The Song-Essay Parallel

The song "Sorry" by Justin Bieber has been doing really well in the music world. It is no longer possible to turn on the radio without hearing The Biebs asking you if it's too late to say sorry now. But sometimes I catch myself wondering what exactly he's apologizing for? Is it all the atrocious past music? No, I don't think that he feels too much remorse for that, considering the fact that he made a copious amount of moola from it. 

So then what exactly? Let's take a look at the facts: we know for a fact that part of his intention behind apologizing is getting you back on him. But that is only part of the broader, more profound picture. He clearly states that he is missing more than just your body.

Fine, you can appreciate that his intent behind apologizing, though thoroughly rooted in primitive sexual desires, is not completely founded in them. And herein lies the problem I have with this song. Justin, though likely not him personally... Let me rephrase: whoever wrote the song, seems to have probably failed high school English class. One of the most important rules of proper essay writing is to elaborate on the exact statement you make. In fact, the way I learned it, one should follow the PEE acronym when making arguments in essays. P stands for "Point", E stands for "Example" and the second E stands for "Explanation". Though you're likely highly intelligent, I'd like to clearly explain what the acronym means. 

In essay writing, you're supposed to bring up an argument (the "Point"). You then need to support your brilliant point with with an example. Once you've stated that example, which may or may not be directly related to your point, you back it up with the "Explanation". That's pretty straightforward. If you'd like a deeper explanation of the whole argument-building idea, take a gander at my first post - the debate guide! As a side note: I just think that it's funny that I brought up the idea of a high school English class here and then brought up logical arguing because that's the latest thing we've been discussing in my high school English class! 

Back to the matter at hand:

What exactly irks me about sorry: I do not appreciate the fact that JB has left so much unexplained. It's like those European Indie movies (which I just happen to watch constantly - thanks, mom). They have always annoyed me, but my parents seem to find great pleasure in the uncertainty which accompanies them. In almost every European film, there is an unresolved or unelaborated ending. The screen writers leave the denouement in your hands. They end the movie, but it doesn't feel like it has ended. A perfect example escapes me at this moment, but I'll give you something general to ponder, and then I'll follow it up with a shitty example, which I will attempt to make sound valid:

1 - General: The protagonists have their ups and downs throughout. You persevere through 90 minutes of utter despair, hoping with all your heart that the circumstances become favorable to the two lovers. You pray that the realistic, real-world ending, which will surely tear them apart, does not befall them. You hope that they defy the odds. In good, old Hollywood, they always do. The protagonists always find each other in the end and share a passionate kiss and ride off into the sunset. How fantastic. It makes you happy. More importantly, it provides you with the closure you so desperately desire. Then you have the sad endings. You know, like The Notebook? They both die at the end. But there is closure; there is a definitive ending. They're dead. That's it. By far, the worst scenario is the European vagueness of the situation you vicariously live through for those 90 minutes. Your 90 minutes are rewarded with no sureness. You don't know if the characters have made it, or if they have not. You're left with the task of contemplating that question yourself. Well, frankly, I don't want to expend energy on contemplating the intricacies of the characters to unravel a definitive answer. It's just not something I feel like doing. Honestly, it irritates me, no, more than that, it frustrates me!

Here's the example: Think of a romance movie. The two leads have gone through triumphs and torments. Say, for clarity's sake, that one lead had traveled overseas to pursue a career. The other had been left alone in the original country. The separation is bitter. Jane doesn't want to move to a different country, and doesn't want John to leave without her. So, naturally, it's a very salty situation. But, after a few years, John recognizes his undying love for Jane and decides that he'll take his chances and travel back to find her. He does so, but Jane is no longer in the same place. John sets out to find her, and gathers the information that Jane has discovered a new lover. After a few months, he finds Jane and her lover in Nepal. John's presence brings stress and tumult on Jane's new relationship, as she struggles with the old feelings she has for him. Eventually, us, the audience, see Jane leave her lover, but we are unclear on whether or not she is leaving him to go back to John. Maybe she wants to just take some time to clear up the jumbled emotions in her mind. 

Anyways, the final scene of the movies is this: Jane goes to the business party John is supposedly at, but is unsure of her goals. So, she gets to the door, and rings the bell, some random person lets her in, believing that she is part of the company. She walks in, clearly unsure of her own feelings and next steps. From behind a group of people she sees John kissing some woman. At the painful sight, she turns her back and heads out, suppressing tears. She runs out into the night, but John appears to have seen her (though it is not certain that he has). He stops making out with this other woman, and goes to the table to grab a stiff drink. Looking out into the night, he sees Jane walking in distress, her face romantically lit by the street lights, which are being reflected by the puddles on the cobblestone streets (yes, apparently these do exist in Nepal). He looks down at her, and as he does, she drops something. Stopping to pick it up, she looks up, and she and John make eye-contact. To break the moment, the woman John was previously making out, walks up behind him, and says something inaudible. He turns to her to hear what she's saying, points at some other place in the room, as to tell her to go over there, and she obeys. He turns back to the window, and puts down his drink, and the movie ends. 

This is agonizing. We don't know what he sees through the window. Is Jane still standing there? We don't know why he put down his drink. Was it to go after her, or to just continue going about his party. Oh the spiritual struggle. This is exacerbating.

Now for the more specific example:

2 - Jeux d'Enfants: This is also a romantic film. It's French. The French are, in my mind, the most notorious for inflicting this kind of suffering on viewers. In this movie, the two leads have known each other since they were little kids. Eventually, after the mandatory ups and downs, the find each other again, and they decide to start making out. But it just so happens that this location they choose for making out is some hole that is about to be filled with cement. The construction workers seem to pay them little mind, and flood the hole with cement slowly. The two continue making out, completely disregarding the cement which is engulfing them. When the cement is up to the characters' crotches, we see one construction worker notice them and begin screaming at his coworkers to stop. But the movie ends and we have no closure to what happened to these two people. Did they die in the cement? Did the cement stop pouring? Did they ever get extracted from the cement? So many questions. I despise it.

So the deal is the same with Bieber's song. So many unanswered questions remain. It's oh-so confusing. And I know what you're thinking to yourself - "Man, she must have consumed a few pounds of shrooms before writing this post. Who gives a fuck what Justin Bieber meant; it's just a stupid song!" But, it really got to me yesterday. I was listening to the radio on my commute, and I couldn't help but wonder what the rest of his reasoning for saying sorry was. What in the world had he done? He wants to apologize, but what for? All we know is that a part of his goal is to get you back in bed, but what's the deeper bit? I mean, obviously, I'd appreciate knowing what he did to put himself in the position where he would need to apologize. What did he do to have his significant other deny him sex? And, please, what is the other part he wants? Does he want some riveting conversation with Selena? Or maybe he's also missing her musical input and advice? I just can't be sure, and that is what plagues me with grief. I am terribly interested in knowing what all these factors are, and what culmination of events led to this obviously heart-wrenching existence.

Gosh, my pain is too real. I so wish that essay writing and song writing were the same. I wish that Justin would be forced to explain the intricacies and complexities of his song lyrics. I wish that he had to obey PEE. But, he is just above the law. How upsetting. I don't know how I'll ever manage to cope. I firmly believe that this will be a thought which forever stumps me, while simultaneously looming ominously over me.

I'll end with this plea: Justin, please make my daily commute less mentally-occupying. Thoroughly elaborate on your thoughts, and free my mind from these horrid burdens of ponder.