Medducation: Language, Literature & Life
The creator of this video, while she may seem a bit 'vacant', is actually a very talented linguistics student who is imitating this genre of music video. The way she breaks the song down figurative comparison by figurative comparison, explaining how each works and linking the literal and figurative meanings together is exactly how you should approach analysis.
Basic Definition and Great Examples of BAD Similes
Simile School - The Social Barriers of Not 'Getting it'
Simile in Rap
(or 'hip hop' if you were born before 1990)
This video demonstrates two key concepts simultaneously. He explores how simile is used in this particular music form and he also exposes many of the standard components of a standard rap song.
This one should be used by people mature enough to handle some of the standard language you find in rap.
Great Figurative Analysis is Literally "Like a G-6"
Sometimes English classes focus so much on definitions and fictional stories that people miss why what we are studying actually matters in life. Figurative language is one of the most crucial things to be able to both understand how to decode and understand how to use effectively. This video is obviously ridiculous, but it does do a good job of emphasizing just how much all aspects of language (even small talk) are based heavily on figurative comparisons like similes.