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Lindsay Juckes
Dr. Martin
Visual Argument
Foundations of College Writing
Fighting for a Sweet Nothing?
Across the world there are many types of people, more types than most can count.
There are those who are aggressive and blunt their words stinging as much as their fists.
People, who are passive people who don’t fight back. Living with the hurt, pleasing their
partner as best they can; who only speaking to others when they don’t know what to do. Then
there are also those who are the friend, they are the ones who hear everything from the
passive, whom directly or indirectly take the aggressor’s fate into their own hands. ‘Sweet
Nothing,’ by Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch, is a song that works its way around those
three people in their battle with love, pain, revenge, and breaking down. The song and music
video addresses several issues the biggest being that of domestic abuse, and utterly the
Stockholm syndrome that goes along with it. It also raises the issues with brothels and revenge.
Overall one of the biggest questions is: it is worth it; is it worth that sweet nothing?
When arguing over anything it is good to have a base of reference; especially for the
argument I stated above. It is critical to have a foundation and for this visual argument the best
place to start is with the song and music video. ‘Sweet Nothing’ by Calvin Harris featuring
Florence Welch is a song that deals a lot with abuse, the struggles with getting over the pain
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and moving on. It shows the pain people feel in these types of toxic relationships. Ultimately
the best way to analyze and truly understand this song is by breaking it down by verses.
The first verse of the song it is apparent that it deals with verbal and psychological
abuse. It is basically saying that she gave her heart (love) to another person, and with a single
word she would lay out her love for him/her. Yet in the same section she says that with a single
word that love is torn away, leaving a figurative hole in the spot where her heart used to be.
This starts to give incite on how much good or in this case damage words can do, especially
when they come from people whom we believed loved us.
The next two verses are the chorus; in the first of the two she says “I put my faith in
something unknown. I’m living on such sweet nothing. But I'm tired of hope with nothing to
hold. I'm living on such sweet nothing (Harris).” This section it could mean one of a few things,
one: that she is trying to find someone else that she could be with but she is isn’t sure that she
wants to because there is ‘nothing’ left of her to hold onto. Or two: she could be discussing her
relationship with the abuser, in which she got with him not quite understanding what she was
getting herself into, but after living with the person and suffering through everything they have
put her through, she is just done with trying to find a solution because she knows it isn’t going
to change. In the second verse of the chorus she voices, “And it's hard to learn. And it's hard to
love. When you're giving me such sweet nothing. Sweet nothing, sweet nothing. You're giving
me such sweet nothing (Harris).” In this chunk of music she is expressing that it is difficult for
her to try to fix their problems, and truly love the person when they don’t give her anything to
work with. As in they say they care for her but they never show it. Their relationship in a nut
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shell is summed up in those two words, sweet nothing, there are the compliments here and
there the little “I love you,” but those are so drowned out by the other words of hatred and
bitterness she knows that all the nice things don’t mean anything. They are nothing.
The fourth verse, displays her resilience or lack thereof. The woman sings about how
she can’t move on from the things her partner had spoken to her. She internalized everything
and it consumes her in a way that destroys her heart and soul making her an empty shell of
whom she used to be. After this it jumps back in to the chorus, but before the song there is a
small verse that say actions speak louder than words. When her companion shares their feeling
of love, she knows it’s nothing more than just words; leaving her with an utterly sweet nothing.
The song correlates well with the music video, making nearly everything fit together.
The video starts out with a grungy and broken looking man in a small sandwich shop and a
woman, whose face is not seen, put together in a plain maroon/brown suit in what appears to
be a brothel. The camera switches back and forth between the two until the shop owner asks
the man about the girl he used to have with him. He doesn’t look back nor does he answer, but
yet you can see a flicker of anger and nostalgia in his face; leading one to understand that he
and the girl are no longer together. The video jumps back to the girl as she walks up to a
microphone and as the camera finally shows her face, she begins to sing, with a look a complete
normalcy on her face like she is doing what she always does and nothing is wrong.
As she sings you can see small flashes of darkness in her eyes and face, as she knows
that it is her reality she portraying to random men in a den. The screen jumps back to the man
who has just left the shop and the frustration from the question is now apparent in is overall
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demeanor, as he thrusts his food at a man who asks for it, before he gruffly stalks away down a
backstreet. In the lounge the camera looks at a man in the rear of the club who looks away
from the woman when the camera for a short second focuses on him, he looks like he is hiding
something but at that point it is too soon to tell. The woman is still singing at this point but you
can see her pain as it is pained all over her face, but she divulges on with her performance.
The perspective continues to leap from the man in the alleyway to all around the club
from the main woman to the mysterious man and several other people in the club each one
looking more broken then the last. As the video come back to the ally, we see a group of three
or four men get out of a black car calling after the main male. The view quickly goes to the
mysterious fellow whose face has yet to show any real emotion as he slowly takes a sip of his
drink. Back in the alley a group of men begin to beat up the original guy, as the camera snaps to
and fro the different areas. As attention is brought back to the girl, she look is looking down as
if she was feeling sick, and that is when the flash backs started.
The memory is of a small dingy apartment and with that there are the two focus
characters and they are arguing. The remembrance is short as the video goes back to present
time, the man is still getting pummeled mercilessly, and she continues to sing. Then again it
bring the viewer to the past and still they are fighting except this time he is yelling and she is
crying, it slowly move to a scene in a bathroom and the woman is scene angrily complaining
about her boyfriend to the mysterious man in the club. As the moment shifts we see the
present day woman taking out her wound up hair and pulling off her clothes; as she is already
striped her emotional self she begins to strip her physical self until she is down to her bra and
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pants. All the while the one man just watches and she ex is being beaten. Everything begins to
escalate now she is throwing herself around the stage and he is fighting to live. In a quick
memory the other man is seen paying off someone, to send the girl’s ex-boyfriend a message.
For the finally the couple come crashing down mentally and physically broken.
Looking over everything this is video works pretty well with the song; although, there
were some things that could have been different. I feel like they should have had the two men
contrast more in looks, because I watched the video two/three times before I knew that they
were two different men. They could have also used more flash backs to get the point across
better, the video can be rather confusing the first couple times it is watched. Other than those
little details it is a good video and song, I knew it was going to be my visual artifact the moment
I saw it. It is an interesting piece of art and it displays many important issues.
It is interesting to see a relationship played out like that; it showed many cultural issues
and thing that need our attention, one of the issues was that of the prostitution/burlesque. A
majority of the video took place in a brothel. In there, there were all sorts of different people,
there were men whose age ranged from young adult to elderly adult; even the personalities of
the women working in there were different.
There was one girl that was shown quite a bit, she was younger and it was quite
apparent she held a disdain for herself and her occupation. She was different from the others
most of the time she was shown she looked scared and uncomfortable her movements were
slow and a soft as possible as if that was all she could do, she looked miserable and small. It is
not like she can complain either or be picky about the people she services because in that kind
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of an position a individual either chose to go that direction or is so desperate for money they
turn to the only thing that will accept them. People like her are looked down upon and many
have argued that it pushes the idea that women are just objects not actual people
(Prostitution).
.When people are thought of as objects there is more chance of abuse and with abuse
there comes the thought of revenge and paying someone off to send a ‘message’ most people
would think of old mobster/gangster movies not this day in age. It is apparently not so, as CBS
news reported, a woman hired a hit man to kill her husband and like the video she was abused
and the husband on numerous times threatened to kill her and her daughter if she ever left
Although she hired an undercover cop and was arrested, she was eventually acquitted because
of the situation and the extreme duress she was under believing that was the only why out of
that relationship (Abused Woman). It is a troubling thought, being so scared, that someone
would believe murder is the only way out.
It raises the question: when is revenge and violence justified. An Arabic Studies
professor at University of Exeter used the Muslim ideals to debate that question. He stated that
it was not uncommon in their beliefs for violence to justified, “the Qur’an talks of fighting the
enemies of God and the Prophet and his followers all fought in battles” (Gleave). Even if one is
not religious; basic human instinct is to survive and if one was repeatedly abused and
threatened and the only way for them to live was for the other to die, most people would kill.
Eat or be eaten, survival of the fittest; it may not be the best way to fight abuse, but for some
people it is the only way.
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Domestic Abuse, it has been around for years. It has been the topic of many political and
psychological discussions; there have many a TV shows, movies, and songs dealing with it; it
something that should be non-existent but unfortunately it isn’t. “Violence against women
exists in all communities and cuts across all cultural, racial and religious groups and income
levels” (Gurr, Pajot, Nobbs, Mailloux, and Archambault). There are hundreds of cases of
Intimate partner abuse reported and even more that haven’t. There are a few types of abuse,
but this song mostly focused on psychological abuse and the effects it had on the abused.
“Domestic abuse… occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries
to dominate and control the other person resources” (Smith, Melinda, and Segal). It happens
when the abused is viewed as an object or a possession without feelings and a purpose. With
psychological abuse a person is essentially tearing away someone’s self-worth, making them
feel like nonentity and as worthless as they are able; it makes the abused feel like the abuser is
all they have and they are the only person who will feel anything for them. It creates a
Stockholm syndrome romance.
“I can’t leave them! I love them! It was my fault!” These excuses are used in every
possible abuse movie ever but the sad truth is, there are actual people who say this when they
are confronted about them being abused. The definition for the syndrome is when; an
abducted person cares about their kidnapper. Many people would argue that the partner
whom is being abused is not kidnapped and can leave whenever they want; but that isn’t
entirely true there are people who threaten to kill their partner if they attempt to leave as well
as the thought that the person isn’t good enough for anyone else so they would rather be stuck
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there then alone. As Debra Dixon suggests “it is a learned helplessness”(Dixon). It has be
noticed by police when action is taken to remove the problem, “law enforcement personnel
have long recognized this syndrome with battered women who fail to press charges, bail their
battering husband/boyfriend out of jail, and even physically attack police officers when they
arrive to rescue them from a violent assault,” (Carver). There have been many things put in
place to try and help people whom are stuck in these situations, the U.S. government renewed
the Violence Against Women Act which has expanded in hopes to create more programs for
people who have suffered; it has also expanded out to the LGBTQ society as well (House
Renews Violence Against Women Act).
All together this artifact was about a woman who was destroyed emotionally. it was
about A man who, after hurting the woman, is left beaten and bloody in an alley way. And
about a ‘friend’ who was willing to pay to get back at the man who ruined the girl; allowing the
man and the woman to fall to their knees, completely broken. All for that sweet nothing;
leaving the question: Is it worth it?
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Resources
"Abused Woman who Hired Hitman Awaits Supreme Court Ruling." CBC News. CBC News, 18
Jan 2013. Web. 9 Apr 2013.
Carver, Joseph . "Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser."
Counselling Resource. Counselling Resource. Web. 10 Apr 2013.
Dixon, Debra. ""Why Do You Stay?" Traumatic Bonding And." Sanctuary for the Abused.
blogspot, 26 Oct 2012. Web. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.
Gleave, Rob . "Opinion: When is Violence Justified." Debating Matters. Global Uncertianties,
n.d. Web. 11 Apr 2013
Gurr, Jane, Michelle Pajot, David Nobbs, Louise Mailloux, and Diane Archambault. "Breaking
the Links Between Poverty and Volience Aginst Women." phac-aspc. Public Health
Agency of Canada, n.d. Web. 2 Apr 2013.
Harris, Calvin. Sweet Nothing. 2011. Video. YouTubeWeb. 1 Apr 2013
"House Renews Violence Against Women Measure." New York Times 28 02 2013, A13. Web. 1
Apr. 2013.
Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Domestic Violence and Abuse." Help Guide. Help Guide,
n.d. Web. 1
Apr 2013.
"Prostitution." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2013.
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Peer Review Form for Visual Argument
Author’s Name: Daniel Hood
Peer Reviewer: Lindsay Juckes
1. Does the essay have a compelling introduction that makes you want to continue to read the
paper? Within that intro, is there a clear sense of what the paper is about, both in terms of the
video and its effectiveness as well as laying out the larger cultural issues, which the author
argues are part of the video (please copy and paste specific passages from the essay to support
your contention and comment on those passages)?
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I liked how you put yourself into the introduction, it gave a more personal and
relatable feeling to it.
I feel like you could have had a better opening statement, like use a quote or
something more gripping. To me your first sentence could be your second.
I also feel as if you wrote down everything that came to your mind (which is
something I do as well), it just seems rather scatter brained as of right now. like
when you wrote the following, “The main concept of the video is a couple who
separates and eventually drink themselves to death. The music video was recorded
in 2004 and the setting was set during World War II era. The music video was filmed
in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is widely known as the home to country music. I
never liked country music until this year and now this song is one of my favorite
songs. The video begins with a man coming home from being away in army.” it
jumps around a lot. Maybe if you move when and where the video took place to the
beginning that would help.
2. Does the paper show good organization and development (i.e. is there a clear thought process
which moves the reader throughout the paper)? Are the paragraphs developed appropriately to
allow the reader to understand what the author is saying and see where the paper is headed
(Again provide specific examples from the paper that demonstrates where this occurs
successfully and where you believe the author should do additional work.). For a paper to move
smoothly, it is important that the reader has strong transitional statements. Do you see this
happening in the paper (again, copy and paste specific examples)?

I do feel as if you organization could use some work, as I said in #1 that you tend to
jump around.
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I would also recommend working on your transitional sentences it would help
smooth out the flow of the essay. it seems rater choppy at the moment. Like when
you put down this: “Many cheat not knowing what they are doing and the harm it
could cause to others around them…
Another main point in the video is the effect of alcohol on the human body.” You
could say something like “ When one catches a partner cheating many are unsure of
what to do and they turn to substances like alcohol which like many drug can cause
a horrible effect on the human body…etc.”
3. After watching the video, has the author done a credible job of analyzing the video and
explaining their response to the video? If you see things that are not addressed in the video that
might help the paper, please note those issues here.
 You didn’t really analyze the video all that much, it was briefly mentioned and then
you went straight into your argument. I would take an extra page and describe the
significant/symbolic events in the video.
 I feel like you should add something on long term separation between intimate
couples and the different effects it has on people. questioning how far will a person
go to feel like they are loved again.
4. Does the cultural argument section of the paper demonstrate a clear understanding of the
argumentative structure that was illustrated in class (strong position, weaker position, strongest
position)? If not, explain why you believe that is the case and what you would do to strengthen
the paper.
 I do feel like your paper does this but it would be interesting to see some of the
arguments expanded a little more. Like with the subject of infidelity, you could
discuss your opinions on why the girl in the video cheated. Also when a person
cheats the person they are cheating with knows that the person is in a relationship;
it would be interesting to see why they are okay with that.
 You could also argue how easy/ hard it is for a couple to stay together after the
person is caught, and how long it takes to regain trust.
5. Does the paper use and integrate sources in such a way as to support the thesis and statements
in the paper where the author has stated an opinion or belief? Is it clear how that specific
source supports that opinion and how that source supports the progression of the paper? Does
the paper demonstrate an attempt to use primary sources (check the appendices)? If the author
got responses, have those responses been integrated into the paper effectively?
 I feel like you did a good job integrating sources. They correlate with each topic very
well.
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6. Does the paper have any places where you are confused or you feel the paper goes off track? If
so, where and what should the author do to remedy that issue (Please be specific as to where
this occurs, by copying and pasting those passages, and why explain why that passage is difficult
for you as a reader).
 I don’t feel as if any parts of this paper were confusing, but sometimes the
sentences were worded awkwardly. like “The video gave me many thoughts in my
head to what it is to live a normal life though” maybe saying “this view gave me
many different perspectives on what it means to live a normal life.”
7. Has the reader used sources effectively and cited them correctly as far as you can tell? Is there
anything in the paper that could use additional source work to make the paper stronger? If so
where, and why?
 The sources seemed correct but, I am never 100% sure maybe the other two girls
can give you a better insight on that.
 You could use more sources if you planned on expanding your arguments, which I
feel could only help.
8. Any final issues you believe the author should attend to when he or she revises? What is your
overall assessment of the paper as a draft?
 Look at organization and sentence placement mainly around the into
 Try and delve more into the music video giving specific examples from the video to
help the arguments.
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Peer Review Form for Visual Argument
Author’s Name: Lindsay Juckes
Peer Reviewer: Larenda Derr
9. Does the essay have a compelling introduction that makes you want to continue to read the
paper? Within that intro, is there a clear sense of what the paper is about, both in terms of the
video and its effectiveness as well as laying out the larger cultural issues, which the author
argues are part of the video (please copy and paste specific passages from the essay to support
your contention and comment on those passages)?
 The essay has a pretty compelling introduction, but in some ways the ideas seem to be a
little confusing and pushed together. This may have been from you writing your thoughts
directly from your head instead of clearly thinking out the ideas first. An example of this is,
“There are those who are aggressive and blunt their words stinging as much as their fists.
People, who are passive people who don’t fight back. Living with the hurt, pleasing their
partner as best they can; who only speaking to others when they don’t know what to do.
Then there are also those who are the friend, they are the ones who hear everything from
the passive, whom directly or indirectly take the aggressor’s fate into their own hands.” I
think, since this is just your introduction, you don’t need to explain these three types of
people. Maybe you could just state the three and explain later?

By reading your intro I can make a clear sense of what the paper is about, in terms of
the video. I also seen a good amount helping the reader understand the cultural issues,
except for prostitution.
10. Does the paper show good organization and development (i.e. is there a clear thought process
which moves the reader throughout the paper)? Are the paragraphs developed appropriately to
allow the reader to understand what the author is saying and see where the paper is headed
(Again provide specific examples from the paper that demonstrates where this occurs
successfully and where you believe the author should do additional work.). For a paper to move
smoothly, it is important that the reader has strong transitional statements. Do you see this
happening in the paper (again, copy and paste specific examples)?

I feel as the paper had good organization and development. Before the video is
explained you make sure the reader understands what you are doing and why. .
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“Ultimately the best way to analyze and truly understand this song is by breaking it
down by verses.”
One thing I noticed was, when you were finished analyzing the video you just switch to
saying what you thought should be changed in the video. It might be a good idea to find
a smoother way of doing this instead of jumping to the point.
I do like how you connected the paragraphs as you talked about the cultural issues. You
began with talking about prostitution and then concluded that it was making women
seem just as object. Then to start off the subject of abuse, you showed the reader that it
has a lot to do with someone seeing a person as an object. Smart thinking!
I think your paper would flow and be easier to read if it had more transitional
statements.
11. After watching the video, has the author done a credible job of analyzing the video and
explaining their response to the video? If you see things that are not addressed in the video that
might help the paper, please note those issues here.


As you explained the video I seemed to get a little confused, but I know the music video
itself is confusing. I give you props for choosing such a challenging video, but maybe
read out loud the part in your paper where you are explaining it, or have someone read
it out loud to you. This will give you a different perspective.
I think the issue of the singer first appearing as a man should be addressed in your
paper. This could have to do with the fact that women are not always the victim?
12. Does the cultural argument section of the paper demonstrate a clear understanding of the
argumentative structure that was illustrated in class (strong position, weaker position, strongest
position)? If not, explain why you believe that is the case and what you would do to strengthen
the paper.

The first argument you begin to discuss in your paper is prostitution. I feel you point is
not laid out very strongly, to me, making it the weaker position. However, I like the way
your paper is set up and do not think you need to change it. You should just make your
point stronger. It would be a good idea to do more research and quote more people.
13. Does the paper use and integrate sources in such a way as to support the thesis and statements
in the paper where the author has stated an opinion or belief? Is it clear how that specific
source supports that opinion and how that source supports the progression of the paper? Does
the paper demonstrate an attempt to use primary sources (check the appendices)? If the author
got responses, have those responses been integrated into the paper effectively?
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a. I feel as if you forgot about the point you were getting a crossed when you started on
the cultural events. You stated, “It also raises the issues with brothels and revenge.
Overall one of the biggest questions is: it is worth it; is it worth that sweet nothing?” but
as you wrote you didn’t really come back to this point.
b. If you change up your intro a little a think your paper will be a very good piece, because
you did find some great thinks to cite.
c. When revising your paper think about what Mr.Martin said about sandwiching the
citations. I think it will help you out a lot.
14. Does the paper have any places where you are confused or you feel the paper goes off track? If
so, where and what should the author do to remedy that issue (Please be specific as to where
this occurs, by copying and pasting those passages, and why explain why that passage is difficult
for you as a reader).

Other than the fact that the intro was a little bit of you rambling and that the description of
the video was a bit confusing I feel you did a great job on staying on track. I explained this a
little more in the bullet points less than 1 and 3.
15. Has the reader used sources effectively and cited them correctly as far as you can tell? Is there
anything in the paper that could use additional source work to make the paper stronger? If so
where, and why?
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
Sources are used effectively. Only thing is you need to remember sandwiching. The sources
seem to be cited correctly.
I feel your issue on prostitution needs some additional source work if you are going to keep
it where it’s at in your paper. This is because where it is placed now it is supposed to be
strong, but it is actually the weak.
16. Any final issues you believe the author should attend to when he or she revises? What is your
overall assessment of the paper as a draft?
a. I feel you did a great job. There a just a few miss placed words that can be easily found if
you read through.
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Peer Review Form for Visual Argument
Author’s Name: Lindsay Juckes
Peer Reviewer: Samantha Gordon
1. Does the essay have a compelling introduction that makes you want to continue to read the
paper? Within that intro, is there a clear sense of what the paper is about, both in terms of the
video and its effectiveness as well as laying out the larger cultural issues, which the author
argues are part of the video (please copy and paste specific passages from the essay to support
your contention and comment on those passages)?
The paper does have good introduction. It talks about the different kind of people there are in this
world. It made me want to keep reading. She put a clear sense of what the paper is about in the
introduction. She did not say whether the video was effective or not. It talks about the cultural issues in
the paper also.
2. Does the paper show good organization and development (i.e. is there a clear thought process
which moves the reader throughout the paper)? Are the paragraphs developed appropriately to
allow the reader to understand what the author is saying and see where the paper is headed
(Again provide specific examples from the paper that demonstrates where this occurs
successfully and where you believe the author should do additional work.). For a paper to move
smoothly, it is important that the reader has strong transitional statements. Do you see this
happening in the paper (again, copy and paste specific examples)?
The paper shows good organization. It clearly goes from one subject to another without going all
over the place. The paper shows what the author is talking about and see where the paper is headed.
The paper has strong transitions. For example, “. Ultimately the best way to analyze and truly
understand this song is by breaking it down by verses.
The first verse of the song it is
apparent that it deals with verbal and psychological abuse.” The last sentence in the paragraph
tells what the next paragraph will be about.
3. After watching the video, has the author done a credible job of analyzing the video and
explaining their response to the video? If you see things that are not addressed in the video that
might help the paper, please note those issues here.
After watching the video, the author did a good job of analyzing the video. She told what exactly
happened in the video and explained what everything meant. I think that she also hit every issue in the
video.
4. Does the cultural argument section of the paper demonstrate a clear understanding of the
argumentative structure that was illustrated in class (strong position, weaker position, strongest
position)? If not, explain why you believe that is the case and what you would do to strengthen
the paper.
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The cultural argument section of the paper demonstrates a clear understanding. She told what the
cultural issues were and explained them thoroughly.
5. Does the paper use and integrate sources in such a way as to support the thesis and statements
in the paper where the author has stated an opinion or belief? Is it clear how that specific
source supports that opinion and how that source supports the progression of the paper? Does
the paper demonstrate an attempt to use primary sources (check the appendices)? If the author
got responses, have those responses been integrated into the paper effectively?
The paper uses and integrates sources effectively. It supports the thesis and statements. It is clear how
the sources support the opinions. The it supports the progession of the paper. The paper does not
attempt to use primary sources and does not state if a response was given.
6. Does the paper have any places where you are confused or you feel the paper goes off track? If
so, where and what should the author do to remedy that issue (Please be specific as to where
this occurs, by copying and pasting those passages, and why explain why that passage is difficult
for you as a reader).
The paper does not go off track. It sticks to the topic and does not say anything unrelated to it.
7. Has the reader used sources effectively and cited them correctly as far as you can tell? Is there
anything in the paper that could use additional source work to make the paper stronger? If so
where, and why?
As far as I can tell, the paper cites everything almost correctly. In class Dr. Martin said that we have to
cite every sentence that wasn’t our own. I saw a couple times where it did not cite the sentence before
but cited the sentence after. I think that the paper had a good amount of research in it.
8. Any final issues you believe the author should attend to when he or she revises? What is your
overall assessment of the paper as a draft?
I do not think there are any issues in the paper. I think this is a very good paper and does not
need much work. It says everything that it needs to say and analyzed the paper well.
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