Chromatic Thought: Finding Freedom while Working for the Knife
Emma Paulini, Pomona ’22Medium: Podcast
Have you ever noticed how music can ignite this glorious feeling of freedom inside yourself? Produced to explore public philosophy within Professor Ellie Anderson's Existentialism class, I created this podcast episode to engage with the philosophical undertones of a favorite musical artist, Mitski. In this episode, I analyze the singer-songwriter's latest piece, "Working for the Knife," under an existential lens, delving into the lyrics to take a close look at the song's ideas of freedom according to the French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Despite Mitski's lamentation of the harsh realities of life, her song's themes and motifs express an approach towards an existential sense of freedom.