The Dog Days Are Over Poem Analysis

In my English 30-1 course students such as myself were given the opportunity to select pieces of poetry that spoke to them. I personally chose the song “The Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and The Machine. The first time this song met my ears was when a friend plugged their iPhone into my truck speakers as we drove down a gravel road to our destination which was a campground. After listening politely as small rain drops began to fall on my windshield I was met with the questioning eyes of my friend on if I had enjoyed the song. As their eyes questioned my belief I was hit by a sudden truth the fact that I hadn’t enjoyed the song. I reluctantly admitted my position and the topic was quickly dropped as the rain started to harden against my windshield. …show more content…
It is the telltale line that makes the listener think that this song might be a love story however the next line tells us that this isn 't it. “She killed it with kisses and from it she fled” which suggests the abusive relationship that the woman remains caught in but even though she tries to love her partner by receiving his blows and repaying them with kisses she still can 't gain the love she stays desperately fighting for. The song further develops this idea as it progresses as in the line “Leave all your love and you’re longing behind” this line however also suggests at a shift in thinking from the main protagonist. At this point in the song she has realized that it is time to leave her partner because the threatening nature of the relationship has become too physically and mentally injustice for her to handle sanely this stays evident in “You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive”. “Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers” also hints at the change in her mind about the state of her relationship. That line stands as one of my favorite because it brings the family into the situation displaying that the women knows this affects them and that by leaving it will not only be the best for her but also the best for her family. I can relate to this deeply because I have had a person I love be in an abuses relationship and the effect on someone is huge. I watched them change from an outgoing, amazing and beautiful person to someone that had no confidence and cut off the people around them. At first the people around them didn 't know this was happening and it wasn 't until they had the strength to leave their partner that we knew what had been happening. I like this part of the song because i