Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5vz6iwV38U

·        Michael Jackson. A world renowned performer and will go down in the history books as one of the best musical artists that ever lived. One of the most substantial artists of the 20^th century with works not comparable  by others. Born in a time of discrimination (regardless of the adversities he had to encounter throughout his life), he still managed to make something of himself and actually make a change in society, and how people see the world. With songs like ‘Black or White’, which displayed an outlandish statement at the time (because of all the discrimination towards skin colour) which was that ‘it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white’, we’re all human. His main goal whilst on his journey to ‘idol’ status was to make an impact on his audience, and actually try and use his platform as a performer to better the world.

·        The narrator in this song is inevitably Michael Jackson considering he is talking to and about the ‘Man in the Mirror’, so unescapably he is talking about making a change within himself. And that he wants to make a difference, but not in a way where he wants to change the world first, in the way where he wants to change himself and then alter the way he wants the world to be, but as stated in the song he has to start with himself. The very attention grabbing convention of this song is that it was written in a way where the “narrator” from the story can be anyone who finds themselves wanting to make a change in their lives. Change isn't easy, so when I look in the mirror and see my reflection looking back at me, that is who I have to start with first. Every day we make differences in the lives of the people around us, and it is our choice whether those differences better or worse their lives. And that’s the essential gist of the song; that if you want to make change, start with yourself first.

·        In the first verse, the writer begins by creating a winter setting by using visual imagery. The writer first wears his “favourite winter coat”, turning “up the collar” as he leaves his home. The writer then uses personification in “This wind is blowing my mind” – given the wind a humanlike quality because of the word “blowing” and also serves as an image to portray his state of mind by telling the audience that in the chilly weather is not affecting him physically, but mentally because he is greeted by the sight of “kids in the street, with not enough to eat”. This juxtaposition of the writer’s wealth and the children’s poverty shows that they are from different classes; while the writer has the luxury of choosing coats, the children are not even able to get sufficient food. The writer then rhetorically questions himself “who am I, to be blind?” Firstly, this is a metaphor and hence an instance of figurative language as though the author might not be physically blind, he compares himself to one that is blind. This shows that it is probably not the first time the writer has seen the poor children outside on the streets however; he has always been oblivious and too carried away by his own personal life to “see their needs”. Hence, it is only on that day that that he realized that he has been very selfish as he kept all his money for himself.  

 The writer continues by using imagery in “A summer’s disregard, A broken bottle top, And one man’s soul/ They follow each other on the wind ya’ know” to convey his feelings to the audience. In the image of “A summer’s disregard”, as summer is usually a time when people are carefree and on vacation, and disregard means “to pay no attention to, to ignore” it might be the writer trying to portray those times of loneliness and depression he suffered because of his problems. The image of “A broken bottle top” hints that he may have had emotional issues and therefore he resorts to drinking away his sorrows or venting out on items. Besides, as a broken bottle top implies that there will be something leaking out of the bottle as the top is spoilt, the writer could also be trying to say that (given the theme of the song) he felt hope and happiness was leaking out, not only from him but from the people who were suffering physically. Also, in “they follow each other on the wind ya’know” – as the wind is very inconsistent and moves around aimlessly, he tells the audience that he was a man who was lost in his problems, but now he has found light and wants to start by changing himself to help others.  

  Lastly, in “a widow deeply scarred, someone’s broken heart, and a washed out dream, they follow the pattern of the wind ya’ see” the writer once again uses imagery to further highlight the plight of many of the people. “A widow deeply scarred” brings to mind the image of physical scars, hurt and abuse, but we understand that the writer is more so speaking about the emotional and mental hurt the widow might be going through, the stress, the pain of perhaps losing her husband, and hence financial stability. “Someone’s broken heart” – we know that technically one’s heart cannot be broken, but the author uses this painful image to bring across one’s anguish and despair – perhaps, given the theme of the song, it could be referring to the broken heart of a mother when she sees her children having not enough money to survive, or a broken heart of a child not able to pursue his ambitions due to financial constraints. Lastly, in “a washed out dream” – we think of many clothes being washed again and again till they are faded, and likewise the writer uses this effective image to bring across how an individual’s dream is faded. It evokes a sense of sympathy for the poor people out there who are unable to live normally and healthily. Rather they are swamped by such problems and it results in them being broken individuals.

·        Although the tone of the poem starts off self-reflective, and also with a hint of despair and gloom, yet all the more it inspires one to work towards being a better individual especially when we are much better off and more privileged than most. It is peppered with imagery – even “Man in the Mirror” is an image and a figurative language of speech to indirectly refer or show us that the “man in the mirror” is not anyone else, but ourselves