Levi Kahn
10/19/12
Tone Analysis
Shifting
between a third person omniscient and a first person point of view, Dogs by Pink Floyd utilizes a biting,
sardonic tone, cogent imagery, and intimidating repetition to portray the
twisted world that we live in, which is repeatedly professed throughout the
song.
Using
a sardonic tone throughout the song, Pink Floyd is conveying to the audience a
sarcastic message that points out the flaws in people. Pink Floyd is trying to
show how confusing life is and how hard it is to be truly successful in life. “You
gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder” is an example of the band’s
perspective on the paranoia and deceit in the world that everyone must deal
with on a daily basis. The band’s satirical tone discusses how dangerous the
world is and the fact that everyone will only end up sad and disappointed with
life. “But you believe at heart everyone's a killer” is another example of the
tone and message that Pink Floyd is conveying to their audience. The band is
showing how deceitful and twisted the world is, and that no one should be
trusted because no one in the world is trustworthy. The tone becomes increasingly
sardonic and sarcastic throughout the song, with lines such as “That everyone's
expendable, and no one has a real friend”. Pink Floyd’s tone is bitingly
sarcastic and points out the flaws in society and how twisted the world can be.
Pink
Floyd also utilizes powerful, cogent imagery to convey their message of deceit
and danger in the world around us. Using imagery such as, “gotta try and shake
off this creeping malaise”, the band creates a very powerful image of how
people are treated and how miserable our lives are. “So have a good drown, as
you go down all alone” is another excruciatingly powerful image of an
untrustworthy, dangerous world that we live in. With such forceful imagery,
Pink Floyd leaves a huge impression on the listener and changes the listener’s
outlook on life just by hearing what the band has to say in this song. Pink Floyd
uses lasting imagery that is certain to leave an impression on its audience,
especially in this song. Combining this type of imagery with the tone the band
establishes throughout the song, Dogs
leaves the audience stunned and appreciating the world around them much more
than they did before.
Finally,
Pink Floyd incorporates intimidating repetition throughout the song. Repeatedly
referring to the audience as “you” draws the audience into the song. Then,
utilizing the two aforementioned devices, the band conveys its satirical view
of the world to the audience in a way that will connect with the audience very
strongly. The lines, “Who was ground down in the end/Who was found dead on the
phone/Who was dragged down by the stone” contain the type of intimidating
repetition that drives home the message that Pink Floyd has been building up to
throughout the entire song. This repetition is the final piece to the elaborate
song and message that Pink Floyd created with Dogs.
In
Dogs, Pink Floyd utilizes a sardonic
tone, influential imagery, and intimidating repetition to convey the dangers
and deceit of the world to their audience. With such biting wit, and such a sarcastic,
depressing message, Pink Floyd gets its point across using these three devices
perfectly and conveying the message of the song to the listener in impeccable fashion.
You got to be crazy, you gotta have a
real need
You gotta sleep on your toes and when
you're on the street
You got to be able to pick out the easy
meat with your eyes closed
And then moving in silently, down wind
and out of sight
You gotta strike when the moment is
right without thinking
And after a while, you can work on
points for style
Like the club tie, and the firm
handshake
A certain look in the eye and an easy
smile
You have to be trusted by the people
that you lie to
So that when they turn their backs on
you
You'll get the chance to put the knife
in
You gotta keep one eye looking over your
shoulder
You know, it's going to get harder, and
harder, and harder
As you get older
Yeah, and in the end you'll pack up and
fly down south
Hide your head in the sand
Just another sad old man
All alone and dying of cancer
And when you lose control, you'll reap
the harvest you have sown
And as the fear grows, the bad blood
slows and turns to stone
And it's too late to lose the weight you
used to need to throw around
So have a good drown, as you go down all
alone
Dragged down by the stone
Gotta admit that I'm a little bit
confused
Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just
being used
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake
off this creeping malaise
If I don't stand my own ground, how can
I find my way out of this maze
Deaf, dumb and blind, you just keep on
pretending
That everyone's expendable, and no one
has a real friend
And it seems to you the thing to do
would be to isolate the winner
Everything's done under the sun
But you believe at heart everyone's a
killer
Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone
Who was dragged down by the stone
