Firework: A Rhetorical Analysis

Imagine a time in your life where you felt unhappy. Were you anxious or uncertain of your future? Were you disappointed with the direction your life has taken you? As portrayed in Katy Perry’s music video, “Firework,” feelings of despair, hopelessness, and insecurity are common emotions we all share as humans from time to time. From a child battling cancer in the hospital, a young girl struggling with insecurities at a pool party, and two homosexual men afraid to share their sexualities, this music video depicts various hardships one may be forced to face throughout their life. Despite the difficulty of their circumstances, each individual discovers a way to ignite their “inner firework”, which gives them the strength and courage to stand up for themselves and live their lives authentically. Through the use of meaningful lyrics, her powerful influence in society, and timely, captivating visuals, Katy Perry effectively instills ideas of self-love, confidence, and resilience in listeners in her music video “Firework”.

Standing in a floor-length, sparkly dress, the music video begins with Katy Perry singing directly to the camera addressing a specific audience. She lyrically addresses anyone who has experienced “wanting to start again” or feeling “already buried deep” in their current struggles. People who can relate to these emotions are the target audience for this piece. Perry wants to spread a positive message by showing that although life isn’t always fair, every person has the power to overcome adversities inside of them. Those listening to Perry’s song can take away that with a positive mindset, personal acceptance and peace are attainable goals.

Perry uses a variety of rhetorical appeals to convey these powerful messages to her audience. First and foremost, her tremendous influence in current pop culture validates her credibility as a reliable source for sharing these intimate notions. With over 107 million followers, Perry is one of the most followed celebrities on Twitter. Throughout the music video, we see Katy Perry singing directly to the listeners, telling us that we are all fireworks in our own way. The final scene of the music video shows her standing in the middle of a large crowd of dancing people who seem to admire and respect her. Katy Perry is undoubtedly an influential icon which allows her message to be well received by her fans as well as the general public.

Logically, the “Firework” video persuades the viewer to want to become self-empowered. We are flooded with optimistic images of fireworks shooting out of the chests of those who bypass personal roadblocks and stick up for themselves. Watching the two men finally pursue a relationship and seeing the young girl jump into the pool despite her insecurities are two breathtaking moments in the video. The viewer is consumed by the pure joy and lively, upbeat atmosphere surrounding these individuals after they finally overcome their fears. Katy Perry can also be seen with colorful fireworks exploding from her heart and a huge smile on her face. Why wouldn’t we want to experience this same feeling of euphoria? Naturally, viewers will come to understand that following the brave actions of those in the video will allow them to obtain the same level of happiness in their own lives.

In terms of timeliness, Katy Perry’s release of “Firework” coincided with the launch of the “It Gets Better” campaign in 2010. This campaign, which advocates support for members of the  LGBT community who have been bullied, was one that Perry supported very publicly. Dedicating the “Firework” music video to the campaign via Twitter, she tweeted, “I am officially dedicating my new video to #itgetsbetter, because everyone has the spark to be a FIREWORK” (Perry). This dedication allowed the “It Gets Better” campaign to receive a lot of publicity as the music video was widely anticipated at the time of its release.

Overall, the music video emphatically appeals to the emotions of viewers. Through the use of explosive colors, vivid imagery, and darker scenes revealing troubling scenarios, the video truly invokes an array of emotions in the short four minutes of film. Visually, several of Molly Bang’s Principles of Design are evident. Principle 2 states that “Vertical shapes rebel against Earth’s gravity. They imply energy and a reaching towards heights or the heavens” (Bang 229). A recurrent visual throughout the video was that of fireworks shooting out from people’s chests and radiating upwards. This visual implies a lot of energy and excitement in the motion of the fireworks and relates back to the special meaning behind the bursts of light. Secondly, Principle 8 mentions that “The larger an object is in a picture, the stronger it feels.” (Bang 239). This idea can be applied to the ending scene of the music video, when the camera pans out to reveal hundreds of huge fireworks flooding the night sky. The fireworks are so large they overtake the screen, which reiterates the importance of the firework’s symbolism.

Another rhetorical element seen in the music video is representation. In the words of Sturken and Cartwright, “Over time, images have been used to represent, make meaning of, and convey various sentiments about nature, society, and culture…” (Sturken and Cartwright 245). The appearance of fireworks flashing across the Budapest skyline is a very dynamic image. We can connect this strong imagery with feelings of empowerment, bravery, and freedom – all of which are themes of the Fourth of July. Katy Perry also alludes to the patriotic holiday lyrically, singing “Just own the night like the Fourth of July”. This overlap between the messages and meanings of the holiday with the song allows us to further understand the message Katy Perry was trying to share with the audience.

It is evident that Perry’s attempt to convey themes of self-acceptance, love, and confidence was undoubtedly successful in her “Firework” music video. Due to the inspirational lyrics, her powerful stance as a pop culture icon, and the enchanting imagery, her compelling message was well received by many around the world. “Firework” portrays strong examples of how having the right mindset can make even the worst situations a little brighter, just as fireworks can illuminate even the darkest night sky.

Author’s Note:

This piece was one of my favorites to create for several reasons. First of all, who doesn’t love Katy Perry?! In this essay, I decided to dive deeper than the surface to recognize various rhetorical elements present in Perry’s “Firework” music video. After this assignment, I came to understand how often rhetorical devices are used in our society, especially in pop culture and advertisements. Identifying these devices and different principles of design in “Firework” was an engaging but relatively simple task. I included several hyperlinks that provide more context for the reader, such as the link to Katy Perry’s Wikipedia biography and the screenshot of her Twitter profile. The gif also allows the reader to better visualize the ideas I discuss throughout the paper. Lastly, I also felt it was important to embed the “Firework” music video within the post ( for obvious reasons ☺).