Chase The Wild Thing Inside Summary and Analysis of Alessia Cara’s "Wild Things"

Where The Wild Things Are Outline

Introduction

• Establishing the idea that human beings share similarities with animals
• Introducing the concept of conformity and societal norms

Alessia Cara's "Wild Things" and Its Message

• Overview of the song "Wild Things" by Alessia Cara
• Emphasis on the song's message of embracing individuality and going against conformity

The Music Video and Its Symbolism

• Description of the music video for "Wild Things"
• Analysis of the video's symbolic elements, including animal masks and freedom-themed scenes

Society's Expectations and Conformity

• Discussion of how societal norms and expectations can be burdensome
• Examples from the song lyrics and video that challenge conformity

Youthful Rebellion and Open-Mindedness

• Exploration of the idea that younger generations are more open-minded and rebellious
• Lyrics and video scenes that portray youthful rebellion and a desire for inclusivity

Positive Impact on Society

• Discussion of the positive influence of the song and video
• How Alessia Cara's message empowers individuals to embrace their uniqueness and challenge conformity

Conclusion

• Summary of the essay's main points and the importance of embracing one's individuality

Where The Wild Things Are Essay Example

Human beings really are just animals. Unlike animals, of course, we are unique in the ways we make decisions and create things, but ultimately, we share many similarities. Like animals, we have learned to conform and adapt to the world around us to survive. One of the ways we endure is through our interactions and the relationships we create, but with each relation comes standards and norms of society we have to abide by. An excerpt from a quote by David Icke says it well: “The human race is a herd. Here we are, unique, eternal aspects of consciousness with an infinity of potential, and we have allowed ourselves to become an unthinking, unquestioning blob of conformity and uniformity”. Unfortunately, when someone risks breaking a social norm or the rooted rules of their community, society tends to exclude that person. Everyone faces a time in their life where they feel ostracized by society for something they value, believe, or do. Where they do not quite feel like they fit into the idea of what society says they should be. Alessia Cara goes against the idea of conformity in her song lyrics and music through a variety of different symbols and words to shows the importance of being true to yourself and letting out the wild thing inside.

The song “Wild Things” by singer and songwriter Alessia Cara was released on October 27th, 2015 through her first album Know-It-All, but it was not until March 7th, 2016 that the official video for the song was released after officially becoming a radio hit. The overall feeling of the video is a like an anthem to nostalgic feelings of youth and freedom. The video starts with Alessia’s narrative of where to find the wild in all of us; “To me where the wild things are is a place that exists in our minds. It’s a place of liberty and shamelessness. It can take a split second in our lifetime to find it, but once you do, you’ll be free. ” (Do I need a time she said?) After this poetic verse of words during a cannon of flashbacks with friends, the video jumps right into the song which continues to be a whirlwind of inspiring lyrics. The video begins with a group of friends joining up on a seemingly cracked metropolitan suburb street. The lyrics describe opposition to conformity while the video displays flashing scenes of this young group of people enjoying freedom by dancing, singing, running, and laughing through all sorts of scenarios whether that be on top of a car, on the beach, in the woods, on the street, or in a parking lot. Throughout the video, the group putts on masks of animal faces when Alessia sings “Find me where the wild things are” (00:01:14) and the group continues to do boisterous things on their journey of freedom such as rolling around in shopping carts in a parking lot or lighting off fireworks in the woods and on the beach. Towards the end of the video, as the group’s adventure comes to a close, they dance around a fire like animals singing “So hey, we brought our drum and this is how we dance” (00:02:44). The video ends as they reminisce their times together on a beach overlooking the water as the sun comes up, before parting ways the same way they came while Alessia narrates another description of where to find the wild spark inside. “There is a wild thing that exists in all of us. It lives in the passions and the people we love. In our subconscious thoughts, or beliefs. It’s even made a home in the darkest parts of us. But we can’t be scared of it. We have to become it”. The video encompasses two fundamental aspects of our current society: 1) the expectations of society leave a lot of pressure on young people to conform and “fit in” 2) the people of younger generations are more open-minded, free-thinkers who aspire deeply to be their own person and find people who truly understand them.

First of all, on aspect this video teaches us about society is how much conformity burdens people with the idea that everyone must follow a specific set of norms and values in order to create a positive and happy life. Social norms are inevitable, and in some ways, social norms are important to pilot appropriate behavior for specific situations such as being respectful of your parents or listening while someone else is talking. In other instances, though, conforming can be solely for the purpose of living up to certain expectations in order to not be judged, or in some cases, people choose to act like someone else just of the sake of “fitting in”. For example, there are times when in this video, Alessia tries to go against the grain by shooting down the idea that everyone needs to act the same. There are numerous lyrics where she expresses this idea such as when she sings “So gather all the rebels now, we’ll rebel-rouse and sing aloud/we don’t care what they say no way, no way/And we will leave the empty hairs to those who say we can’t sit there/We’re fine all by ourselves” (00:00:40). By singing lyrics like this constantly throughout the song, Alessia shows that it is okay not to be accepted by society as long as the person feels confident in themselves and that if they believe in themselves, they will end up finding a place they belong. She shows that the rules and standards of how people are told to live their life is not what is best for everyone. The video itself is another example shown to oppose the ideas of conformity because the people in it are depicted as the outcasts who have found a way to embrace their individuality. The people in the video have no restrictions and don’t try to conform to a specific way individual in society is supposed to act, and they don’t show any remorse for being exactly as they are like Alessia’s lyrics state: “Then leave us alone, ‘cause we don’t need your policies/We have no apologies for being” (00:02:54).

Another belief this video inspires about society is the idea that younger generations such as the notorious millennials are more open-minded to breaking out of what is expected of them, and instead of finding where they truly fit into the world. “Bow your head, they’re pious here/But you and I, we’re pioneers, we make our own rules our own room, no bias here” (00:00:27). These lyrics are just one representation that younger people in a sense are colonists of what the future will represent, and that many are choosing to leave the prejudices, discrimination, and intolerance of older generations for a more inclusive view of the world. Another thing to note from the young group of kids in the video is that there are no drugs, alcohol or other substances shown that are typically present in adolescent videos in society, which is another way Alessia makes a statement about going against conformity. Instead, the group finds their entertainment in taking photos, drawing, singing, and dancing in ways that may be quirky to some (like prancing around in animal masks), but express who they are rather than who society wants them to be. This video definitely represents a coming-of-age story of young people who want to show that they will not be forgotten. “We will carve our place into time and space/we will find our way, or we’ll make a way” (00:02:27). This is another statement of a young generation who plans to sculpt a new social standard at any cost, and who do not want to be forgotten because each of their differences makes them unique.

The overall idea behind the video “Wild Things” generally has a positive benefit to society for the most part. This is because it teaches people that it is okay to be a bit on the wild side by not conforming and that they can be anything they imagine. People can relate to Alessia Cara and her music because she speaks from the heart, is inspirational, and dealing with social acceptance is something that everyone deals with at some point in their life, but especially at an adolescent age. Dealing with expectations of society can be very stressful, but luckily younger generations are fighting back against conformity while being empowered by songs like “Wild Things”. Although there are some benefits to social norms and values, it is important that every person also creates a way to express their individuality without being judged. Ultimately, Alessia Cara shows that choosing your own path is important even if it means straying away from the crowd and sometimes finding your wild side is the best way to do just that.