Introduction
Literature has been used for decades to educate, warn and entertain people on various issues. Various creative works have been presented to the audience in various forms including songs, poems, novels, plays and sonnets. This essay discusses how her latest hit ‘Brand New Me’ represents issues in modern societies.
Background
This song is about a girl that has endured painful experiences in the world and for a very long time has tried to break loose from the jaws of oppression. She has struggled to seek freedom of speech and movement that was denied from her by male chauvinism. It addresses the painful struggles and commitments the singer went through before achieving her dreams (Keys 2012). This includes limited freedom of speech that made her voiceless and this denied her the right to complain whenever bad things happened to her. However, she has finally managed to fight for her freedom and has the power to speak her heart out and let the world know what she wants and how she feels about the happenings around her (Keys 2012).
Appropriateness of the Song to Modern Societies
This song is an expression of how society is changing and becoming emancipated from male chauvinism. Traditional practices had hindered women from exploring their talents and developing their societies since they were considered to be weak. However, Alicia Keys is explaining to men that even though they have continued to dominate women and undermine their efforts to bring justice and equality the battle is already won (Keys 2012). Women will no longer beg men to grant them their rights; instead, everybody is equal and women have realized their abilities and utilized them to advance their lives. Secondly, the song explains that freedom does not come in a silver plate and people must work hard to achieve it.
This means that everything good must be fought for before people can sit and enjoy the fruits of their sweats. Therefore, women must not give up when things seem to be very painful and difficult to bear (Keys 2012). The singer explains that she went through terrible experiences before getting her freedom; therefore, people must always be prepared to face difficulties in their pursuit of happy lives. Thirdly, she explains that there is always hope for a better future even though there may be signs of succeeding. Her experiences never showed her that the war was almost over; instead, every time she fought hard it seemed like she was far from achieving her dreams (Keys 2012). This means that women should always look on the better side of events and avoid focusing on short-term gains. Lastly, she warns people gains to develop negative or poor personalities that prevent them from realizing their abilities and using them for beneficial purposes. She was never derailed by her ego from realizing her new status (Keys 2012). This means that people must accept to drop some behavior that hinders them from renewing their personalities and becoming important in society.
Conclusion
This song is an expression of the evils that dominate society and hinder people from developing positive personalities. The singer advises people that nothing good is achieved without struggles and encourages women to stand high and let their voices be heard. She paints a bright future for women who are ready to sacrifice a lot of short-term gains to develop their future.
Reference
Keys, A. (2012). Brand New Me (Video). California: EMI Records.