AUTHOR'S NOTES
This essay was the first assignment I did in my grade 11 English class. My teacher gave us all this song to examine and told us to write an essay on the themes and symbols hidden within the lyrics and their deeper meaning.
"The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix (A Look at Themes and Symbols)
In Western culture, music and other works of art often convey powerful messages through the use of symbols. These symbols may represent the emotions of the artist or global issues of the time period. Jimi Hendrix used many symbols in his works to represent his own beliefs and opinions of such matters. Jimi Hendrix expresses the need for divine belief in his song “The Wind Cries Mary” through the symbols of the broom, the crutch and the wind.
The broom can be interpreted as a symbol of the need for divine belief, or religious values. It can represent trying to clean up the horrors and chaos in the past to throw them away, rather than trying to piece them back together. By sweeping away and discarding the mess, the broom can symbolize the inability to fix or alter the past. A quote that supports this representation is “A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life.” (Hendrix). Through describing the broom in this manner in “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix, it can be argued that the broom is a symbol of destroyed hopes and discarding the past without trying to go back and fix it, which expresses the need to believe in a Higher Power.
The crutch can be viewed as symbol of the need for divine belief by its possible representations. The crutch can represent the old age and wisdom of the wind, which can be viewed as a way to convey the message of desperation and all-knowingness. A quote which can support these representations is “And with this crutch, its old age and its wisdom, it whispers “No, this will be the last.” ” (Hendrix). Through describing the crutch in this way in “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix, it can be said that the crutch represents the age and wisdom of the wind, along with the wind being all-knowing and all-seeing, almost like a Divine Power.
The wind can be seen as a way to express the need for a divine saviour or divine belief. It represents the impartial view on the problems in the world, seeing the destruction and chaos, but not being actively involved in it. The wind can also represent crying out for a saviour to stop the violence and horrors of wars and other global issues. A quote to support these views is “And the wind screams Mary.” (Hendrix). Mary is a Christian symbol of hope and peace, and through the wind crying out her name, it is pleading for a divine saviour to put an end to the brutalities going on in the world. Through the wind being an objective party, it is seeing the horrors of human kind without taking a particular opinion or side. By depicting the wind in this fashion in “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix, it can be explained that the wind is a very strong symbol of the need for belief in the divine and the power of a saviour to bring peace to the world.
By using the symbols of the broom, the crutch and the wind in his song “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix, he expresses the need for belief in the divine. Hendrix used these symbols to convey his emotions and opinions to the world. Symbols usually express global issues and emotions of the artist. Such symbols are very strong through music and other forms of art in Western culture.
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Works Cited
“The Wind Cries Mary”. Jimi Hendrix. Accessed by Mr. Johnson. Tuesday, February 6th, 2007.
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The Writings of Briar Rosethorn
I enjoy writing. Plain and simple. I plan to make it my career so this journal will hold anything I write, whether good or bad. A scrapbook of both rough and final work, if you will. I will try to keep is as organized as possible.
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