Comprehensive Analysis of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' Essay

This essay offers a detailed analysis of Michael Jackson's song, 'Man in the Mirror.' It explores the song's background, addressing the social issues it tackles, such as the need for individual change to bring about broader societal improvements and the importance of self-awareness. The essay examines Jackson's purpose in writing the song, highlighting his message of self-reflection and the need to address issues like racism. It outlines the song's subject matter, focusing on the call for personal transformation and the importance of love and compassion. The essay also discusses the aesthetic features of the song, including Jackson's powerful lyrics and the song's engaging tune, and concludes by emphasizing the continued relevance of the song's message in contemporary society. The references section includes various scholarly sources that support the analysis.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
Analysis of “Man in the Mirror”
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................2
Background information about the singer......................................................................2
Issues addressed in the song...........................................................................................2
Author’s purpose in writing the song.............................................................................3
Outline of the subject matter..........................................................................................3
Aesthetics features used.................................................................................................4
Relevance of the issue....................................................................................................4
Conclusion......................................................................................................................5
References:.....................................................................................................................6

2ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
Introduction
The various forms of art which are present in the human society are meant to
inspire the population to a particular cause for their welfare. Such artifacts and forms
of art are meant to showcase to the people the reality and to bring about a change for
the better (Smit, 2017). The purpose of this assignment is to understand the
significance of such art. For this purpose, a song of Michael Jackson has been looked
in to, known as “Man in the Mirror”.
Background information about the singer
Michael Jackson, otherwise known as the “King of Pop” was born in the
twentieth century (Manning, 2016). During this time, the world was going through a
crisis of the World Wars. The distraught of the individuals and their plight greatly
saddened the singer. He sought to create music so that he could reach out to the
people with a message which would help to inspire them to create a society out of
love and peace. He mastered the art of pop music and spoke on many societal issues
impacting the culture of humanity (Krohn, 2017).
Issues addressed in the song
Michael Jackson wrote a song named “Man in the Mirror” which gained world
wide popularity because of the issue it tried to address through it. The song talked
about the human nature of mankind. Jackson wanted to advocate the idea that there is
a necessity in the part of an individual to first undergo a change within himself and
herself (Hasio & Chen, 2018). It is the way that an individual cats that show their
personality and how they would treat the other people in the society.

3ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
Author’s purpose in writing the song
During the middle of the twentieth century, issues of societal segregation was at
its peak. Although the state leaders of the world had propounded the idea of
establishing an equal society where respect would be paid to everyone in the
community, irrespective of their class status, gender and color, such an ideal ideology
was not adhered to in the real life.
During that time, people were found to be be discriminatory in nature (Boyd,
2016). They were still guided by their colonial ideas that the ‘white’ skin coloured
people of the society were racially superior than the ‘black’ skin coloured. As a result
of such prevailing aspect of racism, the individuals were often found to be
disrespectful of each other.
However, Jackson opines that in order to be a better human being, a change
should first be brought about internally (Schlotterbeck, 2017). He talked about self-
consciousness and self-awareness. With the advocation of such ideas, Jackson sought
to change the image of the society in a positive light.
Outline of the subject matter
In the first verse of the song, Michael Jackson talks about the need of the
individuals to bring about a change within themselves. This change would be positive
as for the first time in life, the individual is seeking to do something good for the
society (Walsh, 2019).
The song continues by asking the audience to acknowledge the people in need out
in the streets instead of turning a blind eye to them. An individual is bound to feel
various negative feelings such as those of dejection, rejection, sadness and being
broken (Hasio & Chen, 2018). However, the bad times would come to an end. It is

4ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
when an individual feels at his or her lowest that they should try to bring about a
change in the hope of a better day in the future.
However, Jackson warns the listeners about the selfish love. There is indeed a
need to love oneself but a man should not be only about loving himself only (Vigo,
2017). Love should be transcendental in nature so that it reaches to everyone in the
society who are in need of it. The blessing that one man has needs to be transferred to
those who are not lucky to have such blessings.
Aesthetics features used
The aesthetics which are used in the course of a song enables the singer to grab
the attention of the audience. For this regard, they often make use of rhyming words
or sing in a tune. In the son titled “Man in the Mirror”, Michael Jackson made brilliant
use of his words. The words are meant to incite the people to act (Hasio & Chen,
2018). They are encouraging in nature and also rhythmic so that it entrenches itself in
the minds of the listeners.
Furthermore, the tune of the song is also quite enticing. The seriousness of the
issue has been captured magnificently in the song and in the tune of the singer. The
deep resonating voice is able to convey the need to bring about a change in the society
by first bringing about a change in the personality of the man himself.
Relevance of the issue
The issue which has been talked about in the song titled “Man in the Mirror” as
sung by Michael Jackson is extremely relevant. He pointed out the humane nature of
human kind. The societal grievances which exists within a community, are mainly the
creation of the human beings themselves (Vigo, 2017). Thus, in order to ensure their
mitigation, consorted efforts need to be made to bring about a positive change for the

5ANALYSIS OF “MAN IN THE MIRROR”
welfare of the people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be noted that music and other forms of art have a message
for the society. They try to portray the social and cultural issues of the community as
they are in existence in real life. The purpose of music as written by Michael Jackson
was to make his audience aware of the need to bring about a change in the society so
that the welfare of the people can be maintained. Everyone has the right to live in an
equal society where equal respect can be given to them.

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References:
Boyd, M. (2016). Connecting'Man in the Mirror': Kindling a classroom dialogic
teaching and learning trajectory. L1 Educational Studies in Language and
Literature, (Special issue International Perspectives on Dialogic Theory and
Practice).
Hasio, C., & Chen, W. (2018). Interpreting Visual Semiotics in Art Education: With
the Music Video Man in the Mirror. Art Education, 71(3), 45-50.
Krohn, K. (2017). Michael Jackson: Ultimate Music Legend. Lerner Publications™.
Manning, H. J. (2016). Michael Jackson and the blackface mask. Routledge.
Schlotterbeck, J. (2017). The “Split” Biography: Man in the Mirror: The Michael
Jackson Story. In Michael Jackson (pp. 67-80). Routledge.
Smit, C. (Ed.). (2017). Michael Jackson: grasping the spectacle. Routledge.
Vigo, J. (2017). Michael Jackson and the Myth of Race and Gender. In Michael
Jackson (pp. 23-37). Routledge.
Walsh, J. P. (2019). Who will it take for business to improve lives? The “Man” in the
Mirror. Humanistic Management Journal, 4(1), 111-117.