Teresa Calcano

Oct. 24, 2022

Prof. Rice-Evans

Rhetorical Analysis of the song “Gasoline” by The Weekend

• The Weekend used ethos in the lines “And I love it when you watch me sleep/ You spin me ’round so I can breathe /It’s only safe for you and me/ I know you won’t let me OD”. The purpose of the author’s writing is for the audience to understand his actions as to why he is staying in the relationship. In addition to his partner watching him sleep, he feels safe and comfortable with her, as she saves him from overdosing on drugs. The intended audience is people who have not lived that addictive lifestyle. The context influenced the author to persuade the audience of the benefits he gets from the drugs and the relationship. 

• The phrase “It’s 5 AM” of the two verses contains an anaphora. The purpose of the weekend is to show his addiction is causing him to get high over and over again to cope with his pain. The intended audience for this is people who live this lifestyle, helping others to understand the consequences of this bad habit. The setting influenced the author to make these choices in the 80s when pop music and dancing were popular, the author wants to show the behind the senses or impact the lifestyle can take you. 

• Pathos is used in the line “And if I finally die in peace/ Just wrap my body in these sheets (Sheets)/ And pour out the gasolinе/ It don’t mean much to me”. In my opinion, this makes the audience sympathize with the weekend due to their lack of concern for death. “The only thing I understand is the zero-sum of tenderness” also contains pathos. Despite not receiving any reward in the relationship, this line can evoke empathy for the partner as it is one-sided. The purpose of this is to show the overwhelming effect it brings to the partner. In order to address people who are in co-dependent relationships and are often the fixers, the author clearly shows the audience who are fixers that this is not love, it’s unhealthy, and it’s not worth fixing your partner in the end.