Beauty Within Us All

People listen to music for a variety of reasons. Some listen to music to relax in which it serves as a sort of escape from everyday life, some because they are a fan and follow a certain artist, and others because they can relate the lyrics to their own personal experiences. Whichever the case may be, music has and continues to serve an important role in people’s lives.

For my final essay, I chose to write about The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf and her chapters about work, sex, and hunger. These were the chapters and topics that I felt had the most impact during my reading. The first chapter, work, is about the ways in which the Beauty Myth threatens the huge steps that women have made in the workplace. Wolf discusses how women are still being held back by having to work two shifts (one being paid for by employer and another for the unpaid work done at home) compared with the single shift worked by men – still made strides; and how the introduction of a third shift, the beauty shift, serves the purpose of keeping women down by keeping them tired and preoccupied. Too tired and preoccupied to be successful at work,

Utilizing the groundwork proposed by this essay, we can expand to research other texts in which music seems to function as a form of communication. In doing so, we can study the similarities and differences between the mechanism as a way to arrive at a larger claim about the role of nonverbal communication amongst humans. With this new claim, we can begin to understand to recognize other forms of communication that may not appear as readily accessible and challenging, in order to ensure that we do not neglect the music of emotion another person may be performing in their own

Music may have proceeded speech as a form of human communication (Darwin; Mithen, cited in Thompson, Russo & Quinto 2008, p. 1468) and its place in human interaction stems from its relationship with emotional expression (Swaminathan & Schellenberg 2015, p. 189). The perception of emotion in music begins in early childhood (Dalla Bella,

From the creation of harmonies to singing to instruments, music has been an abstract form of human expression. Although an auditory collection of pitches and volumes, musicians can manipulate the same notes and bring them alive for their audiences. The true emotion and energy that’s felt in music really comes from the player as feelings are transferred to and through the listener. This interaction between performer and the house is catharsis, the complete release of strong repressed emotions. Thanks to the musician, music has the ability to grasp people and cause them to sense emotions and feelings without lyrics or images even being necessary. Although it’s believed we can only hear with our ears, something about music makes it emotionally if not physically tangible. In James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues,” a narrator certainly unaware of the impact of music invites himself to experience jazz for the first time. Baldwin uses the final scene of his story to argue that music has an effect on those who are able to experience it. Baldwin does this in one single moment by letting the fixed, practical minded, “well-intentioned” narrator experience catharsis from jazz as his growing, free-spirited brother communicates with him through jazz.

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Music, in all its complexity can be seen as a living, breathing mechanism that has the ability to sink deep down into one’s soul and create feelings of awe, excitement and wonder. Music speaks to and connects people of all cultures, backgrounds and ideologies, creating a common bond between various members of the human species. When listening to a beautifully composed piece of music, I myself cannot help but feel connected to the instruments, the artists and the composer. It has been my experience that music not only helps me learn, but also helps me grow.

Many times I have struggled to express myself. A plethora of ideas would be trapped inside my head. Sometimes I would be at a loss of words and couldn’t explain my thoughts verbally or on paper. No matter how much effort I put in, my words wandered off and I could find no method of portraying my emotions. After many failed attempts, I finally found something that could express what I feel and what I want others to feel. It’s music. Performance poet, Sekou Sundiata, is able to clearly express himself in a way where others can understand him by incorporating poetry with music. Both Sundiata and I were searching for a way to share our life experiences in a creative yet understandable format; we accomplished that through music.

Music, “…one of the most widely used and appealing forms of communication…”, is universal and used for different purposes (Root, 2005, p. 7). Among the uses are “…play or entertainment, which humans of all ages engage in to stimulate feelings of joy, tension, and interaction, and enrich their experiences by adding mental complexity, counteracting boredom and lethargy” (Root, 2005, p. 7). In addition, music expresses “…emotions such as love, sentiment, or anger” (Root, 2005, p. 7). Ultimately, it communicates values showing the reality of society and culture. Anyone listening to “a few records [helps] enrich [their] feelings, extend [their] sense of love or despair, and feed [their] fantasies or fire some real relationship” (Cooper & Haverkos,

Music is made up from rhythm and beats with notes and feelings, vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Yet, music is so much more than notes on paper, music represents movements in time, music is memories, history, connections, relaxation and escape. Many people are influenced by music they listen to. “Music is much more than mere entertainment. It has been a feature of every known human society—anthropologists and sociologists have yet to find a single culture throughout the course of human history that has not had music” (Greenberg, 2016).

Music can be a powerful emotional tool. The sweet, sober sounds of Adele’s “Someone Like You” can bring chills or even tears to listeners. In the 18th century, the emotional allure of music was no different: The quiet, reverberating notes in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 can still evoke loneliness and despair. There are few things more satisfying than yell-singing along to Nirvana when you’re angry, or skipping around the house to a Taylor Swift song after a particularly good day.

Emotions run deep within music. Music has the ability to change our moods within minutes, or even seconds. The simplest of arrangements can move us in ways that words cannot. You can see this in every period of time. Through happiness and through strife, we grow attached to the music that touches us the most. When I feel sorrowful, I listen to the music that helps repair the damage to my heart. When I feel joyous, I listen to the music that energizes my already energetic mood. No matter what I’m feeling, my emotions can be seen in the music I write and the music I listen to. Music has been and will always be a major part of life,

Imagine living in a place with a distant community and a remote connection with everyone.That place is a world without music. Music brings people together because it is a constant reminder that no matter your gender, race, religion, and culture, people everywhere are the same in spirit and in heart. Whether it is through the rhythm of a beat or lyrics from a song, music creates a bonds and trust with others. Hans Christian Anderson once stated, “Where words fail, music speaks”. For instance, today’s generation of teenagers use music as a source of comfort and also a temporary solution for depression. Young adults use the underlying meaning of lyrics to relate with one another which creates trust, builds friendships, and relationships. Artist’s

Have you ever look in the mirror and wondered whether or not you are beautiful enough? Many of us have, but you should be looking on the inside, instead. Although our society thinks of today women as a device of beauty from the outside the astonishing revelation is that beauty comes from the soul. The reasons behind the heart-touching claim are the female’s personality and religious knowledge found in the holy book, the Bible.

Thesis: Music is a unique form of sound powerful enough to manipulate mood, feelings, and cognition.