Index IntroductionMan in the Mirror: song criticismConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionFor the song criticism I have selected one of Jackson's most popular songs. Although Michael has been dead for several years now, his legacy still continues. Even today, every time I hear this song on the radio, I get emotional. Many of his songs are timeless and still have the same value as they did several years ago. In this video of “Man in the Mirror,” there are several explanations behind its deeper meaning. Several messages were given to the public by his choice of video. Both his words and the videos depicted some of these ideas that Michael was trying to convey. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Man in the Mirror: Criticism of the Song Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson is a song about changing the world, but making a change starting with yourself. In the song Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson, it says "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could have been clearer If you want to make the world a better place, give a 'look at yourself and then make a change. These words mean that if you want the world's society to change its negative ways, you have to start with yourself; this does not mean changing everything about you, only the negative things song says: "I'll make a change, for once I'll be my life, it'll be really good, I'll make a difference, I'll make things right." The first lyrics explain that if you change your ways and do good for your society, it can do the difference. This song seems to be a transformation. Of the singer before and after the tragic events. It is as if two different stories were being told. Jackson was alive during the black rights movements. To a certain extent this song portrays that reality. As many know, Michael changed his skin color from black to white. This was done so that he could be more successful during these racist times. In this song he shows us how he has transformed and how the world has also transformed, but certainly not in a good way. In his early lyrics he states: "I'm going to make a change For once in my life I'm going to feel really good I'm going to make a difference I'm going to make it right." Some sort of transformation is taking place in his mind and in his song. This transformation that is happening is most likely a change in the singer. From the beginning of this video, we see a series of depressing images. Of young children starving and sick, living in unreasonable conditions. Michael says: “As I turn up the collar of my favorite winter coat, this wind is driving me crazy, I see children on the street without enough to eat, who am I to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs." This quote is very powerful because understanding these initial concepts allows someone to understand the deeper messages within the song. The first of these revelations is Michael realizing what the world is like. He stated that he was fixing the collar of his jacket, while he sees children without coats, without even food. In his mind he sees the injustices. It is successful, which could be partly attributed to the change in skin color. All the children in this music video are black, so Jackson might think that he could most likely be in the same situation. That is if he hadn't shed his skin and become a rich, professional celebrity. We also see these points when Michael says, “I have been the victim of a selfish kind of love. It's time I realized that there aresome with no home, not even a penny to lend, could it really be me, pretending not to be alone?" Firstly, it raises the issue of children in bad situations. It can be concluded that this is a global problem and not simply territorial. Michael is realizing how cruel the world is, but also how cruel he is is understood in the passage above when he says: “If not enough to eat, who am I to be blind? needs.” And reinstated when Michael said, “could it really be me, pretending I'm not alone?” We see that Michael realizes these bad situations, but instead of helping, he tries to act as if he doesn't see them . He is literally having a hard time deciding what the correct action to take is, because he feels guilty, if he didn't he wouldn't come up with these ideas so many times us. He sees the problems, but realizes that they are not easy to solve, or simply cannot be solved. In the song, during some segments of the song, Michael's tone becomes very enthusiastic. It does this to draw the listener's attention to important words. The most obvious one in this song would definitely be the word “mirror”. Those who are familiar with this song can automatically hear the way Jackson says it. With so much enthusiasm and determination. We even find ourselves imitating this distinct pronunciation when we sing. So why would Michael do this? This makes this word stand out so frequently. It certainly serves the singer's intended purpose. This word, mirror, makes us understand that he is proclaiming ideas that he has personally had. He literally stands in front of the mirror and looks at himself. It almost forces listeners to look deeply inside themselves and think about these difficult situations that occur in our world today. Without emphasizing this word, we would not understand how internalized it is. Even though Michael doesn't do anything in the video at first. Then he realizes that if no one else is changing these situations, he should. And he realizes that the change starts with him. This text is fundamental to understanding these hidden messages. Michael states: "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change the way he does, and no message could have been clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself" , and then make a change. Change within oneself must be made before actual changes can occur. Michael is showing us that we have to be completely okay before we can do much for anyone else. In fact this is absolutely true. For example, if you see someone on the street who has no food, you cannot feed them if you also have food. We must have the ability to help ourselves and then continue to help others. Michael's thoughts are quite complex and beautiful. It really makes the audience interested in revealing their truths and beliefs. This is certainly one of the many reasons why the world fell in love with him. This song is intended to be inspiring and reflective. Michael realized and revealed that if everyone stopped worrying about themselves and greed, the world could change on its own. Sadly, I feel like he realized that this most likely wasn't going to happen. And it certainly didn't work out with his life on earth. But that doesn't mean it couldn't. Even if it would take the effort of millions of people. Towards the end he emphasizes that he encourages all of us to make changes that start with ourselves first. We can conclude with this because at the end of the song he keeps repeating the words “you” and “get up”, making it clear that he wants us to move towards this movement.