Student Question
What song represents Miss Hilly in The Help?
Quick answer:
The song "Ignorance" by Paramore represents Miss Hilly in The Help as it reflects her desire for control and domination over others. The lyrics emphasize themes of power, blame-shifting, and a lack of personal responsibility, all characteristics of Miss Hilly. The song's tone of resentment towards unjust authority mirrors the feelings of other characters like Minnie and Skeeter, who are affected by Hilly's oppressive behavior.
I would suggest the song "Ignorance" by Paramore. The lyrics talk about an individual who seeks to gain status and control through the domination and suppression of others. Certainly, this would be applicable to Hilly. Consider some of the lyrics in the song to represent Miss Hilly. The idea of having a "gavel" and a "jury" and even questioning this power is something that is applicable to Miss Hilly, who really does not have these elements but wields power as if she does. When Hilly "swears" in terms of feeling anger or frustration, it becomes the fault of another, something conveyed in the song. Hilly does not take personal responsibility for her actions, but conveniently finds someone else to blame and this is something that defines her character intensely. At the same time, I think that the tone of the song is one in which there is resentment at the condition in which one person possesses power over another. This resentment could certainly be felt by Minnie and Skeeter over the power that Hilly wields. In this, there is an understanding as to how those who dominate can be perceived and I feel that the song explores this nicely in juxtaposition to Hilly in the novel.
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