My Song Of Choice (Make Me Wanna Holler) By Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye was an artist in the 60’s and 70’s, and was a civil rights activist. His songs held words of freedom. For ex. in “What’s Going On,”, “Mother, mother- There's too many of you crying- Brother, brother, brother- There's far too many of you dying- You know we've got to find a way- To bring some lovin' here today, eheh,” Here he says that the ‘mothers’ are crying because during the time of the Vietnam when their sons left to Vietnam, usually because if they died they wouldn’t be able to bury them. The U.S. government would draft the men that were older than 18, in this case Marvin’s brother. That is why he mentions, “Brother, brother, brother- There's far too many of you dying.” This is some general information about why our times are

Success and happiness is something everyone should want in their life. I’m sure most people are familiar with the songs “My wish” by Rascal Flatts and “I hope you dance” by Lee Ann Womack. Both of these songs are saying to give confidence and never give up on the the things you love. “I Hope You Dance” and “My Wish” are very alike in a sense that they are both about going somewhere in life and being happy, but there are a few differences that are hard to recognize.

The United States is the home of the free, and the land of opportunity. People from places all around the world come to the United States to give themselves, or their families a chance at a better life. People of all races and backgrounds have come for freedom and equality since the land was “discovered”. However, In Leonard Peltier’s Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance, he emphasizes the repulsive ways of the American Justice system and the desire the Native Americans have for that same freedom and equality in today’s society. In the novel, Peltier shows the American life that still suffers from the dilemma of racial inequality against Native Americans. He shines a light on racism that many people don’t think about, racism against

During the summer of 1984, Calvin Johnson trudges knee deep through a swamp in the wetlands of South Georgia. As snakes brush past his legs, he marches in line with nine other men, each dressed in an orange jumpsuit, swinging a razor sharp bush axe in collective rhythm. His crew entered the swamp at dawn and they will not leave until dusk. Guards, armed with shotguns, and equally violent tempers, ignore the fact that the temperature has risen well above 100 degrees and push the men even harder. Suddenly, an orange blur falls to the ground and a prisoner from Wayne Correctional Institution lies face down in the swampy floor. As guards bark orders at the unconscious, dying man, Johnson realizes "the truth of the situation, and the force of

The poem “No Country for Black Boys” by Joy Priest represents the sorrowful incident which happened on February 26, 2012 for Trayvon Martin in Florida. Trayvon Martin was an innocent African-American young boy who bought iced tea and some skittles. On the way back to his father’s home, he got shot by the neighborhood watch and treated as a victim because of his skin color. Guilt was not defined by what Martin did but by what he said, also it determined something deep-rooted in the young age. No weapon was needed to identify him as a victim. He is a young black boy, so he is already guilty enough to be killed. Black people have the same rights as the other people, however in reality, America’s society discriminates against them compared to other nationalities.

Songs impact many people and can be used to capture a specific moment or feeling in time. The song “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars talks about having it all and how they want wealth so badly. This song captures what a lot of people today believe about being rich and why they want it so bad. Songs about wealth is not anything new. The song “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” by Bessie Smith, was almost an anthem for people of the time because it captured their life perfectly. It talks about having wealth and living care free but then losing it. When this song came out, the Harlem Renaissance was occurring.

In her book, “Good Country People,” Flannery O’Connor shows first hand how one cannot judge a book by its cover… not even a Bible. Even though a façade is put on, one realizes how vulnerable Hulga Hopewell actually is. Her encounter with a Bible salesman, Manley Pointer, shows how one cannot trust even “good country people” (2). Symbolism in this story transforms what one perceives the character of Hulga and Manley to be and allows the reader to make deeper connections about their physical and mental flaws.

A common theme among many scholars is modern poetry lacks poetic merit. The modern version of poetry is more often than not, found as music and more specifically as lyrics opposed to stanzas. “Traditional” poetry is known for its poetic merit; however, modern poetry, music, also has elements that can be found in traditional poetry. Poetic merit usually refers to the use of numerous poetic elements: figurative language, imagery, symbolism, allusions, etc. Though scholars may regard music as lacking in poetic merit, the song “Glory” by John Legend and Common proves otherwise through its use of symbolism, alliteration, and allusions to put forth its emotional lyrics that depict the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.

In “To My People “by Assata shakur, she’s infuriated that the white men has manipulated and oppressed the black men. She commands the colored men to advocate, assemble, and to fight for their rights, and freedom because the american society and law enforcement is corrupted. She contends that their isn’t any equality and justice for colored people. Also Assata Shakur illustrates that colored people should get their freedom and justice they should to fight for it because the white men corrupts the system to the point where the colored men will remain oppressed. She was a member of the Black Panthers and she was the most wanted person by the FBI and charged with of first degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, assault with a

One of my all time favorite songs is"Ohio" written by Neil Young. Each time I listen to this song, all I can think about are the riots that occurred in the 1970s protesting the Vietnam War. It makes me so angry that innocent people got hurt when they were simply expressing their beliefs. This song will always be one of my favorite protest songs, because even though it does not have many lyrics, if you think about them, they illustrate a story.

In Chapter three of “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich, one of the most significant scenarios I would say is when Barbara is talking with Caroline about her lifestyle. Caroline lives in a $825-a-month rental home with her husband and two children. They are considered middle-class because they make close to $40,000 a year, but scraping by to make ends meet. Caroline goes on to tell of her low-wage life; this includes a hotel room cleaning job in Florida, and now book keeping job in Minnesota. Also, Caroline tells Barbara of her struggles with balancing a job and children, and her own health when living in Florida.

Hollywood and the film industry represent Native Americans in classic movies as savages. In the documentary, "Reel Injun", Neil Diamond goes into how Native Americans are only portrayed as barbarians. This is vastly different from how Native Americans are portrayed in the documentary, "The Shackles of Tradition". This essay will compare and contrast Reel Injun, The Shackles of Tradition, and other movies that portray Native Americans. The basic characteristics that are portrayed, strengths and weaknesses of ethnographic portraits, and the positive & negative impacts this has on Native American culture.

Even after slavery, African American women are still imprisoned by their inferior role to men. The women could be from different statuses based on job, wealth, or marital status, but they are would find themselves suffering under the rules of their men. The blues “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues” by Ida Cox and “Mamie’s Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton talk about the challenges of women living during the Harlem Renaissance. The blues surrounded the African American women during this time, and these songs talk about women facing hardships in life because they are second class citizens compared to men.

Crowned as "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin is one of the most honored female vocal artists of the last 50 years. She is an American soul singer, songwriter as well as a pianist. Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status over the years. It has been said that Aretha was a child prodigy of the golden age of gospel and was the anointed successor to gospel singers Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Many idolize her and her musical intelligence to this day. She is said to be one of the most quintessential sounds of America alongside The Beetles, The Stones, and Louis Armstrong.

When it comes to analyzing a song there is no right or wrong way of doing so. Music appeals to people differently and every person will interpret it based on their own feelings. I chose the song Imagine by John Lennon because it’s a song that speaks volume. John lennon is a very sensitive singer that when you listen to his songs it touches your emotions and make you live the situation discussed. In his song “Imagine”, John Lennon expresses and tries to encourage call people to peace regardless all the conflicts that people face such race, religion or ethnicity.