English 218
Professor Renfrow
November 12, 2010
Word Count: 968
“Concrete Angel” “Concrete Angel” is a song written by Rob Crosby and Stephanie Bentley. This song was sung by Martina McBride and released in 2002. This song can be looked at as a poem with a lot of meaning behind it. A little girl who was abused violently tries to hide the scars and bruises but still managed to deal with the pain. Taking a look behind the words of this poem will help readers understand how the little girl is being portrayed by means of imagery, repetition, metaphors, mood, and even the meaning of the title “Concrete Angel.” Rob Crosby and Stephanie Bentley us a lot of imagery throughout this song which gives readers a clear image of what the little girl is going through. In the first quatrain of this song Crosby and Bentley portray the little girl going to school and “hiding the bruises with the linen and lace of her dress.” Picturing a little girl walking to school with no one to reach out to begins to set the mood for this song. A young child who is abused can be very complicated. They don’t want anyone to know what is happening and are afraid to tell because of what may happen when they get back home. Or maybe they feel like it is their fault that they are being hit or verbally abused because they just don’t understand. The little girl in this song tries to be strong but is dying inside. Crosby and Bentley quote “she is in a world that she can’t rise above.” This is a very strong quote for this song because it explains that she can’t do anything about the abuse however she is trying to deal with the pain but it is hard being so small and powerless when no one is there to help. “Somebody cries in the moon of the night, the neighbors hear but they turn out the light.” This quote gives readers a clear explanation as well as an image of a helpless child who is basically on her own. She keeps trying to go on with her life but things get worse day by day and