Despite someones taste in music, their age, nationality, or race, everyone i sound to know the famous rapper Eminem. He is one of the most controversial rappers out there. Some people are eagerly awaiting for him to release his next music, while some hope to never see his name on the charts again. My favorite song by Eminem is "When I'm Gone" because of the story he tells, he is one the few rappers who actually talks about something other than sex, drugs, and alcohol. This song is about Eminem's career and his daughter. He is a struggling artist who is having to take any gig he gets, but him being away from his family all the time is tearing his family apart. This music video helps understand the thoughts going through Eminem's head based on the symbolism and visuals.

Symbolism plays a large role in obtaining a complete understanding of this music video. The first strong sense of symbolism in the video is when "[Hailie]'s piling boxes in front of the door trying to block it." These boxes that  she is putting up symbolize her feelings toward her fathers situation and wanting him to stay home and stop leaving all the time. Since Eminem is such a famous rapper he is rarely home with paid a large toll on his family. Later on in the music video it shows Hailie screaming, "Daddy it's me, help mommy her wrists are bleeding!" Hail saying that symbolizes the pain that Eminem has brought to his family in the past. Back in 2001 his wife, Kim, actually attempted suicide by trying to slit her wrists. Maybe the fear of this happening again is in Eminem's mind. This causes his mind to race through the past, even the beat at that part sounds like a heartbeat when someone is nervous, very strong. Eminem then sings, "I turn around, find a gun on the ground, cock it. Put it to my brain, and scream, "DIE SHADY!" and pop it", he is looking in the mirror and he is slim shady but in reality he marshal fathers just wearing street clothes. He then continues to punch the mirror shattering the image. That symbolizes him ending his slim shady persona or at the very least putting Marshall Mathers first. The real Marshall is recognized by his natural hair color and street clothes, while the famous rapper is that blonde, nicely dressed Eminem we all know. By doing that he shows that he understands the pain he has caused and wants to put his family over his career. Symbolism plays a large role in the interpretation of the video, but so does shadowing and light.

The shadowing and light really helps set the mood at different parts of the video. The first instance is when Hailie is putting the boxes in front of the door. You can see the boxes are kind of dark but there is a lot of light coming through the boxes which could represent and fame for Eminem but his daughter is trying to stop him, which is evident because she's saying, "Daddy please, Daddy don't leave, Daddy - no stop it!". Another part where shadowing plays a large role is the shadows in the gym at the beginning. The room itself is pretty dark which can represent dreariness since it is some type of AA meeting or something and they are all talking about rough times in their life.

Another strong visual effect that helps with interpretation is proximity. This is present when Hailie shows up at the end of the concert. It seems as if she is visually getting further and further away from Eminem. This could represent how their relationship is and the more Eminem is one the stage the more distant they get from each other. When the song goes, "Goes in her pocket, pulls out a tiny necklace locket. It's got a picture, "this'll keep you safe Daddy take it witcha," it really show how distant they are growing apart and it seems as if Hailie just doesn't care anymore.

Lastly, Coloring plays a huge role in the video. The first instance we see is the color of Hailie's overall when she first walks up to her dad at the beginning after he says, "When they know they're your heart. And you know you were their armour. And you will destroy anyone who would try to harm her." Her overalls are red which symbolizes feelings of love, boldness, and even life. So, it can show Eminem's love for her daughter. In that same scene Eminem can be seen wearing a white t-shirt and a black do-rag. The white shirt seems like it may represent a pure and loving heart but the black do-rag shows that he has misery or gloomy in his mind because of everything going one. He has good intentions but isn't making the correct choices. Lastly, the coloring of the gym at the very beginning is faint but noticeable. The background seems like there is a green haze which represents safety and growth since they are in some kind of AA meeting or rehab meeting. They are trying to grow and become better people in a safe environment. These are some ways Color can help with the interoperation of this music video.

All in all, Symbolism and visuals played a large role in the understanding of this music video. They really help you understand what is going on in Eminem's life and with his family. That is the reason he is one of my favorite rappers, because a lot of the time he raps with a purpose not just talk about all the money and drugs. He really explains his family situation especially in this song, talking about the difficulties of being a celebrity.

