Examples of Allegories, Ambiguity, and Allusions

Allegory:

Three Days Grace: "Life Starts Now" Lyrics
Songwriters: Gontier, Adam; Sanderson, Neil; Stock, Barry James; Walst, Brad;

You say you feel so down
Every time I turn around
And you say you should've been gone by now
And you, you think that everything's wrong
You ask me how to carry on
We'll make it through another day just hold on.

Cause life starts now.
You've done all the things that could kill you somehow
And you're so far down
But you will survive it somehow because life starts now.

I hate to see you fall down
I'll pick you up off of the ground
I've watched the weight of your world come down
And now Its your chance to move on
Change the way you've lived for so long
Three Days Grace Life Starts Now lyrics found on http://www.directlyrics.com.com/three-days-grace-life-starts-now-lyrics.html
You find the strength you've had inside all along.

Cause life starts now.
You've done all the things that could kill you somehow and you're so far down
But you will survive it somehow because life starts now.

All this pain
Take this life and make it yours.
All this hate take your heart and let it love again.
You will survive it somehow.

Life starts now.
You've done all the things that could kill you somehow and you're so far down.
Life starts now.
You've done all the things that could kill you somehow and you're so far down.
Life starts now.

--> This is an example of an allegory, because when it states thet "life starts now,"
it does not literally mean that your life is beginning all over again, from being an infant, but that you can be "reborn," in a sense. It's using a figutative manner of explaining what the person truely means, and there hidden within the wiords than what is present on the surface; the person being reffered to is being given another chance to live their life, instead of continuing with their existance as it is now.

Ambiguity:

Three Days Grace: "Break" Lyrics
Songwriters: Gontier, Adam; Sanderson, Neil; Stock, Barry James; Walst, Brad;

Tonight, my head is spinning
I need something to pick me up
I've tried but nothing is working
I won't stop
I won't say I've had enough
Tonight, I start the fire
Tonight I break away,

Break!
Away from everybody
Break!
Away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take, yourself to higher places

Oh oh

At night I feel like a vampire
It's not right
I just can't give it up
I'll try to get myself higher
Let's go
We're gonna light it up
Tonight we start the fire
Tonight we break away

Break!
Away from everybody
Break!
Away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take, yourself to higher places

Oh oh oh

If you can't stand,
The way this place is
Take, yourself, to higher places

Break!
Away from everybody
Break!
Away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is
Take, yourself to higher places

Oh oh

Higher places,
Oh oh
To higher places,
Oh oh
Higher places,
Take yourself to higher places

--> This song successfully displays ambiguity, because it means more than just "breaking" away from the place where the speaker is located. It symbolizes the act of lieaving the living, or dying/killing ones' self, in order to escape the life and place presently occupied. The speaker shows that you have the choice, but you do not have to make the decision; "If you can't stand the way this place is
Take, yourself to higher places" is reffering to someone killing themselves to bring them closer to God, and also possibly to use drugs to leave this world, which is represented in the lines "I'll try to get myself higher; let's go, we're gonna light it up. Tonight we start the fire; tonight we break away." The forst part symbolizes not only getting "high" off of drugs, but also death; the same applies to the second and third parts, mixing the use of drugs and death within each of the seperate lines.


Allusion:

Iron Maiden: "Run to the Hills" Lyrics
Songwriters: Harris, Stephen Percy

White man came across the sea,
Brought us pain and misery.
Killed our tribes, killed our creed,
Took our game for his own need.

We fought him hard, we fought him well,
Out on the plains we gave him hell.
But many came, too much for Cree,
Oh will we ever be set free?

Riding through dustclouds and barren wastes,
Galloping hard on the plains.
Chasing the redskins back to their holes,
Fighting them at their own game.
Murder for freedom, a stab in the back.
Women and children and cowards attack.

Run to the hills, run for your lives.
Run to the hills, run for your lives.

Soldier blue in the barren wastes,
Hunting and killing for game.
Raping the women and wasting the men,
"The only good Indians are tame."
Selling them whisky and taking their gold,
Enslaving the young and destroying the old.

Run to the hills, run for your lives.
Run to the hills, run for your lives.

heeeeeeaaaaaaaEEEEEEEAAAAAAAY

uhhhhhhhaaaaaaaUHHHHHHHAAAAAAA

Run to the hills, run for your lives.
Run to the hills, run for your lives.
Run to the hills, run for your lives.
Run to the hills, run for your lives.

--> This is an example of an allusion, where it refers to a place in time, specifically when the Native Americans [most likely the Cree, one of the largest nations of Indian tribes in the Sixteenth/16th, Seventeenth/17th, and Eighteenth/18th centuries, separated into eight different nationalities, which originally inhabited the Canadian region, but started expansion westward into the Great Plains region.( Naskapi, Montagnais, Attikamekw, James Bay Cree, Moose Cree, Swamp Cree, Woods Cree, and Plains Cree; also called Nēhilawē, which was collectively chosen for its meaning "thoes who speak our language.")] . It depicts how they were attacked and driven from their homes by white settlers, and the hardships they faced from the aftermath of the destruction delivered to them. The song is taking place during their plight, while in the midst of a battle (slaughter) of their people.

Examples of Irony

Avenged Sevenfold:
"Almost Easy" Lyrics

Songwriters: Baker, Zachary James; Haner, Jr., Brian Elwin; Sanders, Matthew Charles; Sullivan, James Owen

GO!
I feel insane every single time I'm asked to compromise
‘Cause I'm afraid and stuck in my ways and that’s the way it stays
So how long did I expect love to outweigh ignorance?
By that look on your face I may have forced the scale to tip

I'm not insane, I'm not insane
I'm not insane, I’m not... not insane

(mother)
Come back to me it's almost easy
(Said at all)
Come back again it's almost easy

Shame pulses through my heart from the things I've done to you
It's hard to face but the fact remains that this is nothing new
I left you bound and tied with suicidal memories
Selfish beneath the skin but deep inside I'm not insane

I'm not insane, I'm not insane
I'm not insane, I’m not... not insane

(mother)
Come back to me it's almost easy
(Said at all)
Come back again it's almost easy
(You'll learned your lesson)
Come back to me it's almost easy
(But first you'll fall)
Come back again it's almost easy

(guitar solo)

Now that I've lost you it kills me to say
(Hurts to say)
I've tried to hold on as you've slowly slipped away
I'm losing the fight, I've treated you so wrong now let me make it right

(Make it alright)

I'm not insane, I'm not insane(evil laugh)
I'm not insane, I’m not... not insane

(mother)
Come back to me it's almost easy
(Said at all)
Come back again it's almost easy
(You'll learned your lesson)
Come back to me it's almost easy
(But still you'll fall)

Come back again it's almost easy

--> This song is a great example of irony, because the name uses "almost" and "easy" in the same phrase, back to back, as a title. Nothing can be "almost easy," at the same time, therefore it is quite ironic. also, note that the singer repeatedly claims that he is "not insane," while he talks about "the thing's I've done to you," which implies that he hurt her, and is indeed insane; and example of situational irony.


Papa Roach:
"Forever" Lyrics

In the brightest hour of my darkest day
I realized what isw rong with me
Can't get over you. can't get through to you
It's been a helter-skelter romance from the start
Take thses memories that are Haunting me
Of a paper man cut into shreds by his own pair of scissors
He'll never forgive her...he'll never forgive her...
Because days come and go but my feelings for you are forever
Sitting by a fire on a lonely night
Hanging over from another good time
With another girl... little dirty girl
You should listen to this story of a life
You're my heroine-in this moment i'm lonely fulfilling my darkest dreams
All these drugs all these women
I'm never forgiven..this broken heart of mine
One last kidd before i go
Dry your tears, it is time to let you go
One last kiss

--> This is an example of irony because even though he wishes he wouldn't, he still cannot get over this one girl that broke his heart. Even though he revisits his memories of her, the good and the bad, he will love her until the end of time; he tries to ask someone to take away his memories, but that isn't possible. He means that he wishes that someone could make him feelk so strongly about her that he would forget his last love. He says "He'll never forgive her...he'll never forgive her...," but then he says "...but my feelings for you are forever," which are clearly contradictory statements, which is ironic.

Example of Paradox

Breaking Benjamin : "Into The Nothing" Lyrics
Songwriters: Burnley, Benjamin


Screaming on the inside
I am frail and withered
Cover up the wounds
That I can't hide
Walls that lie between us
The saint within the sinner
I have lost the nerve
But it's all right
Carry the wounded and shut your eyes
All will be forgiven
None will rise
Bury the fallen and lead the blind
I will fight the loss
Dead inside

Into the nothing
Faded and weary
I won't leave and let you fall behind
Live for the dying
Heaven hear me
I know we can make it out alive

Leave me at the bottom
I am lost forever
Letters from the dead
Say goodbye
Sorrow falls upon us
This will be the last time
Days begin to end
But I'll get by
Follow the hopeless
And shut your eyes

All will be abandoned
None will shine
Gather the broken and leave this life
Lying in the earth
Side by side

Into the nothing
Faded and weary
I won't leave and let him flll behind
Live for the dying
Heaven hear me
I know we can make it out alive

I'll keep you inside
Where I lead you cannot follow
Straight into the light
As my breath grows still and shallow

Into the nothing
Faded and weary
I won't leave and let them fall behind
Live for the dying
Heaven hear me
I know we can make it out alive

Stay with me
You're all I have left
I know we can make it out alive
Stay with me
You're all I have left
I know we can make it out alive

[ BREAKING BENJAMIN LYRICS at www.AZLyrics.com ]


--> This song portrays paradox, even in its name. You can't physically go into "nothing," so it stands to reason that it is an example of paradox. Also, you can't have a "saint" by definition within a "sinner," also by definition. A saint is a person who has ben cantonized by the Catholic Church because of their sacrifices and their bravery in the ways of religion or in the face of evil; even the mere temptation of said evils. A sinner, on the other hand, is a person of faith who has done a wrong, according to their religion or beliefs; in order to be forgiven, they must follow the creed or the standard for their personal religion, beliefs, etc.