“If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce Knowles is an example of poor relationships in today’s society. In this case the women is blaming the man in how he negatively treats her. She uses concrete images to play out normal situations of how this specific boy acts, “I’d roll out of bed in the morning and throw on what I wanted and go drink beer with the guys.” Later in the poem/lyrics you find that Beyonce feels that how men treat women is unacceptable and as she says, “I swear I’d be a better man.” The line, “but you’re just a boy” is repeated consistently both at the beginning and end of many stanzas. A shift in tone occurs too when the text changes from “if I” to “you” because the speaker is talking directly to the “boy.” The repetition creates not only a rhythm, but a theme to the poem as a whole. This poem represents a stereotype for childish relationships blamed mainly on the male figure.
In “If I was your girlfriend” by prince plays polar opposite to the the stereotype given in “If I were a boy.” The speaker has his girlfriend and yes, he cares about sex, but wants their relationship to have a deeper meaning as well. Men are often seen through a lens that depicts them as lazy and uninterested as Beyonce’s song very clearly presents. However, when you are in love there is more than simply sex. “Would you let me wash your hair. Could I make you breakfast sometime?” This quote is an example of the speaker wanting to enjoy the little, simple things with his girlfriend—to be her more than her boyfriend, but also her friend. “If I was your girlfriend” is repeated twice in two different stanzas standing alone. This represents the importance in the tone of the speaker—how he is so badly wants to make their relationship deeper than the surface. Also, Prince uses lots of questions in this poem to stress the desire and want within the speaker. Both poems/songs show what relationships can be, but what they could be if you gave them a chance.
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