Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
The Poet and the Pendulum:
A Rhetorical Analysis
Nathan Olivarez
English Composition 1301
Felicia C. Dziadek
Nathan Olivarez
THE POET AND THE PENDULUM
In our modern day where we live in an ever-evolving society, with the settings in
coffee shops with wireless internet access, streets of Manhattan, and the busy roads of
Tokyo, we are undergoing a widespread change of culture on this contemporary planet.
The revolutions of politics, social networking, and the very people of our world are
undergoing a drastic, yet slow, change. Even though cultures from around the world are
significantly different from one another, we all, as different cultures and societies, are
making progresses to an even more industrialized, technological, and proactive world.
There is, however, one thing that our cultures do have in common that will change
together in a uniform fashion: music. World famous musician Jimi Hendrix argues, “If
there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.”
Ah, yes indeed, Mr. Hendrix, music is a powerful tool for listeners around the world. So
how did we get there? How can the world change through song? The masterpiece
makers Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, and Beethoven used music to express emotions and
passion. Ever since the Classical time period, writers and poets have used music as the
ultimate medium of expression. In terms of sound, we have far since grown from the
Classical era. With many genres from today that we’re not even thought of from the
past, music has changed, and music will always change. But the power and effects of it
will remain the same. One question comes to mind for me though, where is our
modern-day masterpiece maker? There is at least one to my knowledge, Tuomas
Holopainen, a Finnish composer, producer, songwriter, and poet. In his masterpiece
“The Poet and the Pendulum” (which is claimed to be one of his best pieces of music)
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Tuomas writes a powerful song about judgment. Self-judgment and judgment by others,
is something that all people can relate to. So how can we relate to it? How can we as
listeners relate to “The Poet and the Pendulum” and how does musical expression (in
song, lyric, and sound) build a relationship between the writer and the listener? Rock
artist Laurie Anderson says, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” If
this is true, then I will just have to do my best.
Tuomas Holopainen comes from Kitee, Finland, a small country and an even
smaller community, and was introduced to music since he was 6 years old. Currently (as
of 2012) he is the producer, songwriter, and director of his band Nightwish. “Nightwish
is my soul image, my retreat, trash can and life's work all rolled in one.” Says Tuomas
Holopainen on his biography from the Nightwish website. He considers himself as a
storyteller, as his songs tell stories about experiences in his life as opposed to a more
direct form of writing. In many cases, he carries writing characteristics are similar to
Edgar Allen Poe, and his music draws from inspirations from Metallica and film scores.
With Tuomas Holopainen directing the band, Nightwish has become one of the most
well known bands from the United Kingdom.
However, in 2005, the cruelty of fame casts it light on Tuomas Holopainen when
the band fired their lead singer, Tarja Turunen (who was highly praised by fans and
critics alike), due to problems within the band. When fame shines in the United
Kingdom, the paparazzi become fierce. As tabloids from across the continent focused on
Tuomas, he went through a dark time, judged in every way without a chance to speak
(sound familiar?). In an interview, Tuomas says, “to face the media, face the writings
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and everything. It was just really, really cruel. And I just like shut myself away from the
world.” And within the writings, came “The Poet and the Pendulum”, which is a direct
child of the events of 2005.
Judgment is something that we all face in our life. Whether we are guilty or
innocent in our situation, we deserve and want a voice. DJ Taylor of “The Guardian”
argues that we are judged everyday. From school, home, jobs, relationships with others,
we are all judged all the time. In many cases we can’t defend ourselves, and we find it
unjust. Tuomas Holopainen was judged, and “The Poet and the Pendulum” is his alibi,
defense, voice, and self-justice, one thing that all people can relate to.
“The Poet and the Pendulum” consist of many elements to tell the tale of this
epic. The song is structured into five parts (insert appendix): “White Lands of
Empathica”, “Home”, “The Pacific”, “Dark Passion Play”, and “Mother and Father”. The
song tells a story of a man who is strapped to an altar, with a pendulum swinging over
him preparing to take his life.
Similar to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum,” (insert appendix) a
short story about an unnamed narrator who is found guilty during the Spanish
Inquisition (insert appendix). The Narrator endures many near-death experiences. One
of which includes being tied to an alter with a massive pendulum swinging above him.
The pendulum, which is shaped like a scythe, is slowly and tortuously moving closer
towards the Narrator’s heart, and he sees that his life is about to end. He hangs onto the
last of his hope, and before he would have been killed, the rats in the dungeon chew
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away the ropes and he is freed from the pendulum. In the end, it turned out to be that
the pendulum wasn’t real, nothing…just of the narrator’s mental state of mind.
As “The Pit and the Pendulum” is based on the psychological aspect of the
pendulum In Tuomas Holopainen’s “The Poet and the Pendulum”, the story of the poet
(the narrator in this story who is also Tuomas in the song) and the reality of the
pendulum is much more literal and real. There are also differences between the two
pendulums: “The Pit and the Pendulum” describes the pendulum as torturous and the
tone is dark and horrifying. In comparison of the short story, “The Poet and the
Pendulum”, the pendulum is more of a relief, a desire, and in Tuomas’s words
“therapeutic”. The differences are drastic, but are essential in translating how the
authors felt about the situation that they were in.
The song, written in first person and third person, focuses on many elements
within the lyrics. Tuomas uses the lyrics as a form of communication between him and
the listener. He often likes to make lyrics more of a mystery .He wants people to
interpret his lyrics in the way that they want to, because it “kills the fun!” of writing
music. Evidence in “The Poet and the Pendulum” has many elements that pertain to the
events of 2005. Those of which include, self-hatred:
‘One last perfect verse, is still the same old song; Oh Christ, how I hate what I’ve
become.’ And ‘Now he’s home in hell, serves him well. Slayed by the bell, tolling for his
farewell.”
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betrayal:
“You live long enough to see your friends betray you.” and “The morning dawned upon
his altar, remains of the Dark Passion Play. Performed by his friends without shame,
spitting on his grave as they came.”
and judgment:
“The whole world will rejoice today. The crows feast on the rotting poet” and “I’m afraid,
I’m so afraid. Of being raped again, and again, and again. […] You live long enough to
hear the sounds of guns. Long enough to find yourself screaming every night.”
As these three elements within the song are some of the most important aspects of the
song, only one of these shares the similar characteristics of “The Pit and the Pendulum,”
judgment plays a huge role in the song as it does the short story. Even though “The Poet
and the Pendulum” takes judgment on another level, it is important to make note of this
similar characteristic, because both narrators must face crimes that they feel powerless
in.
We, too, as individuals face this kind of judgment. Judgment from either others
or ourselves, we find ourselves defenseless because we want to be heard. We also all
deal with judgment differently, and in Tuomas’s case, he wrote “The Poet and the
Pendulum.” So where exactly in this song does he focus on his judgment? The heaviest
part (musically, lyrically, and most importantly in judgment) is “Dark Passion Play.”
Musically throughout “Dark Passion Play,” the song goes through different
moods and sounds. Nightwish is a symphonic metal/rock band (metal/rock music that is
heavily supported by orchestral and in most cases choir arrangements) and Tuomas is
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the composer of the band. Being both songwriter and composer gives Tuomas more
direction in how the songs are illustrated. In “Dark Passion Play” the tools includes a full
set orchestra, a vocally powerful male vocalist, the lead female vocalist, rock/metal
arrangement, a choir, and a young boy to narrate the quotations in the song. Tuomas
also uses musical composition as a way to guide the listener through the lyrics, and all of
the components work together to create the image that Tuomas sees, and leaves us to
interpret. The lyrics for “Dark Passion Play”:
Second robber to the right of Christ
Cut in half – infanticide
The world will rejoice today
As the crows feast on the rotting poet
Everyone must bury their own
No pack to bury the heart of stone
Now he’s home in Hell, serves him well
Slain by the bell, tolling for his farewell
The morning dawned upon his altar
Remains of the Dark Passion Play
Performed by his friends without shame
Spitting on his grave as they came
Getaway, runaway, fly away
Lead me astray to dreamer’s hideaway
I cannot cry ‘cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
Forgive me, I have but two faces
One for the world
One for God
Save me
I cannot cry ‘cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
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“Today, in the year of our Lord 2005,
Tuomas was called from the cares of the world.
He stopped crying at the end of each beautiful day.”
“The music he wrote had too long been without silence.
He was found, naked and dead,
With a smile on his face.
A pen and 1000 pages of erased text.”
Save me!
The areas of where “Dark Passion Play” emphasize on judgment are in the first
and second stanzas, and the quotations in the song. The first and second stanzas of
“Dark Passion Play”, musically, are the most chaotic. Heavy sounding string instruments
create a rapid atmosphere; the double bass of the drum creates energy filled
movement. Tuomas’s arrangement is both chaotic and uniform. Marco Hietla (the male
vocalist of Nightwish and the bassist) completes the stanzas with his harsh vocals, and
he truly delivers the mixed emotions of anger, self-hate, and disgust. As these are basic
elements in many rock songs, there is a reason why they work together. Dr. Shantala
Hegde, the senior scientific officer in the Cognitive Psychology Unit of The National
Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences of India, researched how music effects
our emotions. She quotes, “The intricate relation between musical compositions, the
tempo and rhythm is closely associated with various emotional experiences.” In the case
of “The Poet and the Pendulum” it would be judgment. She also argues that artist will
use their creativity in order to exploit the emotion in which a song emits. So where
areas of chaos and disorder come into play in “Dark Passion Play” are heavily needed in
order for Tuomas to bring out what he was feeling.
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WORKS CITED
1. Jimi Hendrix. “If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only
happen through music.”
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_music2.html#ixzz1plHzg3aG
2. Laurie Anderson. “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_music4.html
3. Tuomas Holopainen Biography. 1997-2012. Avaiable online at
http://nightwish.com/en/band/members?id=2
4. Fourteeng.net interview with Tuomas Holopainen. 2007. “To face the media…”
available online at http://www.fourteeng.net/interviews/nightwish.html
5. FaceCulture interview with Tuomas Holopainen and Marco Hietala. 2007.
Available online at http://www.faceculture.nl/artist.php?id=34
6. Shantala Hedge. Music Emotion and the Brain. Ninād. Vol. 24, December 2010.
Print. Page 16.
7. The Spanish Inquisition Summary. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed.
2007. Print.
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APPENDIX
Explanation of the Spanish Inquisition:
The Spanish Inquisition was independent of the medieval Inquisition. It was
established (1478) by Ferdinand and Isabella with the reluctant approval of Sixtus IV.
One of the first and most notorious heads was Tomas de Torquemada. It was entirely
controlled by the Spanish kings, and the pope's only hold over it was in naming the
inquisitor general. The popes were never reconciled to the institution, which they
regarded as usurping a church prerogative.
The purpose of the Spanish Inquisition was to discover and punish converted
Jews (and later Muslims) who were insincere. However, soon no Spaniard could feel safe
from it; thus, St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Theresa of Ávila were investigated for heresy.
The censorship policy even condemned books approved by the Holy See. The Spanish
Inquisition was much harsher, more highly organized, and far freer with the death
penalty than the medieval Inquisition; its autos-da-fé became notorious. The Spanish
government tried to establish the Inquisition in all its dominions; but in the Spanish
Netherlands the local officials did not cooperate, and the inquisitors were chased (1510)
out of Naples, apparently with the pope's connivance. The Spanish Inquisition was
finally abolished in 1834.
Full Lyrics of “The Poet and the Pendulum”:
WHITE LANDS OF EMPATHICA
The end
The songwriter’s dead
The blade fell upon him
Taking him to the white lands
Of Empathica,
Of Innocence
Empathica
Innocence
HOME
The dreamer and the wine
Poet without a rhyme
A widowed writer, torn apart by chains of Hell
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One last perfect verse
Is still the same old song
Oh Christ, how I hate what I have become
Take me home
Getaway, runaway, fly away
Lead me astray, to dreamer’s hideaway
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
Forgive me,
I have but two faces
One for the world,
One for God
Save me
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
My home was there and then
Those meadows of heaven
Adventure-filled days
One with every smiling face
Please, no more words
Thoughts from a severed head
No more praise
Tell me once my heart goes right
Take me home
Getaway, runaway, fly away
Lead me astray, to dreamer’s hideaway
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, the whore for the cold world
Forgive me, I have but two faces
One for the world,
One for God
Save me
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
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THE PACIFIC
Sparkle my scenery
With turquoise waterfall
With beauty underneath
The Ever Free
Tuck me in beneath the blue
Beneath the pain, beneath the rain
Goodnight kiss for a child in time
Swaying blade my lullaby
On the shore we sat and hoped
Under the same pale moon
Whose guiding light chose you
Chose you all
"I’m afraid. I'm so afraid.
Being raped again and again and again.
I know I will die alone.
But loved."
"You live long enough to hear the sound of guns
Long enough to find yourself screaming every night
long enough to see your friends betray you."
"For years have I been strapped unto this altar
Now I only have three minutes and counting
I just wish the tide would catch me first
And give me a death
I always longed for"
DARK PASSION PLAY
Second robber to the right of Christ
Cut in half - infanticide
The world will rejoice today
As the crows feast on the rotting poet
Everyone must bury their own
No pack to bury the heart of stone
Now he's home in Hell, serves him well
Slain by the bell, tolling for his farewell
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The morning dawned upon this altar
Remains of the dark passion play
Performed by his friends without shame
Spitting on his grave as they came
Getaway, runaway, fly away
Lead me astray, to dreamer’s hideaway
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, the whore for the cold world
Forgive me, I have but two faces
One for the world,
One for God save me
I cannot cry ’cause the shoulder cries more
I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
Whore for the cold world
"Today, in the year of our Lord 2005,
Tuomas was called from the cares of the world
He stopped crying at the end of each beautiful day
The music he wrote had too long been without silence
He was found naked and dead
With a smile in his face, a pen and 1000 pages of erased text"
Save me!
MOTHER & FATHER
Be still, my son
You're home
Oh when did you become so cold?
The blade will keep on descending
All you need is to feel my love
Search for beauty, find your shore
Try to save them all, bleed no more
You have such oceans within
In the end
I will always love you
The beginning
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