Theme Portfolio Reflection

For my theme portfolio, I chose to analyze how depression and mental illness are treated in hard rock and metal music. I chose this theme because it is a topic that I have a personal connection with, and I was interested in how the ideas and emotions that go along with depression could be conveyed poetically. The songs that I picked all treat depression as an enemy within oneself that one must battle and overcome. Some songs, like Beartooth's "In Between," stress the importance of fighting against one's depression and finding ways to keep on living, while other songs, like Breaking Benjamin's "Dear Agony," express feelings of hopelessness and dread that are often felt by those struggling with depression. All of the songs that I chose rely heavily on hyperbole and metaphor to express to the listener the powerful feelings and emotions that accompany depression. A common theme in several of the songs I chose is the idea of depression trapping the speaker withing their own mind. For example, in Stone Sour's "Through Glass," the speaker feels as though they are "sitting all alone inside [their] head." Depression is also commonly depicted as a battle between the speaker and their depression, with depression often being personified as an enemy that the speaker must defeat, as in Breaking Benjamin's "Dear Agony." In this song, depression is treated as a "faceless enemy" that the speaker must fight. Another common theme in the songs I chose is the idea that depression can completely take control of one's thoughts and emotions. For example, in The Amity Affliction's "Anchors," the speaker feels as though they will [forever be bound to the bottom of these seas," which conveys the idea that depression can often leave one feeling like there is no escape, and that they will forever be forced to live with the darkness that fills their mind. However, while many songs about depression focus on the feelings of hopelessness and sorrow that accompany mental illness, Beartooth's "In Between" focuses mainly on the need for those with depression to fight their demons and continue to keep on living. In the song, the speaker states that those with depression have to "run to higher ground while there's a chance to live," meaning that they should find ways to fight and get to a better mental state before their depression consumes them. Unlike many of the songs I chose, The Amity Affliction's "Pittsburgh" relies mainly on simile to express the emotions that accompany depression. In the song, the speaker states that their depression has left them feeling "like there's cancer in [their] blood...like there's water in [their] lungs." In this song, the speaker has reached their breaking point, and no longer feels as though they can fight their depression. After doing this assignment, I have learned that to those battling mental illness, it is not just a condition or disorder, but a battle that they must win in order to keep on living.