A Rhetorical Analysis Of Hozier's Take Me To Church

Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Hoziers hit song “Take Me To Church” is no ordinary pop song. After taking a deeper look at the video and lyrics I notice that the song has multiple meanings. The lyrics have an intricate amount of metaphors and the video utilizes a lot of symbolism. As soon as the song begins I notice right off the back that the lyrics, like every song we hear now a days, has references to drugs and sex. But as the video progresses I realize this is no typical pop song with a brainless melody. The music video conveys a very deep meaning that is culturally relevant and is something many people struggle with everyday. Hozier utilizes imagery, symbolism and rhetorical strategies as an attempt to expose the
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I notice a lot of pathos was being used throughout the song and video. As the song and video builds, we start to see conflict begin to happen. We witness the gay man beaten to death by the anti-homosexual mob and the lover couldn't make it to the scene in time to save him. While this is happening, the soft piano then turns to a louder melody matching the tone that Hozier is singing in. We also see a quick glimpse of anti-homosexual protests on a TV screen. Through these images Hozier is using the rhetorical strategy, Pathos. He is pressing to prove that being anti-gay is absolutely worst than being a homosexual. Another example of a Rhetorical Strategy being used is the language Hozier uses in the lyrics, which are very powerful. Judging by the way he describes her, Hozier reference’s this lover in third person, similar to the way we would with God or someone of higher power, and he worships her the same way you would worship a kind of religion. The lyrics describe her as a “giggle at a funeral, who knows everybody's disapproval”. Meaning she is not the type of girl an average man would go for but she is perfect for him. What Hozier is doing here is he is building his lovers ethos and attempting to reveal his argument. Hozier also is building the credibility of religion but completely destroys it, almost like he is attacking it, in the video and lyrics of the
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As we get closer to the chorus we begin to see the conflict began in the video and we also began to understand Hozier's purpose of the video, which is the contradiction of the Church and their treatment toward homosexuals. In the chorus of the song Hozier sings “Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies” meaning those who worship these churches are dogs, who are fully loyal to their masters even though the master seems to contradict what he preaches. In the next line of the chorus hozier sings “I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife.” In Christianity it is common for practitioners to present the priest or pastor with their moral wrongdoings. The music videos interpretation of the chorus indicates that homosexuality is a criminal act and those who practice in these “wrongdoings” should be punished, hence the line “you can sharpen your