(Remember, this is just an outline. Yours needs to be a full essay) Example Poetry Final Essay Using The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ “Face Down”

Hey, girl, you know you drive me crazy one look puts the rhythm in my hand. Still I'll never understand why you hang around I see what's going down. Cover up with makeup in the mirror tell yourself, it's never gonna happen again You cry alone and then he swears he loves you. Do you feel like a man when you push her around? Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground? Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found. A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect every action in this world will bear a consequence If you wade around forever, you will surely drown I see what's going down. I see the way you go and say you're right again, say you're right again Heed my lecture.

Do you feel like a man when you push her around? Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground? Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end as your lies crumble down, a new life she has... One day she will tell you that she has had enough It's coming round again. [x2] Do you feel like a man when you push her around? Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground? Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end as your lies crumble down, a new life she has... Face down in the dirt, she said, "This doesn't hurt", she said, "I finally had enough." [x2]

Possible Prompt Choices Theme: Respect what you have and demand respect back in relationships Authors Purpose: Convey a message addressing domestic abuse—speaking out to the abusive and the abused. Meaning: Addressing an abuser and pointing out his wrongs. Main Idea: The guy doesn’t deserve the girl and the girl will leave him.

Background Info on the Poet/Songwriters The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus= an American rock band. Released “Face Down”’ in 2006 The song was written to raise awareness on domestic violence. Some profits from the song went to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Prompt: Author’s Purpose Thesis Statement: In the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ song “Face Down,” the songwriters purpose was to deliver a message that spoke about/against domestic abuse. The band addresses this hot topic through the figurative language techniques of imagery, metaphor, and personification as well as the musical devices of consonance and end rhyme.

Point 1 Imagery - “Do you feel like a man when you push her around…” - Explain: the image of what a Man should be like, versus what the man is like in the song paints a disturbing image. This is not what a man should be like. - “Face down in the dirt, she said this doesn’t hurt..” - Explain: The image of an abused girl, being pushed down in the dirt is not a pretty nor acceptable image.

Point 2 Metaphor - “A pebble in the water…If you wade around forever…” - Explain: The metaphor here is that people who take action, like the pebble cause positive reactions. However, if you just sit around (wade around) you aren’t going to cause change; the same things will keep happening to you Personification - “…as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found” - Explain: The lies fall apart and fall down. The lies about abuse can only hold for so long until someone finds out the truth.

Point 3 Consonance - “around…ground…end…found…” - Explain: The repeat of the hard “-nd” sound stresses the importance of this issue. It makes the listener pay attention to the words of the song and the message of the song. Likewise, the hard sounds ‘hit’ you; much like what the song is addressing. End Rhyme - “…you will surely drown…I see what’s going down” - Explain: The end rhyme stresses the importance of these two words “drown” and “down” which is exactly what is happening to the girl in the song.

Conclusion Restate the thesis statement Clincher

So this is what you should do: Re-read your poem/song to figure out if you have enough examples. Each body paragraph should have TWO examples that you can explain. Figure out which of the four prompts you want to write about for the essay. Figure out your thesis statement Start filling out your note card Include thesis statement And body paragraphs with examples/explanations