The mentor article I chose caught my attention not only because I personally think Michael Jackson was one of the greatest entertainers but because it conveyed a side of Jackson that was personal to him but expressed in his album Thriller. The author of this article went into depth about how the some of the songs on the album have harrowing, dark messages that couldn’t be masked by up-tempo beats. Jackson was very passionate about his music and he usually always seemed cheerful but he experienced a lot of distress throughout his career. But he was the type of person that didn’t let stress stop him from pleasing his fans and looking happy all the time. He also tried his best to avoid criticism from part of the world that demonstrated tons of hate towards him. In the article, the author states, “Particularly on Jackson’s own compositions, Thriller’s tense, nearly obsessive sound components lyrics that delineate a world that has put the twenty-four-year-old on the defensive.” This shows that Jackson was well aware of the hate he was receiving but in return he decided to express what he was feeling in song. So basically he wrote lyrics that made it seem as if people were out to get him and that he needs to be alert and cautious of his surroundings. In my writing, I would like to generate going into depth about specific messages the artist I chose was trying to convey. It would help if I could avoid going off topic and writing about things related to the topic instead of sticking to the topic. Also I think topics like police brutality and racial profiling would engage my audience especially if I’m basing it off of a well liked artist perspective.