'Mississippi Goddam ' versus 'Dear Mr. President ' The two songs I am comparing for this comparative essay are 'Mississippi Goddam ' by Nina Simone and 'Dear Mr. President ' by Alecia Beth Moore, more commonly known to the public as P!nk. Nina Simone was born in 1933, and her musical talent was first discovered when she was only three years old, when she learned how to play the piano solely by ear. In 1964 Nina Simone released 'Mississippi Goddam ' and to this day it is known to be one of her most famous protest songs. P!nk, however, was born in 1979 and by the age of thirteen, she began singing in clubs around the local Philadelphia suburbs where she grew up. It was not until 2006 when P!nk released her song 'Dear Mr. President ' which in fact till this day was never allowed to be broadcast on television as well as the radio does, do the controversies for which the song brought up. 'Mississippi Goddam ' is a fast paced, loud, fast vocal piece with a very upbeat musical background. To which Nina Simone states in the lyrics herself, "this, is a show tune, but the show hasn 't been written for it yet." 'Dear Mr. President ', on the other hand, is a slow paced and soft-spoken song. Both artists, however, wrote their own pieces and brought about awareness of inequality and the lies that were hiding behind our nation, the United States, through their lyrics. Nina Simone performed 'Mississippi Goddam ' live are New York City 's Carnegie Hall, this song placed her in
Music has a dynamic ability of influencing emotions, from mood regulation to rumination and self-expression. The presence of political and social messages in popular music is frequently seen across cultures, in particular focusing on social issues and racism (Back, 2000, 127). This paper attempted to explore the political and social messages in popular music, more specifically it investigated the relationship between Soul music and civil rights movements in the United States.
Eunice Kathleen Waymon born February 21, 1933. She was the sixth of eight children born to John - an entertainer turned family man - and Mary Kate - who became a church minister - a poor southern black family that lived in Tryon, North Carolina.
In the Antebellum South, physician practices were often questioned for their veracity, and were frequently disregarded by both the slave owners and slaves themselves. Therefore, slaves and masters typically received medical care from the herb and root doctors living within the plantation’s boundaries. These specialty doctors were normal slaves, however, they had intimate knowledge of roots and herbs that helped cure certain diseases. Along with their practices being less painful than the cupping, leeching, lancing, and mercuralizing that a typical physician would perform, root and herb doctors were the primary medical practitioner to consult for an illness (Kiple 1-2). The incapability to trust physician’s practices forced slaves to deal with
“Originally published in 2006, Mississippi Politics quickly became the definitive work on the state’s political history, campaigns, legislative battles, and litigation, as well as how Mississippi shaped and was shaped by national and regional trends.” While the second edition of the book still shows Mississippi’s gradual change from a blue state to a red state, it also examines the aftermath of Haley Barbour’s re-election campaign in 2007 along with the 2008 presidential elections. The one thing that I found most interesting about this book has nothing to do with its contents but everything to do with the two authors Jere Nash and Andy Taggart. Jere Nash is a well known Democrat who has held many political positions including chief of
Prompt: Although the development of the Trans-Mississippi West is popularly associated with hardy individualism, it was in fact largely dependent on the federal government. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to western economic activities in the 19th century.
The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of
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
Singer. Born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. (Though many biographical sources give her birth date as 1918, her birth certificate and school records show her to have been born a year earlier.) Often referred to as the "first lady of song," Fitzgerald enjoyed a career that stretched over six decades. With her lucid intonation and a range of three octaves, she became the preeminent jazz singer of her generation, recording over 2,000 songs, selling over 40 million albums, and winning 13 Grammy Awards, including one in 1967 for Lifetime Achievement.
Over the past few years, racial tensions in America have heightened. During this period, Black America undergo the daily struggle of witnessing the killing of unarmed black men and women. Victims of these endless killings and police brutality, turned into one of many hashtags, which led to the formations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyoncé, soul singer and songwriter was viewed as the angry black woman. Solange used her platform to speak up. She became the most outspoken black artist for black activism in recent years. She embodies the image of a carefree black girl who is willing to let the world know that she is proud of her blackness.
While gathering information for this essay on Mississippi History, I was surprised to learn facts about my home state that I had never heard. Of course, I knew the basic things about Mississippi History but I did not know about the world famous people who were born in Mississippi, the Native American aspect of the history, and the Civil Rights Movement, that changed the course of the nation. Usually I would not be interested in history but Mississippi History is exiting.
Speeches and music are great ways to bring awareness to inequalities around the globe. Music created by artists can help support many causes, through their lyrics people subconsciously learn about social inequities. “Known throughout the world, Youssou N’Dour is a musical peacemaker in his native Senegal and lends his words and music to critical campaigns, such as malaria prevention programmes.” (Da Silva) Another example is Oliver Mtukudzi, a musician from Zimbabwe, who helps raise awareness of diseases by shaping his lyrics to inspire people to help his causes. Yet another example is Angelique Kidjo, an ambassador of goodwill, who helps causes like hunger by singing about them. In synopsis, music has a major effect on social inequities and can greatly help change to our society. Lastly, speeches have had the biggest impact on our society out of any genre of literature. Susan B. Anthony greatly paved a path for women's’ rights by tenaciously campaigning to get women's rights to be equal to men’s. For example, she helped women get the right to vote. Correspondingly, in The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln focused on fixing the inequality of slavery and helping colored people gain equal rights. When Martin Luther King gave the I Have A Dream speech, he completely changed social inequities by greatly decreasing racism. “Africans found a particularly poignant
In this essay I will attempt to underscore and celebrate Simone’s activist efforts through song and demonstrate the messages in the music about race, gender, and class.
Just as it was a crucial time for America in terms of politics and social issues, it was just as big for the music industry. People expressed their social opinions and political beliefs in a way that was the most true to them. Music was, and still is, a worldwide phenomenon for it has been able to take the shape of justice and to mold the minds of it’s listeners. Artists at the time had extreme social and political influence and used their defined stances on cultural issues to influence their music as well as their
While the struggle to individually survive is inherent in Toni Morrison’s Jazz, what stands out more is the way companionship helps the characters to survive. The relationships that develop within the story are potent in their effects on characters, especially Joe Trace, a fifty-three year old man struggling with a failing marriage. Trying to fulfill his own desires, he has an affair. But because he kills Dorcas, his young lover who does not truly love him, Joe finds himself isolated from his wife and the rest of society. By reestablishing his relationships and connections to people who want to truly care for him, Joe is able to make himself whole again.
Up until the late 1900?s, the American populace on the whole had assumed a very optimistic view of American history. Glossing over disgraceful events, emphasizing the brighter points in our history, our culture has attempted to ignore the obvious fact that we have had, and still have, our fair share of problems. In Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow unabashedly exposes some of the worst aspects of American life in our more recent history. Doctorow doesn?t hold back anything, providing detailed examples of human cruelty and sacrifice, and the evolution of American society. While critiquing American society was not the sole purpose of his novel, Doctorow does expose and examine many issues that people tended to ignore like