I M Weak Rhetorical Devices

Everyone has allowed themselves to fall for something at one point in one’s life. For some it may happen frequently. The song I’m Weak by AJR addresses this central idea of conformity. I’m Weak juxtaposes between giving and not giving in to habits and temptations through rhetorical strategies, appeals and syntax to protest the conception that giving in to one’s desires will provide a negative outcome. AJR first uses repetition to show that they will not conform to their desires by repeating “No thank you” (lines 1,7,17). However, after this initial declaration they say, “[I]s what I should have said, I should be in bed” (line 1). This additional information relays the point that they know what they are doing is wrong, which then intrigues the listener to find out the mystery. Then, to further convey their point, AJR uses parallelism in lines 3-5. This parallelism also offers clues to what the temptations may be, whether through a sip, drink …show more content…
They begin by declaring, “But I’m weak, and what’s wrong with that” (line 9). Through this declaration, they acknowledge their flaws, that they are weak. However, this is then followed by a rhetorical question, forcing the listener to judge whether or not his or her previous conclusion is correct. Subsequently, they say in line 10, “Boy, oh boy I love it when I fall for that.” This line then reinforces the idea that it is acceptable to yield to one’s temptations by showing his love for it. “We, we fall for that/ Can’t wait to fall again” (lines 34-35) communicates a similar message of a love for their potentially unhealthy habits. Also, by using “we”, AJR is able to connect to their audience and strengthen their ethos. This new point of view shows the listener it can be alright to give in to his or her own desires, whether helpful or unhealthy, thus protesting the previous conclusion that one should not give in to one’s harmful