Woody Guthrie's Dream

Folk singer Woody Guthrie experienced the great depression first hand. His family went from middle class to dire poverty in the 1920’s and 1930’s. He wrote this song after traveling the world and witnessing the awful effects of the Great Depression. Originally called “God Bless America” this song was a response to Irving Berlin’s song also called “God Bless America”, he believed that this song was unrealistic and smug. The tone of this song one could say is very sarcastic, because if god really did bless America things like the great depression would not be happening. For example, at the end of his song when he, “saw my people, As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if [God blessed America for me.]”

Born ten years after the death of Walt Whitman, there was no possible way for Langston Hughes to ever meet or communication with Whitman, but that did not mean Hughes could not establish a connection to him, or at least his work. In 1925, Hughes wrote a poem titled “I, Too” was inspired by and directed in response to the poem “I Hear America Singing”, which was composed by Whitman much earlier. Whitman’s poem consisted of a variety of different American laborers who “sing” as they do their jobs. This well-known poem never specifically addresses the ethnicity of these singing laborers of the American population, but Hughes sets about to rectify that omission.

With every aspect of our lives we are making a point, arguing a belief, or refuting some other aspect of our existence. Aesthetic pieces, most avidly poems and songs, argue a message both in the lyrics and in the meaning posed between the lines. “American Pie,” in a multitude of ways, argues that American lives and memories are closely intertwined with the music of the time period. Not only does “American Pie” argue a message it also pulls many generations together. Today, thirty years after the initial release, “American Pie” still has an effect in our music and continues to be popular with all age groups. Don McLean accomplishes this task through using the context of the time period, placement of words, the words

Unlike Hughes, Whitman’s tone is a lot more clear. He mentions the words, “. . . young fellows, robust, friendly . . .” (ll. 17-18) . Whitman also mentions the line, “. . . Singing with their mouths their strong melodious songs.” (l. 18) . His tone is clearly happy and joyful, and while it is quite obvious that his voice is merry, it’s also laced with ignorance toward the real situation of everyone struggling with their work, old and young, man or woman. His own utopia causes him to see America for what it isn’t, while Hughes understands the struggle of everyday Americans, even not being considered one himself. Furthermore, it allows him to think about what can change in America in the future.

To begin, Langston Hughes was a very talented writer, and had read Whitman's poems in a college class. When he read the poem, "I Hear America Singing," he knew that he had to write a response to the piece of poetry. In the poem that Hughes wrote, he states, "I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes" (Lines 1-4). Hughes talks about

He wrote Ethiopian minstrel, plantation melodies, American melodies, parlor ballads, serenades, politics and war, music hall, and hymns. He often wrote very compassionate lyrics, with themes that were very American. He wrote about the love for one’s home, political matters, war, slavery, and working on the plantations in the South.

In the 1860's, Walt Whitman came out with the collection of leaves of grass, and in this assemblage of poems, was "I Hear America Singing". This poem talks about all of these different people with their diversity of jobs. While the people are working, they sing. America can only be a great place, if every single one of the people sing their own song., but learns to time together when needed. Also, in all of these different songs, they join together to make one masterpiece known today as America. In addition to this, another poet, by the name of Langston Hughes, wrote a poem titled, "I, Too, Sing America". This is a literary piece than conveys the life of a black man, and how he would get through the struggles, and become strong and independent because of them. He writes about how his owner makes him eat in the kitchen when visitors come, as a result, they will not tell him to leave, but rather see how beautiful he is. In these two texts, it is clear that Hughes saw Whitman as a great influence and wrote, "I, Too, Sing America" in response to "I Hear America Singing".

The lyrics express Guthrie's belief that the working class should have the same rights as the rich. He very proudly carried the torch of singing songs about the American worker. Woody Guthrie’s music was not written down, but instead sung, performed, and taught completely by memory. The structure of this song is easy and memorable, using an "ACAB" format, which repeats the beginning of the melody (A section) for the third line. There was a certain Americana aspect to his folk music. He was a migrant farmer traveling as a country singer, using only his guitar and voice (occasionally using a harmonica) in his performances. He created songs from the sights he saw as he traveled all over the USA as a country singer, and spoke out against the lack of fairness and justice of capitalism and poor treatment of blue collar workers. He preached that his folk music was not just something that was made just to “sell” and “make money”, it was intensively focused on political and worldly events.

Set in America, the poem follows a man, potentially Walt Whitman, as he celebrates the pride found in an American citizen. Several careers are described throughout the poem in an effort to accentuate the amount of effort Americans put into their labor each day. Aside from no apparent significance to the structure and syntax of the poem, the author’s profound diction, such as blithe, melodious, delicious, and robust, emphasizes the honor the author feels towards Americans and their efforts. Whitman’s use of figurative language in his poem, “I Hear America Singing”, can be found through the individuals who are “singing”. Although the singing stated within the poem may be literal, it also demonstrates the passion and pride that the workers held

Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and musician who is today known as a huge part of traditional Americana music. Huge musicians in their own right, such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellenkamp, Pete Seeger, and many more have acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence in their creative song writing process. Many of his songs are based on his experience during the Great Depression as Guthrie travelled with displaced farmers from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma searching for a better life in California.

Woody Guthrie was the most famous folk singer in the 1930’s. Guthrie was born in Oklahoma and moved to Texas when he was 18. Guthrie was in the hardest hit area when Black Sunday came around. His songs written near or during the Great Depression were supposed to put a hand on the country’s shoulder and say that we can get through this. The Story of Oklahoma states that “much of Woody Guthrie’s life was tragic, but he managed to make it into a joyful song” (Baird 340).

“ Take it easy but take it.” This is a quote by Woody Guthrie. His inspirational words and songs make a huge impact on our world today. Woody Guthrie wrote lots of songs such as, “This Land is Your Land”, and so much more. His songs and words build many people up, and make people feel good about themselves. I admire his inspirational words and songs in so many ways. His songs and words are alike and different in many ways.

Dylan and the Sympathetic Beat For an artist so dedicated to innovation and originality, Bob Dylan is particularly obsessed with his influences. Indeed, if T.S. Elliot’s observation that “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” (114) is true, it may very well be the source of his success as an innovator in the music industry. The most famous of such obsessions was with Woody Guthrie, and Dylan’s pilgrimage to visit the dying musician in Brooklyn State Hospital, which is documented in his poem Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie.

Woody Guthrie was a folk singer who became famous for his phenomenal song “This Land is Your land”. To us Americans, that song is like an anthem to us. The songs purpose is to explain to everyone that USA is for everybody, not just for some people. Woody wrote thousands of songs. He also said a famous extemporaneous quote that inspired many people to never give up, even when someone is getting to you.

Duluth Minnesota, May 24th 1941 Robert Allen Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) was born. 69 Years and over 45 albums later Bob Dylan has completely altered the face of popular music since his debut as a fresh faced folk singer in 1962. His early career forged him into an informal chronicler and then he later developed into an apparently reluctant figurehead of social unrest [Gray, 2006] and became a voice for a generation. His songs have been covered by many artists in a wide span of genres and he has remained a prominent and highly influential figure in the history of popular music over the past five decades. [Gates, David, 1997]