Virginia Wolff And Poetry Analysis Essay

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Within this song, Mike Posner expresses his own dissatisfaction with his mundane lifestyle and breaks away from what society expects of him. In the first verse, “Virginia Wolff and poetry, no one seemed to notice me”, as Posner explains himself on his Genius annotation, represents how Mike feels that he does not have a voice in explaining literature within an AP literature class. In addition, “Being young was getting so old” demonstrates how Posner becomes bored of the societal expectations of people his age, including the tendency to party and be wild and reckless. As a result, Posner turns to his mother for advice.
The actual phrasing that Posner uses when he asks his mother for advice, “But in times of trouble, I can turn to my mother” closely resembles that of the Beatles in “Let It Be”, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me”. The Beatles were at the very forefront of individuality and human connections, writing songs that mixed psychedelic rock and classical music. In addition, the message in “Let It Be” is a reassuring one, with Paul’s mother telling him to relax and to stop worrying, a message very similar to this song.
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Men and women in front of a body of water hold up signs depicting what society thinks of them, such as “failure, whore, bum, normal”, and in the case of Posner, “afraid”. However, the individuals all tear up their signs, representing their refusal to conform to what society thinks of them, rather, their confidence in being their own person. Posner refutes the industry by tearing up his sign, showing that he becomes confident in his new personal branding. The individuals all run into the water naked, showing their shared connection with nature, and their refusal of what society forces them to conform to, such as clothing. The video portrays different types of people wearing clothes that are “typical” for a group, such as ratty clothes for a

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