Comparison of 'Harakiri' and 'Butterfly' by Serj Tankian

How do the texts conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose? ‘Harakiri’ and ‘Butterfly’ are both songs that display a prominent eco-friendly message, inspiring their target audience of teenagers and young adults, who feel that they have the energy and motivation to make a difference to the world, and save the environment. They both discuss the repercussions of harming the environment in their own unique ways. ‘Harakiri’ is more explicit in its method of indicating the meaning behind the song, “The blackbirds/ they fell in thousands from the sky”, whereas ‘Butterfly’ is more implicit in its execution, “children outcry, grandfather sky”. Nevertheless, both songs accentuate the meaning in a very thought-provoking manner. The tones used in both songs are quite similar as they both fall under the genre of rock. They are both upbeat so that they can appeal more to the audience, but not too heavy so that the lyrics do not become incomprehensible. This is to maximize the effectiveness of the message as a whole, and allow far more people to reflect upon their responsibilities that they have on our planet, according to the environment. However, ‘Harakiri’ is far more consistent, in that the intensity of the tone varies rather regularly. This is to symbolize the life/death cycle that is ever so prominent within our planet. The intensity picks up at the chorus “They crowned the sun” which signifies daytime, which can be associated with life itself. This is in contrast to the more somber mood of the verses “Born to die” which embodies the night, or death as part of a natural cycle. However, this juxtaposes the subject matter of the song, which illustrates the demise of many thousands of creatures at once, “The drumfish/ they beached themselves in Harakiri.” On the other hand, ‘Butterfly’ shifts its intensity in a less coherent fashion. “Spare me the night…” is of a different intensity to the rest of the chorus, “We are being sacrificed…” and also to the verses which are of a more solemn mood. This ever-changing alteration in tone and intensity represents the abrupt nature of climate change and how often natural disaster can occur. This causes the audience to reflect upon the severe consequences that climate change can have on the earth and urges them to take action and try to make a difference. Furthermore, both songs implement techniques such as rhyme to emphasize the effect of global warming and climate change. ‘Harakiri’ rhymes the word “Die” more often than other words within the song, because death is a very pronounced theme within the song. The rhyming of the word “die”, especially in the chorus, highlights the turmoil created by climate change. This allows the audience to realize the importance of death as the topic in this song. Alternatively, ‘Butterfly’ implements far more rhymes within its structure than ‘Harakiri’, as the entire song is an extended metaphor and therefore must be highlighted in order to have the lyrics stand out for the audience. This invokes thought within the listener, thus leaving a more lasting impression. Likewise, rhyme helps accentuate the song, allowing it to appeal more to people willing to listen. “Submission”, “Inhibition” and “Prohibition” are rhymes that are in the chorus as they stand out to the listener. These three words follow the rule of three, and consequently create a higher sense of importance for themselves. This in turn causes the audience to empathize with the oppressed “Butterfly” that may not have long to live in a world that is becoming destroyed day after day, as “Oceans calcify”. The listener would want to prevent the “Prohibition” that would be enforced upon them due to climate change. This is a deviation to the conventions of a regular song, as the rhyme involved in other songs would not normally be as clever in its execution as this one, as this song implements rhyme as part of the rule of three. Ultimately, both songs share the same views since they are both by the same artist. However, ‘Butterfly’ deviates more from the average conventions of songwriting, since the tone and structure varies widely within the four minutes in which the song is played, and the rhyme scheme used is cleverer in its implementation than normal songs. ‘Harakiri’, in comparison is far more conformed to the norm imposed upon by other songs of the same genre, due to a more consistent structure and tone, and regular rhyme scheme. In any case, both songs portray the idea of conserving the environment quite well, and the genre in which the message is displayed is quite widely known and appreciated. In comparison to songs of more mainstream genres, both songs are able to be valued more successfully, due to the fact that more thought and effort has gone into the creation of ‘Harakiri’ and ‘Butterfly’ than into mainstream pop hits.