Patar Simbolon : Family Life Portrayal Viewed From Eminem’s Selected Lyrics, 2009. USU Repository © 2009
the greatest influence for him in writing lyrics. Toure, in his interview with Eminem for Rolling Stone magazine issue 962 wrote that:
In the song, Eminem introspectively examines his life reflecting on such topics as his troubled childhood, marital conflicts and
resentful feud with his mother. Toure, 2004: 56
His father, mother, wife and daughter take part in Eminem’s process of writing the lyrics. They are Eminem’s inspiration. They appear in the selected lyrics that portray
family life relationship. Eminem’s feeling toward them are portrayed and described in the lyrics. So, the analysis will be performed by describing the kind of relationship of
Eminem with his family members; his father, mother, wife and daughter.
III. 1 SOURCE OF THE DATA
The data are taken from the sources like books, internet articles, notes, commentaries, written interviews or everything related to the focus of the thesis. Based
on the contents, these sources are divided into two parts, they are primary data and secondary data.
III.1.1 Primary Data Eminem’s selected lyrics and his biography are treated as the primary data. The
selected lyrics provide the elements that will be analyzed. In those lyrics, the portrayal of the family life relationship of Eminem will be found. And those contents of the lyrics will
be connected with the truth in his real life through his biography. Those lyrics and Eminem’s biography, together, provide the main data which are needed in analyzing the
thesis. The appearance of his father, mother, wife and his daughter in those lyrics, and
Patar Simbolon : Family Life Portrayal Viewed From Eminem’s Selected Lyrics, 2009. USU Repository © 2009
Eminem’s expression of feeling toward them will be treated as the main source of the data to be analyzed to describe the portrayal of Eminem’s relationship with them.
Since the analysis is also to find the influence of Eminem’s real life in writing his lyrics, this thesis will be analyzed by the biographical approach, which means to seek the
similarities between his real life and his lyrics. Eminem’s biography will be regarded as the foundation of the analysis, and the portrayal of family life relationship will be
conducted to the analysis of his selected lyrics, which are Evil Deeds, Cleaning Out My Closet, Kim, Jealousy Woes, When I’m Gone and Mockingbird. The analysis will be the
description of the kind of relationship between Eminem and his father, mother, wife and daughter. Those relationship will reveal family life portrayal of Eminem in his selected
lyrics.
III.1.2 Secondary Data To support the primary data, the secondary data are needed for a better and more
complete analysis. The sources that are treated as the secondary data are the commentaries, interviews, article, journal, notes that are related to the focus of the
analysis. Eminem Not A Mama’s Boy by Jeffry Fernando 2006, Toure interviews in Rolling Stone magazine 2004, Haiklip Eminem special edition 2003 and his other
lyrics are some of the secondary data. Those sources will be used to support in analyzing Eminem’s family life
relationship in his selected lyrics. An internet explorer source is also conducted as the additional data for the analysis. These all are intended to fulfill a reliable source of data
and achieve a precise analysis.
Patar Simbolon : Family Life Portrayal Viewed From Eminem’s Selected Lyrics, 2009. USU Repository © 2009
III. 2 DATA COLLECTING PROCEDURE
