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Joshua Wallin

Hammond

Period 4

October 26, 2018

Red Essay

Love can be very good and very bad at different point in a relationship. Taylor Swift, a

well known pop figure, experienced this and wrote about it in the song “Red”. In the song “Red”

by Taylor Swift, she uses figurative language to convey her idea about love being very fast and

dangerous, having consequence and is passionate.

One way Swift uses symbolism to show how love is very fast and dangerous is when she

says,”Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street.”(Swift 1) This shows

that her love was moving very fast because she is using a Maserati, which is fast, to represent her

love. This quote is also a simile. It is a simile because it uses the word “like” to compare her

love, which is as fast as a Maserati, to a dead end street. This is portraying that their love was

going nowhere and isn’t going to get either one of them any further in life. Another quote that

proves that Swift thought that love was fast and dangerous is when she says,”Faster than the

wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly.”(Swift 2) This shows that their relationship escalated

very quickly and that there was many consequences for the actions she had in that relationship.

This also shows that their relationship ended very abruptly due to it moving fast and having

consequences.

Another way Swift uses figurative language to portray her idea about love having

consequences, is by utilizing similes. One simile that demonstrates this within the song is when
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she says,”Fighting him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there’s no right

answer.”(Swift 12) This quote shows that they had a dysfunctional relationship which got them

nowhere in their lives. This was also dangerous for both of them. This quote also shows that they

were not meant to be because they did not learn anything from their arguments. Another

metaphor that reveals that her idea about love being dangerous is when she says,”Faster than the

wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly.”(Swift 2) This metaphor portrays that their

relationship was moving very fast. Also “passionate as sin” means that there are many

punishments or consequences for their actions in that relationship.

Another way that Swift uses figurative language to show how her love is very passionate

is by using similes and metaphors. One simile that proves that she thought that love was very

passionate is when she says,”Touching him was like realizing that all you ever wanted was right

there in front of you.”(Swift 10) This shows that she was very happy or delighted with her

relationship. It also shows that she was very passionate about her relationship because she had

gotten something that she feels like she doesn’t deserve and she wants to take care of it. Another

metaphor that shows that Swift’s love was very passionate is when she says,”Memorizing him

was like knowing all the words to your old favorite song.”(Swift 11) This simile portrays that she

wanted to get to know him very well It also shows that Swift wanted to be around him and listen

to what he has to say all the time.

In conclusion, Swift utilizes figurative language in many ways to show how her love is

very good but can be dangerous at times. Swift has shown that her love is very fast and

dangerous, having consequences and is passionate.