SONG ANALYSIS OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S "HEAL THE WORLD"
Putra Ifta Harmalah
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- Born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana
- Album Dangerous published in 1991 received awards such as the Grammy award and Billboard Music Award
- Heal the World was #2 on the U.K. Singles chart from 1992-1993
- Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at age 50 due to cardiac arres
- Heal the World was published in 1991
- Heal the World Foundation was founded by Michael Jackson in 1991 to help disadvantaged people
- The song was written to promote awareness to children that needed help, like children living in war zones
A language is a crucial tool
used by human beings for the purpose of communication. It entails implicit and explicit thoughts and feelings. The song Heal the World by Michael Jackson uses figurative language to convey the
message. The message presented in the song makes the listener obtain the purpose and the meaning delivered in the song. Most of the song lyrics have
used figurative language to pass the message as well as beautify the style to
make the song more appealing. Figurative language refers to the images that are
used in an extraordinary manner to explore the less known things through things
that are already known (Afriani 22). It can be achieved through special arrangement and repetition of words with literal meaning. Figurative language intends to give more meaning to the phrase, emphasize its significance, and beautify the phrase (Juniartini2).On the other hand,
songs are regarded as being part of human life in society. Sometimes it
is difficult to understand the composition of the songs since what the composer
conventionally says is not what he/she intends to express to the listeners. The writers want to compose the songs in a manner that will evoke the emotions of the audience (Listian 10). One way of achieving this purpose is through the use of
figurative language. Figurative language is expressed in the song Heal the World by Michael Jackson in depth.
Figurative language such as metaphor, personification,
antithesis, and synecdoche have been used in the song Heal the World.
Metaphor
A metaphor refers to the expression that is used to understand a concept using another concept where there are similarities between the two
(Tocharoen 3). The following are examples of metaphors in the song Heal the World.
Line1 "There is a place in your heart" is a
metaphor that has been used in the song. The phrase ‘place’ is a feature that is contrastive to authenticity. If we consider the element of place in the
heart, it implies that it is an organ of the body. The heart becomes the feeling
and sense of the human soul. A place in the heart becomes an abstract portion
that influences the thinking of the songwriter. The expression becomes
metaphorical when interpreted. Therefore the expression has been used
contrastively in literal terms.
Line18 “Heal the World.” The phrase offers a
contrastive transformation in the structure of the sentence and the existence of meaning. While focusing on the structure of the sentence, the meaning is denoted from the word ‘heal.` The world implies in the context covering the
world. What becomes strange is how the world can be recovered? The world is a
dead thing, but if closer attention is paid to the context, the exact message is
explored about the world. On the other hand, the other hand the word ‘heal’ on
the human part means providing a solution to the destruction. The metaphor provides a solution to the world while saying heal the world by the sagacity of integration and peace (Afriani 25). Moreover, the metaphor promotes the message
of the composer that people should be mindful of the environment and protect the
world from destruction.
Line9 “Wound This Earth.” The word ‘wound` has been used to mean physical harm. The phrase offers a contrastive value of the meaning. Its
metaphorical significance is that people have destroyed the world by making war, poisons, and bombings. These activities lead to the destruction of the
earth.
Personification
This refers to the process of allocating human characteristics to
ideas, non-human objects, and abstractions (Listian 15). The following are examples of personification in the song Heal the World.
Line5 “Make a little space.” The phrase implies that living in the world offers people the opportunity to live peacefully. Having little
space means that human beings can live while relaxed without feeling stressed.
Line2 “There’s love that cannot lie.” The element that says that love cannot lie is impossible since love has been given a human attribute of
lying. Love is considered as a feeling but not a creature.
Synecdoche
Synecdoche refers to the rule that applies the element for the part to the whole. The technique utilizes a part of a thing to show the whole (Juniartini 5).The person can use synecdoche while trying to mention part of something that is intended to represent the whole. Examples of synecdoche in
the song Heal the World includes:
Line4 “I Feel you are all.” The word ‘all’ is confusing since it refers to something. There is a need to know what is being referred to by
Michael Jackson. Therefore, the phrase indicates the transformation of a part.
Antithesis
Antithesisoccurs when different terms are presented together.
The technique contains contrastive ideas while using phrases or words (Afriani
27). Notably, the method enables people to make connections using opposing words or phrases. The examples of antithesis include:
Line8 “Together We’ll Cry Happy Tears.” The phrase is figurative in that people can experience happiness when they feel sad. This never happens in
reality based on the conventional assumption. When people cry, a sense of
sadness should be exhibited.
Afriani, Imro’atul Husna. "An Analysis On Figurative Language In Michael Jackson’s Song Lyric Heal The World." Jurnal Ilmiah PROGRESSIF (2014): 20-31.print
Jackson, Michael. Heal The World. n.d. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/healtheworld.html
Jackson, Michael, performer. YouTube. Music Video, michaeljacksonVEVO, 2 Oct. 2009, www.youtube.com.
Listian, Heny. "an analysis of figurative language found on the song lyric by Taylor swift’s “speak now" ALBUM." Iain Salatiga (2015): 1-144.print
Michael Jackson: Heal the World Meaning. Lyrics Interpretation, www.lyricinterpretations.com.
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