Essay 19: Final Draft

Marion Philippe

English 8

Mr. Salsich

05-11-10

"Happy"

An Essay About the Song “Happy” By Leona Lewis

TS: We hear music everywhere, in the streets, at home or even the harmony of words in a book, for example, Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet. CM: However, we all have a different perspective of what the true meaning of a song is. CM: Some of us think that a song is about love or some of us think that it is about a tribulation (apt thesaurus word). CS: Although we all have different interpretations of what a song is, we can all relate to a song.

TS: Life has many ups and downs; sometimes it feels as if we are drowning into our problems, but the song “Happy” by Leona Lewis reminds me that we can sometimes come back to the surface. SD: She loses herself in the song but slowly recuperates her feelings when she says, “What if it hurts me? What if I break down? So what if this world just throws me off the edge, my feet run out of ground?” (apt thesaurus word). CM: She is saying that if you “take chances you might feel the pain,” but you learn how to move on. CM: You can either embarrass yourself or lose someone or something, but you have to look into the future rather than back into the past. SD: Nevertheless, to me, “I gotta find my place, I wanna hear my sound […]” is the most meaningful quote in the song. CM: She wants to find her own path through life and stop wasting time waiting for something to happen or for someone to take the lead. CM: Like her, I have learned from past experiences that it is better to go your own way than letting others influence you into something that you don’t want. CS: This song, a powerful but yet intriguing song, teaches me many valuable lessons that will stay with me forever (appositive).

TS: Although “Happy” can be related to many life examples, the song can also be related to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. SD: “Someone once told me that you have to choose between win or lose," I think relates to Romeo. CM: In the beginning, Romeo long waits in his room and “[…] sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours” because a woman he loves “is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair to merit bliss by making [him] despair.” CM: He chooses to let himself be in great despondency by “[shutting] his windows, [locking] fair daylight out, and [making] himself an artificial night” (apt thesaurus word). SD: On the other hand, when Leona Lewis says, “Well all these tears they feel like they’re the same […],” it reminds me of Juliet, Capulet’s daughter. CM: Juliet, whose father chooses whom she marries, will be stolen from her childhood and will never choose who she loves, until she meets Romeo (adjective clause). CM: She will have many tears dripping down her face and “watch [her] life pass [her] by.” CS: Although, Romeo and Juliet didn’t find their place nor hear their sound when they were alone, they took chances and didn’t let this world throw their feet off the ground.

TS: Music is all around us, teaching us or telling us stories. CM: For example, some people can be taught that it is easier to move on than to look back into the past. CM: Meanwhile, other people can be taught that if you have made a mistake it is easier to take another chance than hiding, “[watching] this life pass [us] by.” CS: It is sometimes intricate to find the real meaning of a song, but once you have found it, sparks will fly (apt thesaurus word).

Self Assessment Essay 19:

- The hardest part of this essay was coming up with good quotes that would fit into my paragraph. Since William Shakespeare wrote this a long time ago in old English, it is hard to understand the true meaning and putting them in the right places.

-I think that I chnaged some of my CM’s so that they would relate to my SD’s. Also, I thought that I had taken out a few words so the sentences would be just how I wanted them to be.

- I liked the quotes I used and also how I chose the song “Happy” by Leona Lewis. Quotes are somewhat suppose to enhance a writing piece, which I thought they did. Also, I thought that “Happy” could relate a lot to my life and also to Romeo and Juliet.

- I think that I could’ve used more lyrics from the song and I could’ve of explained some of my ideas a little further.