American Songs Persuasive Speech

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

     The power of song helped slaves through their dehumanized lives. They created unity in songs of religion and denounced the power their masters held over them. They were going to rebel in all facets of life. Slaves knew “that a happy slave is an extinct man” (p.33). The meanings of these songs can not be overstated. One who knew the importance of song was Frederick Douglass. “They told a tale of woe...they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the

Social Justice is a huge topic in our society. Its touches on important subjects such as labor laws, environmental rights (racism), poverty, etc. These topics are things that many people have views on whether they agree or disagree. Many artist took note of this and made songs about this and voiced what they thought was right or how they saw the act.

The 1960’s was one of the most controversial decades in American history because of not only the Vietnam War, but there was an outbreak of protests involving civil and social conditions all across college campuses. These protests have been taken to the extent where people either have died or have been seriously injured. However, during the 1960’s, America saw a popular form of art known as protest music, which responded to the social turmoil of that era, from the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam. A veritable pantheon of musicians, such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan sang their songs to encourage union organizers to protest the inequities of their time, creating a diverse variety of popular

Through songs many people express their feelings of the world threw the words they have wrote. Many songs talk about civil rights of the people and how change should be an option. In the world we live in today we have social issues that people have to face such as: police brutality, racial profiling, discrimination etc. Through Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, The Game, Bebe Winans, and N.W.A they will use their voice as a weapon for change among all people. Music with a message thrives in a live setting, for obvious reasons, and many politically conscious musicians aim to channel the heightened emotions

Freedom songs were a key element to the development of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. During mass meetings, marches, and violent confrontations, music offered an outlet for people to express their emotions and a place to draw courage from. The ability of songs to draw together communities in order to build morale and support for the movement, while reaffirming the need for a nonviolent Movement in America during this period of time, profoundly contributed to the development of protest movements across the nation. However, though freedom songs appeared in many styles during the 1960s, with songs such as “We Shall Overcome” and those associated with Black Power like “Mississippi Goddamn” appearing in the same period, the role

America has given a gift to this generation, in that gift is life, freedom, happiness, protection, and more, all crammed in that little box wrapped in silver paper and tied off with a red ribbon bow. She provides a barrier that shields the enemies from getting in the way of her citizens’ everyday lives, she doesn’t do it alone though. On that box there is a little note that reads, to the citizens of the United States from the armed forces. The military gave us that gift and they are also the prime reason that barrier is consistently there, they support that shield and keep it up over our country, they bless us with our rights and freedom, without the worrisome of not being safe. The stars and stripes represent this barrier, the braveness

Music, and particularly cultural, social, and political songs, has remained an essential facet of the longstanding tradition of uprisings and struggle for change in American culture. It is difficult to fathom the passions and purposefulness of pop culture music in the civil rights movement of the 1960s; thanks to the freedom songs, whose endeavor was to mobilize and reinforce collective participation in the civil rights campaigns, demonstrations, and protests (Stefani, 2015). The three songs from this period that exemplify popular music’s role in calling for positive change regarding civil rights included “We Shall Overcome” by Southern African American tobacco workers, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” by Freedom Singers, and “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield.

Sixteen year old America Singer lives in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which form after WWIII. While it is many girls dream to be Selected, it a nightmare for America Singer. When America Singer gets the invitation to register for the Selection, a contest to see which can win the heart of Illéaś future Prince, she dismisses it entirely. Even when her name is called, she thinks she will just be dismissed, since other women will surely have a greater desire and greater talents to become the new princess, than her. But she agreed to join the Selection for the sake of her family and a way to escaped from her boyfriend who ended the relationship. America now lives her new life in the castle and will she prepared to fight along thirty-five other

A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs. It has supported every major and minor period of progression in America. “Protest music should be viewed as a form of political persuasion since one function of many protest songs is the attempt to generate outside support for the for the critical views they express” (Mondak, Jeffery J. "Protest Music as Political Persuasion." Popular Music & Society.) The most amazing thing about protest music is that it helps people understand that they're not alone in feeling a certain way about the things going on in the world, whether on a personal or more outgoing level. Protest music shows expressions on how a person

Artists made a variety of effective songs; their purpose was to stand against how the government were treating people. Public Enemy is song “Fight the Power” really struck a chord with the nation because it was it’s about urban poverty and standing up against “the power”- the government. This at the time was a big issue in the U.S for there were many race riots. Miami had one riot that lasted three days because an African American was killed by three white police officers and they weren’t charged, for there wasn’t ‘enough’ evidence to charge them when in truth there was a video of the crime. Looking back at the song there is one line in particulars that stands out: “we got to pump the stuff to make us tough from the heart”; this basically says fight for what you believe in; the nation did they protested, started riots and caused complete chaos throughout the U.S. However due to this three people were killed and over twenty injured but it still had a huge impact for it showed that any race could stand up for they believe in.

I watched the video “Strange Fruit” which is about a song named “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday that was banned from the radio. This song was about lynching and wasn’t payed as much attention as it should have. How can a song promote social awareness and social change? A song can promote social awareness and change because the song can be heard by anyone, anywhere. Also, the good part of music is that as soon as a person becomes aware of a song they most likely go and share it with more people. Furthermore, the text mentions alternative social movements and how “They are usually issue oriented, focusing on a singular concern and seeking to change individuals behaviors in relation to that issue” (Conley, 707). This is what songs have the

I for one have to say that it is great that you found a way to relieve stress in modern jazz music. I believe that a lot of us these days need to found something like that. What helps me when I am stressed out is just go and look at illustrations from artists on Instagram and art videos on YouTube. I hope you enjoy your semester, you will be amazing.

Hello, everyone. As you know, on Monday we'll switch over to the Wheatnet system. This means that you'll not be able to do

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.