are unable to handle the real world and what it

throws. I appreciate what the original music video has shown and it exemplifies what some have

to endure on a daily basis. It is real life. The cover is done excellently but there is no visual

connection. We hear words but they have no meaning until it is understood what they actually

stand for and mean. At this point, the cover is just a song with a soothing tune. The emotional
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appeal (pathos) is absent as well as most of any logos appeal. This just goes to show that people,

surroundings, and visuals make a great difference when attempting to persuade an audience.

Overall, music can be viewed as a way of encouragement or a calming effect. Songs have

a way of reaching people that conversation can not. The lyrics and the delivery is what makes or

breaks a person. Rise Up can be used as a source of inspiration to better a life that once was

broken. We will experience pain in our lifetime whether that be physical or emotional, but we

should not let that crush our spirits. Use that pain to further yourself because with each step, you

will make it closer to the finish line.

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Works Cited

Day, Andra. “Andra Day - Rise Up [Official Music Video] [Inspiration Version].”

Youtube, uploaded by Andra Day, 9 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=lwgr_IMeEgA

Hoffman, Trevor. “"Rise Up" - Andra Day (Trevor Hoffmann, Brett Pruneau, & Doug

Gorkoff).” Youtube, uploaded by Trevor Hoffmann, 26 Jul. 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILhFPYwb8iQ