Rhetoric In Dog Days Are Over By Florence And The Machine

Rhetoric in “Dog Days are Done”
Many people’s motivation in continuing life is to obtain happiness. Isn’t a basic human right referred to in our constitution as “the pursuit of happiness”? This emotion is something we all strive for constantly, yet, should we also fear achieving it as well? In the song “Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine, the artists use a creative mix of the rhetorical devices ethos, logos, and pathos to convey a message to the audience that they shouldn’t run from true happiness, no matter how scary it seems, and that it can only be attained by letting go of all one’s fears and inhibitions. This piece is directed towards an audience comprised of those who have hard lives. The song itself takes a very upbeat tone …show more content…
In the line “The horses are coming so you better run” (Florence and the Machine, Line 9), there’s an allusion to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. These figures are depicted in the last book of the Bible, Revelation (Catholic Bible, Revelation 6:2-8). In the Catholic religion, Revelation is seen as a prophecy of some fearsome judgment on the world (Kevin Johnson 105). The protagonist in “Dog Days Are Over” lives in intense fear of her judgment, symbolized by the looming arrival of horses. As it happens to turn out, the protagonist’s judgment foretells a brighter, happier future. She’s attempting to run away from her saving grace instead of embracing it with open arms. This speaks to audience’s sense of logic through explaining how fleeing from happiness will ultimately be detrimental to one’s own future. Florence also alludes to a common idiom “dog days” in this work, which not only holds the title of the song, but is incorporated into the main refrain as well. The expression “dog days” refers to a harsh time in one’s life, and, in the context of this song, the “dog days" are the horrible things in life that happen and traumatize the protagonist. “Dog days are over, Dog days are done” (Lines 7,8), tells the listener that at some point they must move on and change their future, by letting true joy into their lives. The protagonist, and the …show more content…
As the opening lines describe, “Happiness hit her like a train on a track, Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back”(Line 1-2). For the song’s protagonist, happiness came abruptly and forcefully. Although happiness is generally perceived as a positive emotion, comparing the feeling to being run over by a train shows how terrifying it can be. Because of this feeling, the protagonist is wary of happiness, and “She hid around corners and she hid under beds, She killed it with kisses and from it she fled, With every bubble she sank with a drink, And washed it away down the kitchen sink”(lines 3-6). The protagonist is someone who is not used to being joyful, hence she reacts negatively and tries to flee from happiness, mistrusting it. Florence paints a portrait of someone isolating herself with flings (“killed it with kisses”) and alcohol (“With every bubble, she sank with a drink”), all to keep herself “content” in a state of sadness and self-pity. The protagonist hangs onto her family as a defense mechanism, but she must “Run fast for your mother run fast for your father, Run for your children for your sisters and brothers”(Lines 10-11), and commit to a change for the better. She’s essentially running away from the demise of her former life, rather than letting change occur. The lyrics implore the protagonist to “Leave all your love and