Lana Del Rey Song Teaches about Figurative Language
2022-04-29
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1It has been 10 years since American music artist Lana Del Rey released Born to Die, the album that made her a star.
2Since then, the singer-songwriter has released six more records, including two within the last year.
3Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the figurative language used in a song from Del Rey's 2021 album, Blue Banisters.
4The song, Arcadia, is filled with similes, metaphors and even appositives as metaphors.
5"My body is a map of LA
6I stand straight like an angel, with a halo...
7... In Arcadia, Arcadia
8All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries
9That pump the blood that flows straight to the heart of me
10America, America..."
11We can start by discussing some basic structures in similes, metaphors, and appositives.
12You might have learned in an earlier report of Everyday Grammar that similes use the words "like" or "as" to describe an indirect comparison between two nouns.
13Similes can use linking verbs such as "to be."
14Similes can also use the preposition "like" or the adverb "as" to make the comparison.
15For example:
16Her hair is golden like the sun.
17In this example we use "is" as our linking verb and "like" as our preposition to describe her hair, comparing it to the golden color of the sun.
18We could also use "as" for this sentence, but the meaning and structure is different.
19Her hair is as golden as the sun.
20We use the adverb "as" to make the comparison of the amount or level to which something is as something else.
21Metaphors are comparisons using the linking verb "to be."
22Since there is no preposition or adverb, the comparison between the two nouns is more direct.
23Metaphors are still considered figurative language, so the meaning is not literal, even though there is a direct comparison.
24Let us look at an example.
25The vacation was a dream.
26In this example, we are comparing the vacation to a dream. We use the linking verb "to be" in the past tense.
27We know that the vacation was not a dream; it happened.
28This metaphor means that the vacation was really pleasurable or relaxing.
29Appositives are nouns or noun phrases that go beside another noun (sometimes the subject) in a sentence to describe it.
30For example, we can say:
31Lana Del Rey, the famous singer, released two albums last year.
32The appositive in this sentence is "the famous singer," and it describes the subject, Lana Del Rey.
33If we use commas around the appositive, the information is not necessary, but it creates more meaning.
34If we do not use commas, the information is necessary.
35We need it to understand the sentence fully.
36The singer Lana Del Rey has sold millions of albums.
37In this sentence, we need the appositive, Lana Del Rey, to know who the singer is. We do not need the commas.
38Sometimes we can use the appositive structure to create a metaphor.
39Let us use our previous metaphor to create an appositive metaphor structure:
40The vacation, a dream, was so relaxing.
41Here the metaphor is still the same, but we are using an appositive structure.
42The vacation is our subject, and the dream is the appositive.
43It is giving more information in a metaphorical way about the vacation.
44Now let us look at the beginning of Del Rey's song Arcadia, from her Blue Banisters album for metaphors, similes and appositives as metaphors.
45"My body is a map of LA
46I stand straight like an angel, with a halo..."
47The first line of the song is a metaphor!
48"My body is a map of LA..."
49Lana compares herself to a map of Los Angeles, a city in California where she lives.
50Note the linking verb "is."
51It connects the subject to the rest of the metaphor.
52In the next line, we can see that there is another structure we know, a simile.
53"I stand straight like an angel, with a halo..."
54Lana is comparing her posture, standing straight up, to an angel.
55These two lines are connected because Los Angeles is known as the "city of angels."
56And finally, we have another simile and an appositive as a metaphor.
57"In Arcadia, Arcadia
58All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries
59That pump the blood that flows straight to the heart of me
60America, America..."
61The simile, "All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries," compares the roads that she travels on to the arteries that keep the blood moving in her body.
62She uses the adverb, "as" to describe that the roads are just as important to keeping her alive as the system of her heart and her arteries.
63The appositive structure is not as clear based on the line structure,
64but from Lana singing the lyrics, we can understand that she is also comparing her heart to America.
65"... to the heart of me America, America..."
66Here the appositive of her heart and America act as a metaphor.
67She is saying her heart is America.
68We know throughout many of Lana's lyrics that "Americana" or American cultural ideas, is very important to her music.
69Today, we looked at several kinds of figurative language in Arcadia.
70This song is filled with other similes that use the adverb "as" and preposition "like," metaphors using the linking verb "to be," and appositive structures.
71Let us end this report with some homework. Listen closely to some favorite songs in English.
72Search for examples of similes, metaphors, or appositives and write them down.
73Then, play with the words! We think learning to use figurative language in English is always more fun with a soundtrack!
74I'm Faith Pirlo.
1It has been 10 years since American music artist Lana Del Rey released Born to Die, the album that made her a star. Since then, the singer-songwriter has released six more records, including two within the last year. 2Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore the figurative language used in a song from Del Rey's 2021 album, Blue Banisters. The song, Arcadia, is filled with similes, metaphors and even appositives as metaphors. 3"My body is a map of LA 4I stand straight like an angel, with a halo... 5... In Arcadia, Arcadia 6All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries 7That pump the blood that flows straight to the heart of me 8America, America..." 9We can start by discussing some basic structures in similes, metaphors, and appositives. 10Similes 11You might have learned in an earlier report of Everyday Grammar that similes use the words "like" or "as" to describe an indirect comparison between two nouns. Similes can use linking verbs such as "to be." Similes can also use the preposition "like" or the adverb "as" to make the comparison. 12For example: 13Her hair is golden like the sun. 14In this example we use "is" as our linking verb and "like" as our preposition to describe her hair, comparing it to the golden color of the sun. 15We could also use "as" for this sentence, but the meaning and structure is different. 16Her hair is as golden as the sun. 17We use the adverb "as" to make the comparison of the amount or level to which something is as something else. 18Metaphors 19Metaphors are comparisons using the linking verb "to be." Since there is no preposition or adverb, the comparison between the two nouns is more direct. 20Metaphors are still considered figurative language, so the meaning is not literal, even though there is a direct comparison. 21Let us look at an example. 22The vacation was a dream. 23In this example, we are comparing the vacation to a dream. We use the linking verb "to be" in the past tense. 24We know that the vacation was not a dream; it happened. This metaphor means that the vacation was really pleasurable or relaxing. 25Appositives as metaphors 26Appositives are nouns or noun phrases that go beside another noun (sometimes the subject) in a sentence to describe it. 27For example, we can say: 28Lana Del Rey, the famous singer, released two albums last year. 29The appositive in this sentence is "the famous singer," and it describes the subject, Lana Del Rey. 30If we use commas around the appositive, the information is not necessary, but it creates more meaning. If we do not use commas, the information is necessary. We need it to understand the sentence fully. 31The singer Lana Del Rey has sold millions of albums. 32In this sentence, we need the appositive, Lana Del Rey, to know who the singer is. We do not need the commas. 33Sometimes we can use the appositive structure to create a metaphor. 34Let us use our previous metaphor to create an appositive metaphor structure: 35The vacation, a dream, was so relaxing. 36Here the metaphor is still the same, but we are using an appositive structure. The vacation is our subject, and the dream is the appositive. It is giving more information in a metaphorical way about the vacation. 37Arcadia 38Now let us look at the beginning of Del Rey's song Arcadia, from her Blue Banisters album for metaphors, similes and appositives as metaphors. 39"My body is a map of LA 40I stand straight like an angel, with a halo..." 41The first line of the song is a metaphor! 42"My body is a map of LA..." 43Lana compares herself to a map of Los Angeles, a city in California where she lives. 44Note the linking verb "is." It connects the subject to the rest of the metaphor. 45In the next line, we can see that there is another structure we know, a simile. 46"I stand straight like an angel, with a halo..." 47Lana is comparing her posture, standing straight up, to an angel. 48These two lines are connected because Los Angeles is known as the "city of angels." 49And finally, we have another simile and an appositive as a metaphor. 50"In Arcadia, Arcadia 51All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries 52That pump the blood that flows straight to the heart of me 53America, America..." 54The simile, "All roads that lead to you as integral to me as arteries," compares the roads that she travels on to the arteries that keep the blood moving in her body. She uses the adverb, "as" to describe that the roads are just as important to keeping her alive as the system of her heart and her arteries. 55The appositive structure is not as clear based on the line structure, but from Lana singing the lyrics, we can understand that she is also comparing her heart to America. 56"... to the heart of me America, America..." 57Here the appositive of her heart and America act as a metaphor. She is saying her heart is America. 58We know throughout many of Lana's lyrics that "Americana" or American cultural ideas, is very important to her music. 59Closing thoughts 60Today, we looked at several kinds of figurative language in Arcadia. This song is filled with other similes that use the adverb "as" and preposition "like," metaphors using the linking verb "to be," and appositive structures. 61Let us end this report with some homework. Listen closely to some favorite songs in English. Search for examples of similes, metaphors, or appositives and write them down. Then, play with the words! We think learning to use figurative language in English is always more fun with a soundtrack! 62I'm Faith Pirlo. 63Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 64________________________________________________________________ 65Words in This Story 66decade - n. a period of 10 years 67Arcadia - n. a city in the US state of California near Los Angeles 68banisters - n. handrails on stairs, steps, or a balcony 69figurative - adj. abstract or symbolic, or not literal 70similes - n. a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar 71metaphors - n. a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show they are similar 72appositives - n. nouns or noun phrases that go directly beside another noun (sometimes the subject) in a sentence to describe it. 73angel - n. a spiritual being that serves especially as a messenger from God or as a guardian of human beings 74halo - n. a circle of light that is shown in a religious painting, drawing, etc., around the head of a holy figure (such as an angel, saint, or god) - often used figuratively 75integral - adj. necessary, important, or essential 76arteries - n. large pathways in the body that help to move blood with oxygen from the heart throughout the body. 77literal - adj. involving the ordinary or usual meaning of a word 78relaxing - adj. restful and enjoyable 79posture - n. the way in which your body is positioned when you are sitting or standing