Consider songs you have heard—and perhaps strongly like or dislike—that make some sort of
social commentary
An evaluation includes a brief summary of the subject being evaluated, but its central idea is a
JUDGEMENT about the subject (is the song’s message good or bad? Do you agree or disagree
with it?) and a JUSTIFICATION for that judgement (why is it good or bad? For whom? Why do
you agree or disagree?)
The song you choose does not need to be overtly political; many songs make some sort of
claim about race, class, gender, or sexuality. It is important that you feel strongly about the song
one way or another and want to spend time carefully analyzing its lyrics. Please attach a copy of
the song lyrics to the back of your essay to help the reader follow along. Once you have chosen
a song, consider 1) whether you know enough about the topic and 2) whether you already have
a settled judgement about its message.
If you do not yet have a judgement about the song’s message, develop and test one and to
come up with a working thesis about your song. The thesis must be arguable (takes a position
on the song’s message) and specific (lists reasons for the judgement).
After you have developed an arguable and specific thesis, the majority of the essay will be spent
supporting it by analyzing carefully-chosen DETAILS from the song. YOU MUST CONSTANTLY
REFERENCE THE SONG’S LYRICS RATHER THAN SOLELY RELYING ON
GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT SOCIETY. Just as you would use details such as plot, theme,
dialogue, word choice, characterization, etc. from a movie or book to support an argument about
that movie or book, your argument will not hold water unless you show the reader how the song
demonstrates your thesis. Song details will definitely include lyrics, but may also address such
elements as rhythm, vocals, tone/mood, instrumentals, harmony/dissonance, genre, allusion,
etc.
imagine you write about starboy by the weekend.cited reference
● At least 1 full page, formatted in Word as a .doc or .docx
● Typed in 12-point standard font and double-spaced with one-inch margins–see
MLA Essay Format (8th Edition)
● An irresistible introduction–see Irresistible Introductions Powerpoint
● A clear, specific, and arguable thesis statement derived from a semiotic analysis
of the ad
● Offer support (provide evidence) for your claim by carefully analyzing details
(lyrics) from the song
● Edited and proofread (typos/ carelessness will reduce your grade)
● Give your essay a title
● you must cite your sources correctly using MLA format
● After you have submitted the assignment, be sure to check your Turnitin similarity report
