Writing 122 Harry Brown Essay 3 Final Paper Carly Simon, a songwriter and musician, expresses her opinions in many of her songs. In her song “Let the River Run” her claim is that no matter how intimidating the world can be, it’s for the taking, be strong and proud. Another one of her songs, “Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of”, claims that sometimes what you are longing for are things that have been right in front of you all along. A third song, “Coming around Again” claims that no matter how much your heart breaks due to life’s ups and downs, love will come around. She uses emotional and ethical rhetorical appeal throughout her songs, supporting her claims. She does use some logical appeal in her songs that are not fact based, but have logic to them. She also gives some counter arguments in response to her claims. In her first song “Let the River Run” she uses emotional appeal with lyrics like “my heart is aching” “trembling” and “shaking” which supports the claim that the world can be intimidating at times. She also uses emotional appeal when she includes “sons and daughters” and “running on the water” which gives a sense of greatness for those who are willing to take on the world. Another emotional appeal used in this song, which is part of her claim, is they should be “strong and proud.” In her second song, “Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of,” she uses emotional appeal when she includes it’s your heart and soul’s “desire” and “closed in by the same four walls”. She also uses emotional appeal when she includes her best friend’s “new” shiny boy. Her third song “Coming around Again” she uses emotional appeal when includes “broken” heart and “scream” the lullaby which are examples of some common stressors in life. She then goes further to offer some positive emotional appeal when she includes “so romantic” and “so in love with you.” All of these being part of life’s ups and downs. She brings into play more emotional appeal when she has children singing the lullaby, “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” which draws the listener in by the softness of the children’s voices. Ethical appeal is used in the first song, “Let the River Run”, when she includes “dreamers” and our “sons and daughters.” She goes further by giving more ethical appeal with “let them come to the edge” and “wake the nation” with their “dreams” which give support of what is right and good. They, our “sons and daughters” are our future and they should be allowed to “blaze a trail of desire” which is another example of what is right and good. The ethical appeal in the second song “Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” tells us to “shoot the stars off in your own back yard don’t look any further, because this is the stuff that dreams are made of.” It’s the “slow and steady fire” that has always been there. In the third song, “Coming around Again”, she points out that things seem “so good on paper,” which is not always the case. You live your life on this revolving cycle, “paying the grocer”, “fix the toaster” and “kiss the host goodbye”; meanwhile all around you things are falling apart. The logical appeal, which is not fact based but relates to so many people’s lives, is also used in her songs to argue her claims. She includes “it’s asking for the taking” and “let the dreamers wake the nation” to support her logical appeal. All of these example support her claim that “the world is for the taking, be strong and proud.” In her second song “Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” the logical appeal she includes if you “don’t look at your man in the same old way, take another picture,” “ just because you don’t see shooting stars doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect,” and “what if the Prince on the horse in your fairytale is right here in disguise.” These all support her claim that “what you are longing for is right in front of you.” In her third song “Coming around Again,” she uses logical appeal when she states that “I know nothing stays the same if you are willing to play the game, it’s comin’ around again” which gives support to her claim. When she brings into play the “itsy bitsy spider” lullaby and the spider’s journey “up the water spout,” she shows that even with the “rain coming down”,” the sun came out and dried the rain.” This allowed the spider to start the cycle over again, “comin’ around again.” She does offer some counterarguments in her songs such as “we the great and small” and should “stand on a star and blaze a trail of desire” “through the dark’ning dawn” which is in the song “Let the River Run.” This symbolizes that those, the “great and small,” need to make themselves known to the world. In the second song, “Stuff that Dreams are made of,” she points out that if you “don’t look at yourself in the same old way, take another picture.” This gives a good counter argument that maybe if you are not happy with your spouse take another picture of yourself and maybe you will see you may have changed also. In the third song, “Coming Around again,” she gives a good counter argument that “she believes in love, but what else can I do, so in love with you.” The audience she is directing her songs to seem to be the young and middle aged individuals that may have had or are having life changing experiences such as children becoming young adults, yearning for something different in life or having things happen in our life that sometimes does not make sense at the time. By using rhetorical appeals (emotional, ethical, and some non-fact based logical appeal), she is able to gives bases for her claims: the world is for the taking, be strong and proud, sometimes what you are longing for is right in front of you, and no matter how much your heart breaks, love will come around.