Period 6
Poetic Excellence in a Song –“Rap is a Man’s Soul”
Poetry is the most efficient form of literature. It can bring forth all kinds of experiences
without needing the depth of novels, as words are crafted in such a way that can offer the most
meaning with less. Due to the short length of poetry, many might read the poem as it is, failing to
appreciate any differing interpretations and poetic devices the poem may have. Music can be
similar, with songs today that are usually around 4 minutes in length. With such a short runtime,
some might focus on the instrumentals rather than the meaning of the lyrics upon the first
listening of a song. However, rereading a poem and taking the time to gain a better
understanding of the words may unearth new insight a reader may have not thought about before,
just like how the repeated listening of a song someone likes can drill into the listener’s head the
more powerful phrases in the song. The lyrics in music can be likened to the lines in a poem, as
lyrics have to be timed and sung in such a way that will better connect with the audience.
Likewise, poems are often constructed in a way that gives the most effect when reading at a
certain rhythm and tone. Regardless of the rhythm, a poem or song can only be truly excellent if
it provides a clever use of poetic devices and also carry a huge significance to humans. “Rappu
wa Otoko no Tamashii da!” or “Rap is a Man’s Soul!” is a Japanese song composed by Taku
Iwasaki and sung (with pure English lyrics) by the rapper “Tarantula” from the group Hi-Timez.
This song is an example of poetic excellence, because it makes good use of poetic devices such
as symbolism, repetition, and rhyme; the poetic devices come together to enhance a theme that is
important to the human condition; and the poem avoids being too sentimental, rhetorical, or
didactic.
“Rap is a Man’s Soul” is a song that is central to the plot of the anime Tengen Toppa
Gurren Lagann, and reflects the rebellion towards the Spiral King, Lordgenome, who forces his
citizens to live in underground villages. Symbolism is one of the devices used in the lyrics to get
its point across. The ubiquitous phrase of the song: “Raw! Raw! Fight the power!” uses the word
“power” to symbolize government. The government in this particular song is implied to be
authoritative, strict, and controlling, so it is not surprising to want to “fight,” or rebel against it.
This is also a good example of repetition, as the phrase is repeated numerous times throughout
the chorus, giving the listener a more distinct impression of just how much the singer is opposed
to his government. Moreover, rhyming is prominent in the song. Part of the chorus of the song
contains end rhyme:
Do the impossible,
See the invisible
Raw! Raw!
Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable,
Break the unbreakable
Raw! Raw!
Fight the power!
These lines encourage people to overcome the arduous obstacles the government may set in front
of them when they are rebelling. The end rhyme of the “-able” sound helps to drill these ideas
into the listener’s head. The words that are being rhymed – “impossible,” “invisible,”
“untouchable,” and “unbreakable” – illustrate that no matter how big of an obstacle the people
have to overcome, the singer emphasizes that it is possible to succeed. In addition, internal
rhyme is used in this part of the second verse:
’Cause, a lot of things changed, we be waiting in vain
If you wanna get by, no pain, no gain.
The lines here are saying that ever since the government went into power, a lot of things have
changed for the worse, and that the people must go through some pain first if they want to restore
the status quo. As shown here, the common motto for hard work, “no pain, no gain,” is used as
an internal rhyme. This is used in combination with the end rhyme of “vain” and “gain.” The
rhyming of “vain,” “pain,” and “gain” emphasize that anything they do will be in “vain” unless
they endure some “pain” to “gain” freedom. Surely, it is apparent that the singer and his fellow
citizens are in a rough situation, expressed by the use of symbolism, repetition, and rhyme.
These poetic devices help weave together the main purpose of the song, which is to
encourage people to act when they are not satisfied with the current authority. The repetition of
“Raw! Raw! Fight the power,” with “power” symbolizing a government, stresses the idea of
revolting against an unwanted government, making it much more memorable to the listener. The
rhyming of “do the impossible,” “see the invisible,” “touch the untouchable,” and “break the
unbreakable” encourages that “fighting the power” is not as out-of-reach as one may think. The
poem drives the point home with the phrase “no pain, no gain,” emphasizing that there will be
hardships involved in “doing the impossible,” but that such “pain” will be worth it in the end.
Certainly, there are many times in human history where a government has failed to
satisfy its citizens. The French Revolution was sparked due to rising food prices, unfair
advantages of the two higher estates, and hatred towards Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. The
American Revolution was caused by a lack of representation in British government and
excessive taxes on printed documents, tea, and other goods. In any situation of this type, a
number of people must have felt a need for independence. Such independence is understandable,
as all humans want a degree of independence. This desire for independence can come in varying
degrees, from a young child feels that his parents are too harsh, to a population that considers its
government to be tyrannical. This song is the epitome of such a desire, with the following lines
from the chorus:
What you gonna do is what you wanna do
Just break the rule, then you see the truth
In these lines, the singer says that people should be able to decide what they want to do for
themselves, emphasizing free will and independence. He even encourages doing so if it involves
breaking the law in order to reveal a government’s true nature. Evidently, the purpose of the song,
which is to encourage people to act when not satisfied with the current authority, is important to
us humans today, as we all feel a need for independence to some degree.
This song does not suffer from being too sentimental, rhetorical, or didactic. It is not
sentimental, as it does not attempt to evoke emotions for the sake of evoking emotions. Living
under a tyrannical authority is no trivial issue, so a certain degree of emotion brought out by the
song is not unreasonable. Though if anything, the main phrase, “Raw! Raw! Fight the power,”
acts more as a call to action rather than a line that would mean to make people emotional, which
would be counterintuitive to the purpose. It does not aim to make a person sad, angry, or happy,
but to get across the message of revolution. Furthermore, it is also not rhetorical, because the
language in the song is very simple, particularly in the second verse when the “rapper” language
is apparent:
2nd verse dedicates to real peeps
What we got to say is so real thing
Cuz revolution ain't never gonna televise
The lyrics “Peeps,” “so real thing,” “cuz,” and “ain’t” are not correct English, so it is clear that
the singer is not trying to impress anyone with fancy language. Finally, it is not didactic, as it
does not aim to teach the listener. It is apparent that the poem focuses more on delivering its
message of revolution, as the line “What you gonna do is what you wanna do” disregards all
moral restraint when overthrowing the government. Even more so, the line “Just break the rule,
then you see the truth” implies breaking the law, something that would never fit in with the
positive morals that overly didactic poems provide.
“Rap is a Man’s Soul!” by Taku Iwasaki is poetically excellent, because it puts poetic
devices such as symbolism, repetition, and rhyme to good use. It connects deeply to the universal
human condition, as everyone would like a certain degree of independence, and this poem well
highlights such an attitude. It avoids being sentimental, rhetorical, or didactic by focusing on the
theme of the poem: to emphasize the importance of independence. The song does this by
refraining from trying to reach the audience more emotionally than necessary, using language too
fancy for its purpose, or trying to teach or preach to the audience about any morals or standards
that they should conform to. The overthrowing of a government deemed unjust is a huge feat to
accomplish, and this song expresses the idea well.
Good work. You have answered the prompt fully. You use examples/quotes well to support and
build your case. My advice is going to seem contradictory, but it is not:
1) Cut this down to about 1000 words. Look for phrases that can be cut without loss of
meaning, for adverbs (choose strong verbs and avoid adverbs entirely), for sentences that
don’t add meaning and can be cut without a loss.
2) To make this English 101 perfect, develop a few of the above paragraphs as I suggest. Do
that, and I’d bet $$$ this essay would earn an “A” in any university-level Freshman
course.