Trope: Metaphor

A trope uses a twist in meaning. The trope I will be using this week is the metaphor. A metaphor is an implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words.  The 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 bird’s flight, but rather what the birds symbolize. A dove represents peace or hope, while a raven is  associated with loss or an ill omen. The colors of the birds show opposition, the dove is white and the raven is black. The color black represents darkness or evil, while white represents purity and light. The metaphor of the doves and ravens could be analyzed by what the birds themselves symbolize, or the colors that they represent.

Dermot Kennedy likes to use metaphor in his lyrics. He uses 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, he explained the meaning, “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 a 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. Not only did he use this metaphor within the song, he named the EP Doves and Ravens as well. This was a choice he made because of what the metaphor symbolizes. It also encompasses the feeling of the album, as it discusses the highs and lows of life.

He effectively used the metaphor trope in this song. He is able to illustrate the idea of light and dark and good and evil in just one line of a song. The metaphor is strong enough to be the title of his EP. 

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