It's Awesome to be Different

Last year around this time my family and I went to go see the movie the Greatest Showman. I have always had a secret love for musicals and the type of music that goes on in one because of my sister. I loved every moment of this movie and I still listen to the music from time to time. The overall theme of the musical is inspiring, but in particular, the song "This is Me", hit me like no other song has before. 

"This is Me" is a song sang by Keala Settle and the ensemble of The Greatest Showman. The song is part of a album with all the songs from the movie. 

When the sharpest words wanna cut me downI'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them outI am brave, I am bruisedI am who I'm meant to be, this is meLook out 'cause here I comeAnd I'm marching on to the beat I drumI'm not scared to be seenI make no apologies, this is me

The theme of the song is that their is a place for everyone in this hateful world we live in and that being comfortable in your own skin is one of the most powerful traits a person can have. Keala Settle, plays a women who has a beard and works in a factory where she has her own station separate from all of the other women because she is different. She is then found by the main character and given the opportunity to sing in a circus. The circus becomes a place where all people who feel out of place, a place where you can look anyway you want and nothing will happen to you. The theme of the movie and the song is a awesome message to send to people because one of the hardest things to do is accept yourself for who you are, but when you do, you can truly do amazing things. 

The power of the song comes from the mixture of "negative" and "positive" words used throughout the song. For example in the above stanza, the line "I am brave, I am bruised" uses both a positive and negative word. This enhances the theme because these people have endured hate their whole lives because of their differences and that has scarred them, but this opportunity has given them a chance to express themselves and be proud of who they are. The power also comes from the sound that these people make and the power that happens when the chorus and Keala combine because even though you can't see it in the text, the sound truly makes you believe these people's lives have changed.

I included a video that captures the power of this song. 
https://youtu.be/XLFEvHWD_NE