If I Were a Boy and My Heart Will Go On - Essay Example

Sur “If I Were a Boy” And “My Heart Will Go On” Gender is a critical issue in the current world. Its seriousness is especially portrayed by its immense expression in the entertainment industry that is escalating at an alarming level (Conrad, Dixon & Zhan par 13). Most popular songs in the entertainment industry have reflected on the sensitive gender issue. For instance, gender theme is notable in Beyonce’s pop Song “If I were a boy” and Celine Dion’s rock song “My heart will go along”.

These songs have been popular in the music industry and entertainment industry in general. The two named songs have utilized symbolism and irony, as they express the gender theme in the perspective of a woman, either revealing a contending gender or one that is in harmony, by use of conjugal relationship. “If I were a boy”, by Beyonce Although there are controversies surrounding the real writer of the song “If I were a boy”, one fact remains, the writer was a lady. Whether Beyonce herself or BC Jeans; the two persons around who the controversy is centred.

The story line of the song is a lady who wishes that she were a boy. As the lyrics of the song unfolds, some stereotype on both men and women become evident. Since the song’s perspective is based on a lady, it is obviously biased on the side of women. As the gender roles dictates in a relationship, it is the lady’s role to prepare breakfast for the man. The point of gender role crisis is developed in this song by the revelations that the lady wishes that she were a man, then she would not impose the roles to her lover of preparing her breakfast.

Furthermore, the song exposes the wrangles, commonly experienced in a conjugal relationship. In many cases, the man is expected to be superior to a woman as the song reveals the passiveness of women. Ironically, the lady in the song wishes if she were a man to be a boss over everything and that she would not be subject to anybody in his decision making. The singer is ironical at the point where he claims that she would chase all the girls, and switch off the phone so that no one would know who he is sleeping with.

Such a claim is ironical because, it would not be rational for a girl to wish on her man cheating on her. However, the song utilizes the irony style to portray the trends of the present day’s man who dominates a whole different world around him that is normally concealed from his wife. In his world, the man can have relations with any woman he wishes, spends time drinking with friends and walks home late in the night to find his passive wife peacefully waiting for him. The song has used symbolism to develop satire in the male prejudice common in the current society.

For instance, the lady in the song is a career woman, yet she is expected to shoulder all the domestic chores. But then, the lady in the case is not passive. She desires liberty and thus, she fights for it. She spends her time on body makeup and questions the man’s behaviours. She shrewdly attacks the man’s ego by asking a contradictory question that confuses the man. The question is meant to reveal to the man that the lady has all along been the cheat; she has not just been hanging along waiting for the man to come home.

The man does not however, get the point “because he is a boy”. At the end of the song, the woman is developed as dominating the man and outdoing him in his own game. “My heart will go on”, by Celine Dion The song “My heart will go along” was used as a theme song for the romantic movie, “Titanic”. Upon its release, the song became very popular partly because of its strong lyrics of romance. Although the song is majorly on romance, it has evidence of gender based issues. To begin with, the song’s story line is developed as a tribute to a dead lover.

The lady in the song is left by her man, whom she loved dearly. Even with the man gone, the lady is not ready to let go of him. She even claims of the man’s continued presence in her heart, and that her heart will goes on with the departed lover. Evidently, gender issues are developed in the song, based on a love relationship. The man in the song is developed as dominating the lady emotionally. As the song story line progresses, the dominion of the man is highlighted over the romance he offers to the singer.

The singer is not able to let go of the man, because she cannot live without him. Owing from the fact that the singer wishes that her love had not departed, it can be argued that the gender aspect in their relationship was complimentary. There are no traces of conflict between the departed man and the lady, who was left lamenting for the man’s departure. While it can be argued that the song is of romance theme, romance and love are inseparable as the foundations of conjugal relationship. Gender discrepancies are balanced in a relationship based on love.

The fact that the lady in the song misses her dead husband can be used to argue that both genders should complement each other, and that no one gender can be complete without the other. The hearts of the couple developed in the song are bonded together, such that, where the heart of the man went, the heart of the woman followed on. By developing such a strong relationship, this song shows that, gender issues are not necessarily conflicting in all relationships. The two songs identified in this paper have developed the theme of gender in different perspectives.

In Beyonce’s song, gender superiority contention is evidenced in the relationship, where the two genders are in conflict over dominion. On the other hand, Celine Dion’s song shows a gender that is comfortable with each other and complimenting one another. Work Cited Conrad. Dixon, T., & Zhan, Y. (2009). Controversial Rap Themes, Gender Portrayals and Skin Tone Distortion: A Content Analysis of Rap Music Videos. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(1), 134-156. doi: 10.1080/08838150802643795 Retrieved from http://www.

communication.illinois.edu/tldixon/research_files/Conrad,%20Dixon,%20%2 6%20Zhang%20(2009).pdf