Schlender-Metaphor



I chose the lyrics from a song titled "The Dance" by Garth Brooks which states "Our lives are better left to chance; I could have missed the pain; But I'd have to miss the dance." He is metaphorically comparing a one song dance to life. According to literary devices, he is saying he could avoid the pain of losing people, but then he would have to miss all the joy that they bring to life. In general, the lyrics of this song are very true. My mom is always telling me that you can't have a perfect life. If you didn't encounter heartbreak every so often, would you really be living? Things can not be perfect, you would miss out on the dance of life if you just avoid the pain. When I heard these lyrics, I think of the other song “Dancing Shoes” so I would like for this to be my concept. Although, I am unsure if I am going to go more edgy with the photo, or keep it soft like the tone of the song “Dancing Shoes.” The first image was taken by Maggie Taylor and is called "Oh Happy Day." This image does not have a complicated composition however it has great meaning. First of all, it really symbolizes the beauty of the earth. This also reminds of the lyrics that explain the beauty of life. The butterflies flying around this tree reminds me of death or destruction. However, there is still beauty within the image. The second and third photos are similar to one another in the sense of how I interpreted them. Each one seems to be some kind of path to travel. In the ice photo, there are broken shards that are sharp showing the obstacles of life. In the third photo there is a very crooked path that is jaggedly leading into the distance. This photo fits the lyrics because if you don't go through the hard things (walking through the jagged path) then you don't experience the beauty of life. There is beauty in the distance of the photo once you reach the end of the path. It is often about the journey that gets you there. These photos inspired me for these song lyrics because for my project, I want to be able to portray that if you avoid pain, you will miss the dance. These photos are showing the beauty of overcoming hard times or obstacles. In my project, I will take a more literal take on the image. Although, I will also incorporate similar symbolic elements such as these.