Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English Composition
Department
English
Abstract
Childhood friends Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal founded the band Tears for Fears, and were the two primary members from 1982-1990. Their songs describe the struggle of coping with childhood abuse. This thesis analyzes the rhetorical aspects of their lyrics, emphasizing how the words of their songs express the fundamental human response to abuse, and the painful process of recovery. It explores how the songwriters use the psychological theories of Arthur Janov and Carl Jung to scaffold their experience of working through emotional trauma; and how they combine those theories with astrological symbolism to explore the idea of destiny. This thesis uses a combined rhetorical and psychological approach to analyze the manner in which the ethos and pathos inherent in the lyrics generated recognition, understanding, and sympathy in the listener.
Recommended Citation
Gross-Mejía, Jennifer Anne, "The working hour: A rhetorical analysis of the lyrics of Tears for Fears" (2003). Theses Digitization Project. 2477.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2477
