Baskerville 1

Janae Baskerville

Professor Bush

College writing I

5 October 2022

Kanye West, the creator of multiple record breaking albums, in his short film “Runaway”,

gives context to Kanye West himself. Wests’ film has multiple meanings, some you’d have to

read in between the lines for. This film itself is to symbolically depict West. Consisting on his

views, faults, and perspective in general. He (artistically) lays himself out and visualizes how out

of place he felt in the world. He also had a misconception of what being a celebrity is, and the

reality is daunting. This all has him torn between who he was vs who he was expected to be. This

film is also heavy in symbolism of phoenix, griffins, and how it all ties back to himself and

running away from a lifestyle while running into one and being tethered feeling as if he cannot

obtain either while needing both. I believe West writes for an audience willing to be open minded

with this film. West has been through his fair share of controversies but this film was made to

give context to so much of him.

1. Misconception of what being a celebrity is

There are many explosion scenes in this film, and at first it's depicted to make the audience

believe there was a car crash. If that was the case, why are there multiple explosions in this film?

The explosion (as everything else has been so far) is how West chose to show the deception of

what being a celebrity is like. The explosion seems to be a signification of something new and

powerful, but in the end it does just mean destruction.

In the fourth scene, it shows a young child running through darkness with a red flare wearing all

red. This child was placed to be a representation of Wests’ inner child and realizing all of this

power in music and basking in the joy of life. This scene was made to be celebratory of the

Phoenix having her power restored (meaning Wests’ career was restored), but there are subtle

touches of darkness. There’s God and the devil, men in red KKK masks, and other famous

artists. In the end you can see the young child in the KKK mask himself. West is in this little

battle between who he is (the young child who basks in the joy of life and music) and what he is

wanted to be.

1. His feeling out of place on this earth, was torn between who he was vs who he was

depicted/expected to be.

The initial crash was to symbolize the Taylor swift incident. The very first scene was portrayed

to show a car crash. Griffin was going so fast and not acknowledging anything around him, and

then he crashed and burned. Many critics believe that the car crash symbolizes the Taylor Swift

incident. To give context to the audience, Taylor was winning an award, West goes on the stage

grabs the mic and says Beyonce deserved it more. West was going too fast, and that incident

caused him to crash and need to nurture his career. Other critics believe it was to remake the

nearly fatal car crash West got into in 2002.

In the second scene, the Phoenix is walking around the area with the animals. The phoenix is

seeing what approaches work best and how they react to them. The animals represent Wests’

audience, and West testing new things out with them. Some of these animals are also shown in

the first scene, watching Griffin go too fast for his own good. West is a very aware man, and in
 Baskerville 3

general he is aware. So he is very aware of his audience viewing him disappointingly during his

worse states.

At the end of this scene, the Phoenix wakes up and is watching TV. The news was covering the

story of her crashing down, but instead painted it as a meteor because that's what fit the best and

would make the best news. West turns off the TV and says “First rule in this world baby – don’t

pay attention to anything you see in the news.” This was in reference to West constantly painted

poorly in the news and growing a following of people who really don’t like him because of it,

despite them not knowing his side or him at all (musically and personally.)

1. The symbolism of phoenix, griffin, and how it all ties back to himself and running away

from a lifestyle while running into one and being tethered feeling as if he cannot obtain

either while needing both.

Disclaimer, both the Phoenix and the Griffin are meant to be West, just the two polarizing sides

of him.

Phoenix represents rebirth and living and learning, needing to burn to encompass that a new start

is coming. The phoenix is meant to embody Kanye’s lighter side, the more “new to the scene”

side of him that is more creative, instinctive, and just softer in general.

West himself said. “It definitely relates to everything that I’ve been through, like, burning to

ashes and rebuilding and becoming a better person and delivering a better product.

Just like a Phoenix, a Griffin is mythological too. Instead of symbolizing rebirth, the Griffin

represents power. Despite being power(ful), West feels as though he needs some interpersonal

revival. That’s where the Phoenix comes in.

When the Phoenix comes to the Griffin's world, it is weak and unconscious. The griffin is

painted a “hero” for “saving” the phoenix, and his composure gives off a very powerful vibe.

Griffin places the Phoenix in a beautiful botanical atmosphere, to expand her creativity. This is a

tie back to Wests’ interpersonal revival and relearning the way he was made. Later on, he is seen

playing around with pieces from the song power, and the Phoenix twitching. Griffins represent

power, and it was as if he was “pouring the power” into the weakened Phoenix. As though he is

using her as a muse for music, and making the music to strengthen her.

It seemed as though the Phoenix didn’t belong in Griffin's world. The phoenix was so bright as

the rest of the world and the characters in it were dim. This was a play on how isolated West

feels in the presence of artists that aren’t remotely as gifted as him. .