Poetry Analysis for "Sunshine" by Matisyahu
Drury 1
Caitlan Drury
Poetry Analysis for “Sunshine” By Matisyahu Many songs use different literary devices to communicate a message out to the audience. One of those songs is “Sunshine” by Matisyahu, which displays symbolism, imagery, figures of speech, tone, and theme. Others might not enjoy the song because it gives mixed signals. Although that is true, there are much more reasons to why someone would enjoy it. “Sunshine” by Matisyahu is an effective song because the artist uses a potpourri of literary terms to present his meaning to the audience. Matisyahu uses symbolism to define the deeper meaning of never giving up in his song. In “Sunshine”, the artist says, “You’re my golden sunshine”, which symbolizes the center of happiness in life.The artist is telling someone that they are his golden sunshine which translates to something such as “you are the light of my life”. The audience is told that there is someone or something out there that keeps him at his peak of happiness and also benefits his eagerness in life. Another symbol in this song is the shelter that the artist refers to when he says “I’d be your shelter from the storm”. This particular line is both a symbol and a metaphor. The artist is the actual “shelter” to which he refers to, and symbolizes safety and security. He would protect that person from the bad things thrown at them in life. Although both lyrics are only a small line, they generate a deeper meaning than what is actually portrayed, which makes this song so great. Imagery is a very creative device that is used in the song. “It’s raining in your mind, so push them clouds aside” is one of the lines that display it. In addition to imagery, this line is also a form of
Drury 2
personification, because the mind does not actually rain. This line means that the person Matisyahu is referring to is thinking in a negative way, or only of bad things in their life, and what they really need to be doing is forgetting about the negative and focusing
Caitlan Drury
Poetry Analysis for “Sunshine” By Matisyahu Many songs use different literary devices to communicate a message out to the audience. One of those songs is “Sunshine” by Matisyahu, which displays symbolism, imagery, figures of speech, tone, and theme. Others might not enjoy the song because it gives mixed signals. Although that is true, there are much more reasons to why someone would enjoy it. “Sunshine” by Matisyahu is an effective song because the artist uses a potpourri of literary terms to present his meaning to the audience. Matisyahu uses symbolism to define the deeper meaning of never giving up in his song. In “Sunshine”, the artist says, “You’re my golden sunshine”, which symbolizes the center of happiness in life.The artist is telling someone that they are his golden sunshine which translates to something such as “you are the light of my life”. The audience is told that there is someone or something out there that keeps him at his peak of happiness and also benefits his eagerness in life. Another symbol in this song is the shelter that the artist refers to when he says “I’d be your shelter from the storm”. This particular line is both a symbol and a metaphor. The artist is the actual “shelter” to which he refers to, and symbolizes safety and security. He would protect that person from the bad things thrown at them in life. Although both lyrics are only a small line, they generate a deeper meaning than what is actually portrayed, which makes this song so great. Imagery is a very creative device that is used in the song. “It’s raining in your mind, so push them clouds aside” is one of the lines that display it. In addition to imagery, this line is also a form of
Drury 2
personification, because the mind does not actually rain. This line means that the person Matisyahu is referring to is thinking in a negative way, or only of bad things in their life, and what they really need to be doing is forgetting about the negative and focusing