Semantic and Rhetorical Construction of Resilience in Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”

Abstract

This study examines how semantic and rhetorical strategies construct the theme of resilience in Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off (Taylor’s Version).” Using a qualitative descriptive method grounded in Leech’s (1981) theory of meaning and Ullmann’s (1962) semantic theory, the study identifies fifteen data items drawn from the song’s verses, pre-choruses, chorus, interlude, and bridge. The data were analyzed for lexical and contextual meaning as well as for the rhetorical structures—repetition, parallel structure, contrast, metaphor, personification, reported speech, and direct address—that shape those meanings. The findings show that resilience in the song is constructed progressively: the speaker first acknowledges external judgment, then expresses persistence and internal reassurance, followed by declarations of independence and composure, and finally extends this resilience outward through direct address to the listener and a concrete narrative application. The study concludes that resilience in the song is not encoded in a single word but distributed across a network of lexical items and rhetorical devices that together construct an active, self-directed, and socially aware response to criticism. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on the semantic analysis of contemporary song lyrics as a form of resilience discourse.