Eden Harden

English 1201

Professor Waggoner

14 February 2021

Analyzing Visual Texts

“These are a few of my favorite things.” “Buy myself all of my favorite things.” These

two segments of lyrics sound very similar, yet are from completely different songs and artists.

The first lyric comes from the song “My Favorite Things” sung in the movie The Sound of Music

from 1965. The second lyric comes from a very contrasting demographic and music category.

This lyric is sung by, artist Ariana Grande in the song “7 Rings,” released in 2019. Both "My

Favorite Things" and "7 Rings" share a message of focusing and naming the joys and pleasures

of life but they both take a slightly different perspective. "My Favorite Things" explain how the

character notices and focuses on small and non-money-centered items and experiences while "7

rings" explains the concentration on wealth, fame, and expenses. The videos also show their

differences through visual drama and audience-specific rhetoric appeals with the various age

groups and eras.

The first video, from The Sound of Music, shows the main character, Maria, singing to

the young children. Maria was sent to be a governess to the Vontrap family while deciding to

become a nun. The movie is set in the 1930s before more advanced technology and focuses on

materialistic things. In the scene, they are all dressed in their nightgowns and pajamas, seated on

her bed during a bad thunderstorm. The children were very frightened and needed a sense of

comfort from her. She tells of her favorite things that make her happy to try to distract the kids

from being so scared. The first lyric states “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.” She
sings of certain things in her life that bring her happiness and joy. She also includes a part of the

song where she sings about the bad things in life and how these small moments bring her so

much comfort and light. Eventually, the children join in and share some of their moments that

make them happy. This helps them become distracted by the terrible storm and enjoy a time of

laughter and fellowship with each other. The main character is claiming that you shouldn’t focus

on the bad and the things that make you feel down but instead should dwell on the happy

moments and the positives of everyday life. This video uses techniques from rhetoric strategies

of pathos. Emotions of people that watch this video are caught by bringing up common ideas,

moments, and objects that bring people joy. The audience can recall the specific things in their

lives that make them happy and relate to the characters in the video.

The second video of “7 rings,” sung by Ariana Grande in the album Thank You, Next

shows Grande sharing a house with many other girls. She and her friends are covered in

diamonds and expensive clothing while enjoying piles of food, and entertained by their

friendship and partying. The first lyric in this song is “Breakfast at Tiffany's and bottles of

bubbles.” Tiffanys, as known by many, is a very expensive and elaborate place. She goes onto

explain her high-standards of “Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines” and discussing how she

can ultimately buy her happiness. Throughout the song she even mentions multiple times that “I

see it, I like it, I want it, I got it,” stating that if she wants it, she will have it. One of her points is

that she is content with her girls and wealth rather than a man or significant other. Wealth is

mentioned multiple times throughout the video and is shown through the various clips of clothes

and very expensive jewelry. This video is filmed and written towards a very ‘POP’ industry in

today’s world. Overall, this artist claims that she can buy her happiness and, anything she wants

or desires that will bring her joy, she will have. Through Ethos and the credibility of Ariana’s
fame and celebrity status, the audience can support that claim that she is and has been successful

in her points that she made clear in the video.

These videos both focus on the main idea of finding happiness through certain moments,

objects or ideas, but ultimately take a separate perspective. “My Favorite Things” is set in the

1930s and released in the 1960s, while “7 rings” was released for this generation of time around

2019 and throughout the following years. Ariana Grande’s version in the POP industry also

appeals to a more focused audience of teenagers or a younger demographic while “My Favorite

Things” often appeals to a more broad and generalized audience. Both of these songs can make

claims of finding or, in one case, buying happiness, but overall take a journey through visual

persuasion, rhetoric objectives, and lyrical connections.

 Works Cited

Wise, Robert. “My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.” Youtube, uploaded by

Rodgers & Hammerstein, 11 Dec. 2013, Accessed 11 February 2021

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IagRZBvLtw&feature=youtu.be.

Grande, Ariana. “7 Rings.” Youtube, uploaded by Ariana Grande, 18 Jan. 2019, Accessed

11 February 2021 www.youtube.com/watch?

v=QYh6mYIJG2Y&feature=youtu.be.