JC
Okay, it’s unlikely you’ll be asked to analyse the awesome Against The Current‘s lyrics in your exam! The skills you’ll use to investigate ‘Gravity’, though, are exactly the same ones you’ll need to explore whatever poem does end up on your English Language paper.
Make sure you have finished the task on each picture before moving to the next one. Oh, and listen to our collection of ATC classics while you work!
Or, if you find it easier to read, this is the same paragraph (then look below for the next task):
In ‘Gravity’, how does singer Chrissy Costanza present her attitudes to love and romantic relationships?
Chrissy Costanza’s attitude appears to be that love, and being in a relationship, can make you feel wonderful. The rhetorical question, “Do you remember feeling invincible?” implies that when in a relationship Costanza did indeed feel indestructible. She suggests that love offers a person extra strength and protection.
This same idea is echoed when Costanza writes that: “you were the sun.” Again we are given the idea that love gives Costanza strength. The sun gives us life and makes us feel healthy – by using this metaphor, Costanza implies that her lover offers the same kind of positive, nurturing influence. She uses another metaphor – “you were my gravity” – and her consistent use of this kind of imagery hints at a feeling that is beyond everyday words. The “gravity” image links well to the idea of feeling invincible. Costanza’s relationship makes her feel grounded, stable and as if she can breathe easily – in a way she wouldn’t be able to do if life was more stressful.
Do some more prep for your GCSE English exam and enjoy the sounds of Taylor Swift at the same time.
Love Against The Current? Read more about them here!
Homepage photo by Benjamin Robinson.
Photo on Picture 2 by Matt Eachus.