Kevin
October 28, 2021
Common Questions
Do you know the definition of poetic justice? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word poetic justice, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Literary Devices, the term poetic justice is used in literature to refer to an ideal form of justice in which good characters are rewarded and bad characters are punished by an ironic twist of fate. This is used in many different works, from King Lear by William Shakespare, Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist with My Bumble the beadle who was in charge of the orphanage, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, to Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished by the subsequent events of the story. Modern examples of poetic justice could be in The Little Mermaid with Ariel and Ursula, or Frozen with Elsa and Prince Hans. Characteristics of poetic justice include punishment for bad behavior and the main character – the protagonist – winning in the end, like you see in many Disney movies.
“Poetic Justice” is also a song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Drake from the album good kid, m.A.A.d city, produced by Scoop DeVille and Sounwave. The lyrics are below, from Genius.
[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]
Every second, every minute
Man, I swear that she can get it
Say if you a bad bitch, put your hands up high
Hands up high, hands up high
Tell ’em dim the lights down right now
Put me in the mood
I’m talkin’ about dark room, perfume, go, go
[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]
I recognize your fragrance
Hold up, you ain’t never gotta say shit
Uh, and I know your taste is
A little bit, hmm, high maintenance
Uh, everybody else basic
You live life on an everyday basis
With poetic justice, poetic justice
If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room
Would you trust it?
I mean, I write poems in these songs dedicated to you when
You’re in the mood for empathy, there’s blood in my pen
Better yet, where your friends and ’em?
I really wanna know you all
I really wanna show you off
Fuck that, pour up plenty of champagne
Cold nights when you curse this name
You called up your girlfriends
And y’all curled in that little bitty Range
I heard that she wanna go and party, she wanna go and party
Nigga, don’t approach her with that Atari
Nigga, that ain’t good game, homie, sorry
They say conversation rule a nation, I can tell
But I could never right my wrongs
‘Less I write it down for real, P.S
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
You can get it, you can get it
You can get it, you can get it
And I know just, know just, know just
Know just, know just what you want
Poetic justice, put it in a song, alright
You can get it, you can get it
You can get it, you can get it
And I know just, know just, know just
Know just, know just what you want
Poetic justice, put it in a song, alright
[Verse 2: Drake]
I really hope you play this, ’cause ol’ girl, you test my patience
With all these seductive photographs
And all these one-off vacations you’ve been takin’
Clearly a lot for me to take in, it don’t make sense
Young East African girl, you too busy fuckin’ with your other man
I was tryna put you on game, put you on a plane
Take you and your momma to the motherland
I could do it, maybe one day
When you figure out you’re gonna need someone
When you figure out it’s alright here in the city
And you don’t run from where we come from
That sound like poetic justice, poetic justice
You were so new to this life, but goddamn, you got adjusted
I mean, I write poems in these songs, dedicated to the fun sex
Your natural hair and your soft skin
And your big ass in that sundress, ooh
Good God, what you doin’ that walk for?
When I see that thing move
I just wish we would fight less and we would talk more
They say communication save relations, I can tell
But I can never right my wrongs
Unless I write ’em down for real, P.S
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
You can get it, you can get it
You can get it, you can get it
And I know just, know just, know just
Know just, know just what you want
Poetic justice, put it in a song, alright
You can get it, you can get it
You can get it, you can get it
And I know just, know just, know just
Know just, know just what you want
Poetic justice, put it in a song, alright
[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
Every time I write these words they become a taboo
Makin’ sure my punctuation curve, every letter here’s true
Livin’ my life in the margin and that metaphor was proof
I’m talkin’ poetic justice, poetic justice
If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room
Would you trust it? I mean, you need to hear this
Love is not just a verb, it’s you lookin’ in the mirror
Love is not just a verb, it’s you lookin’ for it, maybe
Call me crazy, we can both be insane
A fatal attraction is common, and what we have common is pain
I mean, you need to hear this, love is not just a verb
And I can see power steerin’, sex drive when you swerve
I want that interference, it’s coherent, I can hear it
Uh-huh, that’s your heartbeat
It either caught me or it called me, uh-huh
Read slow and you’ll find gold mines in these lines
Sincerely, yours truly, and right before you go blind, P.S
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar]
You can get it, you can get it
You can get it, you can get it
And I know just, know just, know just
Know just, know just what you want
Poetic justice, put it in a song
[Outro Skit]
“I’m gon’ ask you one more time, homie
Where is you from? Or it is a problem.”
“Ayy, you over here for Sherane, homie?”
“Yo, I don’t care who this nigga over here for
If he don’t tell me where he from, it’s a wrap! I’m sorry.”
“Hol’ up, hol’ up, hol’ up, we gon’ do it like this, okay?
I’ma tell you where I’m from, okay?
You gon’ tell me where you from, okay?
Or where your grandma stay, where your mama stay, or where your daddy stay, okay?”
“Enough with all this talkin’.”
“Matter of fact, get out the van, homie! Get out the car before I snatch you out that motherfucker, homie!”
Overall, the term poetic justice means a literary device in which the good are rewarded and the bad are punished.
