Golden door

The text under study is the lyrics of Alicia Keys’ song: ‘Empire State of mind’. In her song, Alicia Keys mentions a lot of places of New York, such as Brooklyn, Broadway, streets and avenues, Harlem… Then, she says that her town is noisy and loud because there are sirens all around in New York. Moreover, she describes the city as being very busy, with ‘ladies working so hard’, ‘preachers praying to God’, ‘hail a gipsy cab’, ‘seeing her face in lights’, ‘grow up’ and many other actions.

She uses several adjectives to describe the city, but most adjectives are meliorative: “famous”, “pretty’, “big dream, big city”. Only a few adjectives are less positive: ‘the streets are mean’, ‘noise is always loud’, ‘empty fridge’.

She compares New York to a concrete jungle because of all the buildings of the city, and she says that ‘there is no place in the world that can compare’. The city never sleeps because there are ‘street lights’, ‘there ain’t never a curfew’.

The city is described as being a multicultural city, with the words ‘melting pot’, ‘rock’…

She thiThe text under study is the lyrics of Alicia Keys’ song: ‘Empire State of mind’. In her song, Alicia Keys mentions a lot of places of New York, such as Brooklyn, Broadway, streets and avenues, Harlem… Then, she says that her town is noisy and loud because there are sirens all around in New York. Moreover, she describes the city as being very busy, with ‘ladies working so hard’, ‘preachers praying to God’, ‘hail a gipsy cab’, ‘seeing her face in lights’, ‘grow up’ and many other actions.

She uses several adjectives to describe the city, but most adjectives are meliorative: “famous”, “pretty’, “big dream, big city”. Only a few adjectives are less positive: ‘the streets are mean’, ‘noise is always loud’, ‘empty fridge’.

She compares New York to a concrete jungle because of all the buildings of the city, and she says that ‘there is no place in the world that can compare’. The city never sleeps because there are ‘street lights’, ‘there ain’t never a curfew’.

The city is described as being a multicultural city, with the words ‘melting pot’, ‘rock’…

She thinks New York is a city full of opportunities and success. For example, she says: ‘seeing my name on marquees’, ‘there is nothing you can’t do’.

From the song, we understand that the narrator comes from Harlem, but she has managed to make her way down Broadway, and see her name on marquees. She is a product of success.nks New York is a city full of opportunities and success. For example, she says: ‘seeing my name on marquees’, ‘there is nothing you can’t do’.

From the song, we understand that the narrator comes from Harlem, but she has managed to make her way down Broadway, and see her name on marquees. She is a product of success.

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