A trope is a twist in meaning. The trope I will be using this week is metaphor. A metaphor is an implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; a word is not used in the literal sense, the two things being compared are unlike in nature but have something in common. Dermot Kennedy is known for using metaphors frequently in his lyrics. In the song Glory, Dermot Kennedy uses a metaphor in his lyric, “I guess I’m tired of talk of hope, I’ve learned that doves and ravens fly the same” (Kennedy, 2017). You are able to tell that this is in fact metaphor because he is not literally talking about the birds flight, but rather what the birds symbolize. A dove represents peace or hope, while a raven is associated with loss or an ill omen. Dermot Kennedy uses metaphor a lot in his lyrics, he likes to use opposites to illustrate a point. The book discusses the use of light and dark metaphors, “When light and dark images are used together in a speech, they indicate and perpetuate the simplistic, two valued black and white attitudes which rhetoricians and their audiences so often seem to prefer” (Burgchardt and Jones, 331). The metaphor of light and dark, or good and evil, is something everyone understands and is able to relate to, which is why it is commonly used in speeches and songs.
In an interview with Ones To Watch Kennedy explained the meaning of the lyric, “It gives it a nice balance in terms of the light and shade, and in terms of good and bad. Even in the production, with it being pretty songwriting thing versus this weird urban production, that’s happening now. “Doves & Ravens’ ‘ was a good representation of that idea to me” (Damoui, 2017). He continued to talk about how the metaphor is used to symbolize the good and hard times he has had in life.
He uses the metaphor of good vs. evil a second time in the song with the lyric :
“Shes’s everything the devil can’t be
When she’s singing to me “glory”. -Kennedy, 2017
The girl stands for everything good and right, where as the devil symbolizes evil.
I think that he did effectively use the metaphor in this song. He is able to illustrate the idea of light and dark and good and evil in just a few lines.
Burgchardt, C. R., & Jones, H. A. (2017). Readings in rhetorical criticism. State College, PA: Strata Publishing, Inc.
Damoui, Y. (2017, June 22). Q&A: How Dermot Kennedy Strikes A Balance Between Bon Iver & Drake In ‘Doves and Ravens’ / Ones To Watch. Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www.onestowatch.com/blog/qa-how-dermot-kennedy-strikes-a-balance-between
Kennedy, Dermot. Doves and Ravens. 2017
Elyse's Rhetorical Criticism Blog 
I read this!
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Okay, see, here you have evaluation. You think that this was a good choice 🙂
You’ve also unpacked the metaphor, provided support for it, and explained the method. Your analysis, description, interpretation, and evaluation are all working here.
This one is very close to done. I’d recommend, when you revise, that you perhaps add a little more specific detail, perhaps, and polish the prose. But this is very nearly done.
Congratulations! You are half-way done with the criticism posts for the course 🙂
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You hit it right on the nail here. I can see how in tune with the method you were. The metaphor breakdown was easy to understand and it was clear. I liked your response and the way you evaluated the method and it was clear. All i would say is to continue to move in the right direction and be transparent.
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I read this.
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This post is great! You applied the method correctly and you organised the blog post to make it easy to read. I really liked the image you used at the beginning of the post as well as adding in a video, it helped me follow along and understand why the metaphor was a good choice.
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