Terry Kelly's Message

This song can relate to most of us. “For What It’s Worth” deals with more than one problem. It talks about many problems that are occurring and need to stop. This song is written on a broad spectrum to cover everything that is happening during this time. “For What It’s Worth” represents the late sixties, the opposition of the Vietnam War, and many riots that are going on. People did not accept others free thinking and right to be different; that led to many of the riots and civil right concerns. Equality is a right to battle for but not violently.

Its audiences are both men and women who come to the taverns to drink and sing after their long day on the field or in a factory. The song has persuaded the audiences in which men are willing to join the army to fight for the independence, and women are supporting their men to offer his strength to protect the country. If I were a colonial man who sitting and listening to this song, I would get inspired from hearing the song and join the army because I am a man full of pride for myself. Furthermore, a man lives on with his honor; the honor he gains from fighting for his

The first song I will examine is the folk-rock hit, “The Universal Soldier.” Carrying a somber yet avant-garde timber carried by a charismatic rhythm, Buffy wrote this song with the intent of creating a dialogue surrounding the absurdity of war and to deepen the responsibility of conflicts which we too often hide from, “It’s about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all” - Buffy St Marie. During the 1960’s “Universal Soldier” became an anthem for the activist movement against the Vietnam war. As the title suggests, the song declines to commend a particular group. Rather, it applies to all the soldiers worldwide– to the universal soldier. Because, no matter the time or place he is the one who will risk his life and subject himself to the ubiquitous barbarism of war. The soldier can be of any religion, of

When songwriters begin to pen the lyrics of a song, I believe their ultimate goal is to transcend time in hopes of reaching listeners for generations to come. J.R. Cash, professionally known as Johnny Cash, wrote a song that did just that. “Ragged Old Flag” is a patriotic song that speaks to every generation. Written in 1974, “Ragged Old Flag” was meant to tell the story of our country. Johnny Cash recorded “Ragged Old Flag” live at the House of Cash. Cash wanted the song to be recorded live because it was raw, untouched, and unapologetically real. The basis of this analysis is to show how patriotism spans generations, but also why a song such as, “Ragged Old Flag” is an important part of patriotism in the United States of America.

The poem was written to show that war is a waste of human life as the soldier knows he will die one day as well as the men around him, just some quicker than others. This can be evident in stanza four of the poem: “I know I’ll join them somewhere, one day.” The language used is more casual than formative, this is effective as it shows the personal feelings and thoughts of the soldier during the time

Protest poems and songs are, and have been throughout history, an effective medium of expressing their composer’s concerns or protests to a wide audience. The main themes behind each of these creative media are influenced heavily by the context in which they were created and focus on the composer’s opinions about controversial issues of that time. Poet Bruce Dawe, through his poem ‘homecoming’ and singer-songwriter Barry Maguire, through his song ‘Eve of destruction’ were able to explore and express their similar concerns about the harsh and dehumanising aspects of war and the effects on society, with Maguire focussing on the ignorance of society toward the detrimental effects of war and Dawe reflecting on emotional trauma experienced by those who lost love ones to the brutality of war.

2. Is the intent of this song to promote or protest the Vietnam War? Why?

The description of a wounded soldier falling is an image etched in the minds of the soldiers in the battlefield. “He danced with tall grass / for a moment, like he was swaying / with a woman” (lines 1-3). The soldiers had to hold on to whatever hope that had of seeing their families again. This is evident in the fact that the dead soldier had a picture of his loved one in his hand when he died. “I slid the wallet into his pocket / & turned him over, so he wouldn’t be / kissing the ground” (15-17). The black soldier putting the picture in the dead soldier’s wallet and the wallet back in his pocket shows respect for the fallen, no matter the race of the soldier or if he was the enemy. Turning the soldier face up, shows dignity and honor to the fallen one. This act also shows compassion on the part of the black soldier. A fallen soldier reminds them that they never know when they will become a casualty of war. When it comes to loss, all the soldiers on both sides share a common

“He was drafted in drums and cheers...some cheered him home, but not as the crowd cheers goals. Only a solemn mad thanked him” Owen shows the irony of the poem by showcases the perspectives of the people. Owen compares the casting of war to a football game. Usually when going off to war or starting a game the soldier is drafted out in cheers by thousands of people and you would expect the same level of cheers to return to or finish with. However in this case only one person thanked him for the hard work which he produced at war. The quote then showcases the irony of the poem. The readers then begin to realize how insensitive people are to completion of war. The insensitivity of people then causes the readers to feel enormous pity and compassion towards the subject on showing bestowed respect and honour towards

This poem is based on families throughout the war, making sense of their loved one’s death. While they are overcome with grief and sorrow, they have an overwhelming sense of appreciation for what their loved one had achieved in fighting for the country. Chaplain Jim Cosgrove has portrayed Australians as being very sacrificial, resilient, courageous, this can be seen through several examples in the poem. In addition to that, throughout the poem it can be seen that the poet believes mate-ship is a fundamental aspect of the Australian identity. ‘Their courage and belief are even stronger than their grief that their sacrifice is for a worthy cause.’ This example, in lines 13 and 14, shows the poets views of Australians, that they are brave, courageous and sacrificial. This is reflected in the Australian identity and supports Australia’s dominant cultural values. Another examples of this is in lines 23 & 24, ‘In the history of their nation there are many generations whose sacrifice has made our country free.’ An example of the poet displaying mate-ship as being a significant aspect of the Australian identity is in lines 17-18, ‘They want to tell their mates to never doubt or hesitate, to fight this fight against the reign of terror.’ The poet has used imagery throughout the poem, to help the reader construct an image. Furthermore, Chaplain Jim Cosgrove has set a somber and melancholy mood and tone through the choice of words that highlight the sacrifices made by soldiers in the war. Thus, giving the poem more

Our history records many events that took place, whether they were times of plenty or times of famine. “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” dealt with the Great Depression of 1929. This song became the anthem for this time period because of its description of the calamity that would strike the United States. It was an outcry of what was to come; the stock market would crash and the economy would fail. The dreams that the “Roaring Twenties” had promised were no longer in sight but the fear and disillusionment of the thirties became a reality.

I think about my dad, my uncles, my cousins, both grandfathers who fought in the Vietnam war. I think about how my grandfather paw paw Tim would ask me to sing this song for him every time I saw him and how he would make me turn the other way to sing it so he could just weep and cry as hard as he wanted because it meant so much to him. I think about all of our troops I got to visit with and spend time with in the Middle East when I went over seas to sing for them. I think about all of the men crying because they missed their wives so much, or the man telling me he hadn't seen his baby girl yet since she was born. When I sing this song I think about them. This song is about them. It's not about me. That's what I think about every time I sing it. I love our country so much. And we should all love and respect each other because this is the greatest country in the world. I see the love. I see the unity in all walks of life on a daily basis and It makes me so proud to be an American..... so In the words of Forrest Gump. That's all I have to say about

The DJ Hanoi Hannah says things to remind the soldiers of home. She taunts them with the things that the black soldiers frequently thought about such as “You’re dead as King today as Memphis” (line 2-3). The death of Dr. Martin Luther King was a touchy subject for the African American soldiers. A black sergeant granted a white soldier a physical lesson when he overheard him protesting King’s image constantly being on TV (Maycock).She mentioned things that would remind them of their communities back home. The soldiers surely missed their families. “It’s Saturday night in the States. / Guess what your woman’s doing tonight. / I think I’ll let Tina Turner / tell you, you homesick GIs” (14-17). The reminder of the fact that it was a constant struggle to stay alive is indicated in the lines, “You know you’re dead men, / don’t you? You’re dead / as King today in Memphis. / Boys, you’re surrounded by / General Tran Do’s division” (20-24). The African American soldiers are disheartened because they have more to deal with besides the mental, emotional and physical stress of the war. Other issues include racism, segregation, and inequality. Instead of encouraging the black soldiers, DJ Hannah reminds them that their fight in this war is even harder because they are black. “Her knife –edge song cuts / deep as sniper’s bullet” (25-26).Why are the black soldiers fighting? This is not a black man’s war but a white

The poet then presents a scene of patriotic relevance as he describes a scene of a regiment marching into battle with their “flag” and “Eagle with crest of red and gold” (17-18). When people think of flags, they think of patriotism and representing their country. Eagles also symbolize freedom but as readers can witness in the work, the poet makes it seem as if these men were created not to enjoy the gift of life for one moment by him saying “These men were born to drill and die” (19). This comes across to the reader as almost inhumane. Then by illustrating an image of a field of thousands of dead corpses makes any reader wonder why people even go to war. The whole fourth stanza paints a picture of living human being going into a battle with most, if not any, making it out alive. Like stated before, the speaker in the poem builds a case for those people that opposed to war even though the title of the poem might

“A Pittance of Time” a song written by Terry Kelly is a song about honouring, remembering, and respecting the fallen soldiers who died during WWI and WWII. This artist was inspired to write this song to teach society about why we should take two minutes of our time and stand for a moment of silence to honour our veterans.