Bevan 1

Lacey Bevan

Instructor Slye

English 1201

13 February 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of “Why” by NF

Perhaps one of the most commonly asked questions is “why?” “Why” is asked by all age

groups, from the toddler who wants another cookie to the adult who questions life decisions. NF

asks this question in his original music video “Why” made on June 18, 2018. NF wrote “Why”

because he was dealing with so much confusion. He had been on tour and all of his concerts

were completely full except for one. Despite the fact that NF had his dream of successful music

that was loved by all his fans, he was depressed. During this time, NF said that he would be

happier if he were dead (Lavin). Not only did NF question “why,” but on November 13, 2019,

Eminem asked the same question in his remix of the original song “Why” because his best friend

Proof had just died. Both NF and Eminem ask the question “why,” but for different reasons. NF

primarily uses pathos through the sound, lyrics, and setting of his music video to explain to his

audience that he is confused and depressed even though he has success. Unlike the original, the

remix music video by Eminem uses pathos through the sound, lyrics, and setting of his music

video to explain to the audience that singers go through pain just like normal people do.

When talking about the music itself, NF uses pathos by playing sad and scary sounding

music to explain to his audience that he is depressed. In the end, the music would cause his

audience to have sympathy and even be frightened by him. The kind of music that NF uses is in a

minor, or sad sounding key to get his point across that he is sad. On a similar note, Eminem uses

music that sounds more stable and depressing than the original. Eminem uses pathos in the sound
 Bevan 2

of his music to draw more sympathy from the audience. While NF’s music is more dramatic and

personal to himself, Eminem uses pathos in his music better because it is not scary sounding and

this would cause the audience to have more sympathy for Eminem than for NF.

Not only does NF and Eminem use the music to generate pathos, but they also use pathos

in their lyrics. NF uses pathos by singing about his personal experience and by using paradoxes

to show that he is confused and sad. NF says “I don’t trust the thoughts that come inside my

head, I don’t trust this thing that beats inside my chest” to explain to his audience that he is

mentally and emotionally unstable and depressed. This is a use of pathos because it is a

confession from NF about his instability and confusion. NF uses pathos by implementing

paradoxes. He says things like “I love it, then I really hate it, write somethin’ then I might erase

it” to show that he is confused about himself. This use of pathos causes the audience to realize

that NF is confused and in the end, it would spark pity from the audience. Eminem also uses

pathos in his lyrics by singing about how he reacted to the death of Proof. He brings in his pain

by saying that he stares at pictures of Proof and admits that he didn’t say “I love you” as much as

he wanted to. This is a use of pathos because it is a personal experience that Eminem faces and

the words that Eminem uses such as “I love you” are powerful words that generate sympathetic

emotions. Eminem’s remix uses pathos better because most people can relate to Eminem’s remix

which would cause a lot more sympathy than NF’s original would.

Another way that NF uses pathos is the setting that the music video is in. NF is in a dark,

messy room that has writings all over the walls and windows. NF is the only character to show

that the song is only about him and the room represents his mind and how “messy and dark” it is.

This setting uses pathos because it allows NF’s audience to see a little bit into his mind and in

the end, it causes them to be afraid of him and to feel sorry for him because he is confused and
 Bevan 3

depressed. Eminem also uses pathos in the setting by relating it to the brokenness of his life.

Eminem and NF are both the main characters in the remix to show that the song is about all

singers. The setting of the whole song is either in a dirty street, a dirty house, or a broken down

building. This is a use of pathos because it generates sympathy from the audience by relating the

broken down places to the life of singers, specifically Eminem. When using the setting to spark

emotion form the audience, NF does a better job than Eminem but only because NF is so drastic

in his setting.

In the end, NF and Eminem use pathos in their music videos but for different reasons.

While NF uses pathos best in the setting of his music video, Eminem uses pathos best in the

lyrics and the sound of the music because his words are more relatable to more people. Both NF

and Eminem question “why” for sad reasons and this is why the use of pathos is so great because

it generates sympathy for NF and for singers across America.

Works Cited

Feuerstein, Nathan. “NF - WHY.” YouTube, uploaded by Nfvevo, 17 June 2018,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuJV-DAv_wE&feature=youtu.be.

Mathers, Marshall. “Eminem feat. NF - Why.” YouTube, uploaded by Thug Life Music,
 Bevan 4

13 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVEVSDUdGrI&feature=youtu.be.

Lavin, Will. “NF | In Conversation.” YouTube, uploaded by NME, 6 Sept. 2019,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nvclo48GPI.