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Arianne Garrison

English 1201

Marcia Hughes

18 January 2022

“I’m Erasing Myself From the Narrative”

“Burn” by Phillipa Soo and “First Burn” by Ari Afsar, Julia Harriman, Lexi Lawson,

Rachelle Ann Go, and Shoba Narayan are both portraying the role of Elizabeth Schuyler and

singing through the emotional grievance of her husband (Alexander Hamilton) cheating on her

and breaking her heart. Phillipa Soo is a member of the original cast of the Broadway musical

Hamilton. The music video for “Burn” features Phillipa singing during one of the first

“Hamilton” Broadway productions in 2015. The artists of “First Burn” are five women who have

played the role of Elizabeth Schuyler on Broadway after Phillipa Soo, and premiered the remix

of “Burn” in 2018.

“Burn” takes the setting on a Broadway stage where Phillipa Soo (Elizabeth Schuyler)

sits upon a bench and burns the letters that Alexander wrote to her before he cheated. During the

song, in the dark corner of the stage, sitting alone, she takes the letters to a burning flame in a

lantern and throws them away. In “First Burn”, the video shows the five women singing in a

recording studio with a drummer and a pianist. It shows clips of each artist singing alone while

they sing separate parts of the original song “Burn”. Both songs show the dissatisfaction with

Elizabeth after she learns of her husband’s affair. “I’m erasing myself from the narrative. Let

future historians wonder how Eliza reacted when you broke her heart.” Elizabeth is claiming that

she will no longer be a part of Alexander’s life in both versions. The evolutionary creation of

“Burn” and the remix “First Burn” both seek to show an audience of women the power they have
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inside in their time of weakness. However, “First Burn” creates a more passionate appeal, done

so by the different tones in each song and a stronger presence of pathos.

While both songs are Elizabeth Schuyler claiming she will no longer be a part of the

narrative of Alexander Hamilton, there is a much deeper meaning being spoken to women. As

stated in “First Burn,” “And when the time comes, explain to the children the pain and

embarrassment you put their mother through. When will you learn that they are your legacy, we

are your legacy.” and in “Burn,” “You and your words flooded my senses. Your sentences left

me defenseless. You built me palaces out of paragraphs. You built mee cathedrals” it shows that

Elizabeth was hurt and manipulated by her husband. Currently, and in the past, women have

been treated that way by men. Elizabeth’s words make the audience of women feel empowered

to take over their own stories. In “First Burn,” the video portion shows the five women of

different ethnicities, embracing their voices and singing with a powerful message. This creates a

ripple effect of other women feeling empowered to embrace their own voice even when they are

feeling weak, just like Elizabeth did. However, with both songs showing a deeper meaning

towards women, “Burn” and “First Burn” are also unalike.

Based on the tone, “First Burn” is more passionate about Elizabeth’s claim. It creates a

more emotional effect on women. This is based on the music videos wherein “Burn,” Phillipa

Soo uses a more soft and grieving tone. She stands alone and shares her anger but does not raise

her voice. She uses a more grieving approach. However, in “First Burn” the tone is very

passionate. The beginning of the song starts off very soft, then, the singers grow angrier. Their

anger is representing Elizabeth’s emotional path of resentment and frustration. “Don’t! I’m not

naive. I have seen women around you.” The artists harmonize and use a forceful and direct chord
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that shows the emotional rollercoaster that not only Elizabeth took but the audience as well.

Another factor in “Burn” and “First Burn'' that makes them different is their rhetorical appeals.

“First Burn” differs from “Burn” in the sense of pathos. “Burn” does use pathos. For

example, Elizabeth sings, “I’m watching it burn” as she burns all the letters Hamilton wrote to

her before he cheated. This creates an emotional connection to all women as they sympathize

with her. In “First Burn” the harmonizing frustration the artists create causes more of a

connection for women. The passion in their voices and the way the video shows them in power

affect women. It makes them feel vulnerable but in power just like Elizabeth. “First Burn” also

uses the video to project pathos. The video shows all five artists having fun together while

singing. This represents the connection between all women. As the audience of women views

this, it sends the message that women are empowered by the way they rely on each other.

After listening to and watching the two videos, “First Burn'' has a more passionate tone

than “Burn”. It also creates a more emotional appeal of pathos. Both songs have the same

audience of women. They both teach women to feel empowered in a moment of weakness.

Performed on Broadway or in a studio, both songs have an influential claim on women and

continue to impact women today.

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Works Cited

“Burn - Phillipa Soo (Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast); Sub Español.” YouTube, YouTube, 20

Dec. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLFMcheqR-w.

“‘First Burn’ [Official Video].” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=r2ys-AimNbE.