Rhetorical Analysis - "Elastic Heart"

The purpose of Sia’s “Elastic Heart” music video is not extremely clear, but I believe that I may have an idea. The BYU website asks, “What occasion gives rise to the need or opportunity for persuasion?” (Burton). The occasion is fairly obvious: the video describes some sort of relationship or habit that is toxic, but is difficult to be broken; she wants to leave it behind, but even when she has the chance, it’s difficult (4:25). Because it keeps recurring, it’s starting to break this person down – she is building a “thick skin and an elastic heart,” meaning that she’s starting to show less of herself to others and get tougher, and when she’s hurt, she bounces back pretty quickly because she’s not letting it get to her as much anymore. The audience of this video is anyone who speaks English, has access to the Internet, or regularly listens to American pop music. The point of this video is to make the audience feel a bit uncomfortable; we should understand that this situation is not good and it’s tearing her apart. According to the Texas A&M website, the video is using the “pathetic” approach to “invoke the audience’s emotion” (“University Writing Center – Rhetorical Analysis”). We should be feeling the emotions that this person goes through each time this situation is endured.

            One main visual choice in this video that makes a strong point is the costuming – Maddie Ziegler and Shia LaBeouf are wearing nude leotards/shorts and are covered in dirt. This gives the audience a kind of primal feeling, like this relationship/habit/situation has broken her down to the core. The cage also gives a feeling of being trapped, like she is trapped in this situation and can’t get out. The casting is also important for the audience to understand the situation. Maddie Ziegler is small and fragile-looking, while Shia LaBeouf is large, muscle-y, and bearded. This may indicate that the situation is bigger than her and can overpower her (1:35). All these artistic choices are “used strategically” to make the audience understand the emotion behind the lyrics (Wysocki).

            As far as I’m aware, there are no “anomalies” in the text (Wysocki). Every choice made, artistic and lyrical, seems to make sense with the message of the song and video. There are no lyrics that stray from the idea that the writer has a harmful person or relationship in her life that she repeatedly tries to break from, to no avail. The video put those words into action – not necessarily acting out the words, but showing an emotional situation that the lyrics describe.

            Overall, Sia’s “Elastic Heart” music video is effective in its message. While it may not be directly obvious to viewers unless they actually take the time to analyze the lyrics and video, once it is interpreted, the theme is clear – this person is in a situation that causes a lot of distress and leads to growing a “thick skin and an elastic heart.” The scope of this message is extremely large; with 395 million views, more than just a few people understand the sentiment of this video.

Burton, Gideon O. "Basic Questions for Rhetorical Analysis." Basic Questions for

Rhetorical Analysis. Brigham Young University, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

<http://rhetoric.byu.edu/pedagogy/rhetorical%20analysis%20heuristic.htm>.

Elastic Heart. By Sia. Perf. Maddie Ziegler and Shia LaBeouf. RCA Records, 2015.

YouTube.

Sia. "Lyrics." Sia -- Lyrics. Sia, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. <http://siamusic.net/lyrics>.

"University Writing Center - Rhetorical Analysis." University Writing Center –

Rhetorical Analysis. Texas A&M University, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/Students/Handouts-Guides/Guides-(What-Are-

You-Writing-)/Academic-Writing/Analysis/Rhetorical-Analysis>.

Wysocki, Anne Frances, and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: A Rhetoric

for Integrating Written, Visual, and Oral Communication. New York: Longman,

2007. Print.