You Raise Me Up Analysis

In Alexandra Petri’s article “Is poetry dead?”, she analyzes whether or not this question rings true. In the article she states “Poetry, taken back to its roots, is just the process of making — and making you listen.” (Petri). Poems have always been a way for readers to truly understand and analyze a piece of work, however as art has evolved many people prefer to evaluate songs instead. From Emily Dickinson to Beyoncé, both songs and poems have been a wonderful way for readers to understand the tone and theme the author is trying to convey. Songs have become a way for many young children to easily understand the concept at hand. The poem “I Love My Family So Much” by Michael J. Burt and the song “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban both show the …show more content…
The author uses these poetic devices to convey the themes and important points to many of the readers. The author uses many examples of assonance, which is the repetition of a vowel sound. Burt shows this when he states “To be apart of a family like mine / is so divine / ” (Burt lines 1-2). Burt includes this assonance to show readers how amazing it feels to be a part of a family like his. Although this assonance is very relevant when conveying the theme, it is not shown many times throughout the poem. This quote is the only time assonance is conveyed throughout the entire poem. However, the theme is shown many times throughout the poem by repetition. In the poem Burt states “we talk/ we laugh / we cry / ” (Burt lines 6-8). These lines, and many other lines throughout the entire poem, help to convey the fact that a family is united as one unit. By repeating “we” many times throughout the song the author is hinting to the audience that they are never alone, and their family always stands by their side and help them during tough situations. Another poetic device that helps with the overall appeal of the poem is its rhyme scheme. A few times throughout the poem the author creates a certain rhyme scheme. One example of rhyme scheme can be found when the author states “...hurt is shared / our love for each other is never impaired” (Burt lines 4-5). These couple of lines, and many others throughout the poem, have …show more content…
First, Josh Groban’s use of consonance many times throughout the song helps the flow of the song. In the song Groban states “Each restless heart beats so imperfectly...Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity / ” (Groban lines 1-4). The repetition of the “e” song helps this song flow in a way that makes it easy for readers to understand and interpret. The message of the song is shown through this consonance, and many other ones, throughout the story. Another key poetic element that the song has is an allusion. Groban repeats the line “You raise me up to walk on stormy seas / ” many times throughout the entire poem (Groban lines 6, 14, 18, 22). When Groban sings this he is referring to a very strong story in the Bible, the story that describes the time in which Jesus walks on water. This is a very strong allusion because it is referring to the Bible, which universally popular. It also hits the emotions of many Christians who have a deep connection with the song now because it connects with their faith. The third strong device that Groban uses that promotes the theme of his song is an extended metaphor. In the chorus of the song Groban states “You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains/ You raise me up to walk on stormy seas / ” (Groban lines 5-6). This is showing that when someone goes through a tough situation a family member will be able to pick them up and make them stronger than they have ever