投稿類別：英文寫作類 篇名: A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage 作者： 邱珮瑜。國立南投高級中學。普三二 陳姳蓁。國立南投高級中學。普三二 關宇馨。國立南投高級中學。普三二 指導老師: 羅家珍老師 A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage Table of Contents Table of contents -------------------------------------------------------------------------1 I. Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------2 I.1. Background -----------------------------------------------------------------------2 I.2. Motivation -------------------------------------------------------------------------3 I.3. Research Questions --------------------------------------------------------------3 II. Method ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 III. Survey and Discussion -------------------------------------------------------------3 III.1. Self-portray - A Superstar’s Real Life -------------------------------------3 III.2. Positive Influence - Courage, Rebirth, and Never Give Up -----------5 IV. Conclusion ----------------------------------------------------------------------------7 References ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------9 1 A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage I. Introduction Eminem was praised as the “King of Hip Hop,” (Rolling Stone, 2015) and his song “My name is …” (Eminem, 1999) was ranked as one of the fifty greatest HIP-HOP songs of all time (Rolling Stone, 2013). Nevertheless, being a well-known rapper, his behavior, such as the impoliteness and rudeness towards certain groups of people and the facts that he was in prison due to drug addiction and street violence, hasn’t been accepted by everyone, and thus, he has been thought of as an extremely controversial icon. While in the meantime, a CNN journalist, Todd Leopold (2015), reported Eminem’s contribution to society. That is, even if Eminem was busy with his work, he still spared some time to meet in person a sick boy, one of his huge fans, before he passed away. Later, the little boy left the following messages to “Rainbow Connection,” a non-profit organization: “The Garmo family sends out a big thank you to Eminem and The Rainbow Connection for making Gage’s dream to meet Eminem come true. Eminem came to Gage’s Rochester Hills home and surprised the whole family! Gage was so happy!” In spite of both positive and negative reports regarding Eminem and countless ironic words in the singer’s lyrics, Eminem’s creation has indeed aroused discussion and concerns in the field of rap music and society. In this research, we three researchers investigated the reasons leading him to create these lyrics, and what are some reasons that have made him so popular in the world of Hip Hop. Moreover, a further research on the positive and negative effects of his music on society is conducted. I.1 Background Eminem was born in America. He had a rather miserable childhood than any other child because his parents had divorced since he was just a baby; therefore, he didn’t know who his father was. Eminem and his mother depended on each other due to their poverty. They didn’t have a regular home to stay until they finally settled down in the suburbs of Detroit. From then on, they started having a better living standard. Despite of the fact he was brought up in an awful environment, he had much interest in Hip Hop music. His first performance was at 14 and he often joined street freestyle music battle during senior high school. Owing to the tough living experience, his music style tends to be ironic, and reflects the authentic lifestyle of lower-class Americans. Out of strong empathy, he wants to encourage people from minor groups. Most of all, his 2 A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage music has provided a relief for those with strong disbelief, and inspired numerous people to still be positive and to believe in the good. I.2 Motivation We three researchers are interested in Hip Hop music. Though we know Eminem’s music well, little do we know his real life. What we know is that in his lyrics, the world is full of murders, guns, drugs, violence, gambling, and so on. Hence, in this research, we looked into what happened in his past leading him to be such a controversial singer with so many outstanding music outputs. Moreover, through the survey of his works, his books, and his real life experiences, the researchers tried to figure out positive and negative impact his music has had on society. I.3. Research Questions 1. Being such a controversial public figure, what are the positive and negative influences Eminem has had on the public? 2. How come has Eminem composed his music with so many “negative” words? 3. In which ways has Eminem encouraged people like him and those from minor groups? II. Method The main purpose of this research is to investigate Eminem’s authentic life story and to look into the influence of his music. Therefore, this is a qualitative research, in which the lyrics of the singer’s songs and reports from significant magazines and websites were collected and surveyed. The three researchers reviewed the literature and did thorough analyses. In this paper, lyrics of four representative songs were reviewed, and further discussions on the singer’s real life and on Eminem’s positive and negative effects on society are presented in the third and fourth section. III. Survey and Discussion III. 1. Self-Portray - A Superstar’s Real Life Eminem’s creation is so realistic owing that he never hesitates to share his authentic life experience in his songs. He conveys his sorrow, courage, and ambition through his own life story. Take “Cleaning out my closet” (2005) as an example. Eminem is brave enough to disclose his 3 A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage tragic childhood, in which he was abandoned by his father. Thus, he had no memory of his father, which led him to detest his father to such an extent that he even wanted his father to die. But after his daughter Hailey was born, he earns a chance to revive. Lyrics excerpted from “Cleaning out my closet” (Eminem, 2005) I was a baby maybe I was just a couple of months My faggot father must've had his panties up in a bunch Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye No I don't, on second thought I just ＊＊＊＊ing wished he would die I look at Hailey, and I couldn't picture leaving her side Even if I hated Kim, I grin my teeth and I try to make it work. In addition, the song “When I am Gone” in the album “Curtain Call” (Eminem, 2005) was Eminem’s completely new creative work in the end of 2005, and was dedicated for her favorite daughter, Hailey. Traced back to 1995, the year Hailey was born, it seemed that a newborn baby had magic which turned Eminem milder than he used to be. Nonetheless, in the same year, his wife divorced him. All these complex bewildered him, and his true feelings were completely presented in the song “When I’m Gone.” Lyrics excerpted from “When I’m Gone” (Eminem, 2005) But what happens when Karma, turns right around and bites you? And everything you stand for, turns on you, despite you? what happens when you become the main source of her pain? Obviously, Eminem didn’t want anyone to harm his beloved family. Faced with his domestic problems, he had no idea to solve any of the problems; as a consequence, he was so puzzled and so lost in the predicament. (Lyrics excerpted from “When I’m Gone”) Yeah… It’s my life My own words I guess Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for? Not the expression, no literally give an arm for? When they know they're your heart And you know you were their amour And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm 'her The above lines indicate that after all the misfortune, he felt nothing but lonely, helpless, and 4 A Study on Eminem – Authenticity and Courage depressed. He wanted to express his loss of family after divorce, and he knew clearly that he could do nothing but express his love by lyrics. He would like to do more for them; all he could bring for them was humiliation, though. He was eager to protect, and to be accompanied with them to make up his mistakes. (Lyrics excerpted from “When I’m Gone” ) And when I’m gone, just carry on, don’t mourn. Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice. Just know that I’m looking down on you smiling. And I didn’t feel a thing .So baby don’t feel no pain. Just smile back. The above lyrics vividly point out that Eminem wanted to spend his lifetime accompanying his daughter, yet in reality, he had to leave her. Thus, he hoped his daughter to be strong enough to smile at anything tough and harsh, and he wanted her to remember that he, as a father, would always stand by her side. III. 2. Positive Influence – Courage, Rebirth, and Never Give Up Owing to the awful childhood memory, Eminem had relied on sleeping pills to stay calm for a long time. What’s worse, after his friend’s death, his drug addiction became even stronger, and his life was overwhelmed. Hence, he declared that he stopped composing due to treatment. After a few years, his new album “Recovery” was released, symbolizing that he was back to a normal life and he was fully prepared to be a normal person. The new song “Not afraid” (Eminem, 2010) describes that he had conquered his addiction, and he obtained his rebirth. Lyrics excerpted from “Not afraid” (Eminem, 2010) I'm not afraid to take a stand Everybody come take my hand I guess We'll walk this road together, through the storm Whatever weather, cold or warm Just let you know that, you're not alone The lyrics above indicate that after his addiction was healed, he decided to compose again.