Anti-War Song Analysis

The conflict described in this anti-war song deals with the influence of governments, media, and religion on modern society. The song suggests all of these sources of information are biased and self-concerned, thus deceiving the individuals to blindly believe only one point of view. I chose this song because it can relate to the issues faced in the modern society. The main message of the song is that a big part of today's world is moving in the wrong direction, but that is justified by religion, media, greed and governments. They have managed to be so influential that people go to war and die for unjust causes. People have a perception that whatever they see on TV and read in newspapers has to be true, without questioning its reliability. Coldplay …show more content…
Interpretation

The "Violet Hill" by Coldplay, is an anti-war song aimed to encourage people to become aware of the wrongdoings present in the world. To convey this political message, the song uses repetition and symbolism of religion and war. The story is about a soldier at war and his son. From the beginning of the song, there is a reference to snow. The image of "white snow" suggests that dishonesty is everywhere in modern society. White snow hides away the real colors of the ground below by pure whiteness. In the next stanza, "They were watching while we froze down below" refers to the leaders, those on power, who persuaded the soldiers to go to war. The windows between the soldiers and the leaders symbolizes the barrier that separates two opposite conditions. Namely, the ones on power watch as the soldiers freeze in the snow "down below". In the third stanza, the reference to media is evident. "Idiots of snow" could mean sources that invent the information available to the society, including the government and the media. People usually believe whatever they hear on the news or read on the Internet without consulting a media source