in the ghetto

403 Words2 Pages
"This essay will be an attempt to analyse the song “in the ghetto” by Elvis(words and music by scott davis) . I will try to define the theme and show how different stylistic devices make it prominent." ”In the ghetto” is obviously about poverty and how it can affect people. The lyrics describe a boy who can’t seem to overcome his surroundings and turns to crime, which leads to him dying. In the beginning Davis writes: On a cold and gray Chicago mornin A poor little baby child is born In the ghetto And his mama cries. Which Davis uses to describe how it’s like to live in the ghetto. What it’s like not to know how to pay for the next meal, or clothes for your children and at the end of the poem he writes: On a cold and gray Chicago mornin, Another little baby child is born Where he uses repetition to show the bad circle people get caught up in, repetition is often used too emphasize certain elements in the mind of the reader or listener, in this case the horrible circle of the poor and possibly sick. The entire text is written from the point of view of someone that has gotten more from life then the main character of the text, and he feels guilty which is quite clear from the part of the text: Take a look at you and me, Are we too blind to see, Do we simply turn our heads And look the other way Where he seems to feel guilt for not doing more for the people with less than him and he also asks rhetorical question as to get more attention to the problem. The theme revolves around sad feelings, everything is written with a feeling of despair and sorrow, for the mother who cries, the son who dies and the child who is born into a broken world. Davis uses several stylistic devises as I have mentioned a couple before he also uses Rhyme, which is the repetition of identical or similar sounds and in this case really helps the poem come together in a

More about in the ghetto

Open Document