Reflection Statement, accompanied by "Say' by: John Mayer

Reflection Statement, accompanied by "Say" by: John Mayer

                  Since the very first day of Academy I always felt like the minority.  Having conservative political views, during the post-Bush Administration America, and a historical election didn’t help one bit.  During every discussion I felt outnumbered; I had to defend myself every time.  Sometimes, it took a lot of courage, but I always found the courage to speak my mind.

                  One time instance that remains vivid in my memory was a political discussion we had in Social Studies.  We were discussing Obama’s new stimulus package and the removal of the Bush tax cuts.  I disagreed with almost the entire class; I believed the stimulus package to be useless, and that we should not be creating new spending when we were in extreme debt.  I also claimed that it should not be the responsibility of the top percent of America to support the government, when they use the fewest of its services and another eighty percent didn’t even pay taxes.  I suggested that everyone pay a small income tax because no one should be given a free ride.  I was immediately labeled as a “stuck up north shore white kid”.  Someone asked me a sarcastic question about what I would do with my extra $100o a month given to me by tax cuts.  Then several students answered for me making hurtful comments about how I would by another five pairs of shoes.  Or saying things like you poor thing, you will have to go on vacation in Florida and not Europe.  I was so offended by these comments that I wrote a blog post, asking people to refrain from personal attacks next discussion.

                  I learned that day what it feels like to be judged.  My family wasn’t always financially comfortable.  My dad grew up in a middle class town and was given no lucky breaks.  He earned every cent of his tuition to Stanford, and I respect him for that.  No of these kids knew his story, because if they had, they wouldn’t have been so quick to judge.

                  Instead of being intimidated, I became comfortable with my spot in the minority.  Every time I raise my hand, I know at least one person in the room will strongly disagree, but I don’t care.  I know that I have a solid place in Academy (as the sole conservative) to challenge other people, and to force them to make sure that their arguments are well supported.  I use my outspoken nature to the best of its abilities and just put my thoughts out there.

 

8. "Handlebars" by: Flobots

8 "Handlebars" by: Flobots

The ideas expressed in this song are also expressed in "Ishmael".  The following lyrics point to one idea in particular:

"Cuz I can lead a nation with a microphone"

    The singer points out how easily people will go along with propaganda.  He claims it only takes and a man and a microphone to take over a country and change mindsets.  Ishmael similarly gives the example of the Holocaust.  He tells about how not everyone in Germany agreed with Hitler’s chopped logic, but eventually they were swept up with hoards of people willing to do anything to make Hitler’s dream a reality.  Both teach us a valuable lesson; we should not mindless take in information, but instead question everything.

    The music itself shows how propaganda works.  It starts off very slow and innocent, with a happy and light tune, symbolizing how the idea starts as a dream. There are also few instruments, as in few followers of the idea.  As the music progresses, more instruments join the melody, as more people accept the idea.  The beat gets faster and the tone becomes angrier.  This symbolizes the growing numbers due to propaganda and the violence erupting.  At the very end we are reminded of how this madness started with a simple dream by a repeat of the opening lines in the original tune.

7. "All Over You" by: The Spill Canvas

7. "All Over You" by: The Spill Canvas

    This song expresses some of the same ideas expressed in "Romeo and Juliet".  The following lyrics illustrate this:

"Just dress me up in what you want me to be

I'll take back what I've been saying for quite some time now"

    Just like how Romeo tells Juliet he will change his name if it displeases her, the artists says he will be anything for his love.  Both guys feel that they have no identity and no self without this other person so they are willing to change into whatever the girl wants and or needs them to be, as long as they can be together.  They even offer to change their viewpoints.  While the artist offers to take back things he might have said, Romeo changes his opinion on the Capulet family completely.

    The desperation in the singers voice also relates to Romeo and Juliet.  The whole song, he is begging for the love of the girl.  Romeo and Juliet's entire relationship is characterized by longing and desperation to be together.  The tone of the music matches how they must have felt when waiting for each other.

 

6. "Viva la Vida" by: Coldplay

6. "Viva la Vida" by: Coldplay

            “Viva La Vida” shares similar ideas with both the play “Romeo and Juliet” and “Oedipus.   These lyrics highlight these ideas:

“I used to hold the key

Next the walls were closed on me

I discovered that my castle stands

Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand”

                  The song speaks of a king who fell from power and now is just a commoner.  These lyrics show how fast and abrupt it was.  In “Oedipus”, the character Oedipus experiences a similar fate.  He was once the honor king that had freed the people of an evil monster, but then a secret was unearthed, and it turns out that he was destined to kill his father and wed his mother.  Unable to escape his fate, the play follows him on his rapid fall from glory.  In the end he gauges out his eyes because he is unable to bear the sight of his life.  The character of this song also falls from a place of honor in a short time. 

                  The song also teaches about how fate can turn your world upside down.  It did for Oedipus, just as it does for Romeo and Juliet.  Over the course of just two days they fall in love get married, then Romeo kills her cousin, Juliet is betrothed to Count Paris, and Romeo is banished from Verona.  They were destined to be together, but not on this earth.  Because of poor timing, or fate, Romeo kills himself believing Juliet is dead, and Juliet then kills herself when she sees Romeo dead.  All of this could have been avoided at many crucial points throughout the play, but fate turned their lives upside down.

5. "Upside Down" by: Jack Johnson

5. "Upside Down" by: Jack Johnson

            This song by Jack Johnson expresses some ideas that are shared in Siddartha.  The following lyrics emphasize this:

“The world keeps spinning, and with each new day

I can feel a change in everything

And as the surfaces breaks the reflections fade

But in some ways they remain the same”

                  The lyrics are telling us that the world is ever changing, but there remains some continuous uniting factor keeps it monotonous.  When Siddartha observes the river and it speaks to him, he comes to a similar realization.  He notices that the river is always the river, but never the exact same river because it is ever flowing.  Both this song and the book express similar ideas dealing with an undercurrent of change.

4. "I'm Yours" by: Jason Mraz

4. "I'm Yours" by: John Mraz

This song shares ideas with the novel “Siddartha”.  These lyrics illustrate this idea:

“I guess what I be saying is there ain’t no better reason

To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons

It’s what we aim to do, our name is our virtue”

                  The lyrics tell us to forget superficial things, and to just go along with the flow of life; we are supposed to take things as they come.  It claims that this is all humanity really wants to do, to just forget the world and move onto something better.  Siddartha learns a similar lesson after submitting to a material life.  He becomes a businessman, deals with money, becomes wealthy, indulges in worldly pleasures, but in the end gains no great knowledge.  Siddartha settles by a river, being very poor but happy.  By giving up worldly possessions he achieves his nirvana.  The song shares the Buddhist idea that true happiness can only be obtained once you detach from worldly pleasures.

                  The songs upbeat and catchy melody encourages us to just be carefree and enjoy the simple things in life.  The light guitar beat and drums sooth us into wanting to just blow things off, and live a simpler life.

 

3. "When You Were Young" by: The Killers

3. "When You Were Young" by: The Killers

The song “When You Were Young” by the Killers is a great example of the societal stereotypes we have created for girl that we discussed in English this year.  The following lyrics illustrate this:

“You sit there in your heart ache,

Waiting on some beautiful boy to

Save you from your old ways”

When we read the article from Dr. Learner, the idea was brought up that girls are raised to personify the damsel in distress archetype.  Society teaches our girls to wait around for boys.  For example, it isn’t socially accepted for a woman to ask out a guy, or ask him to a dance, or even propose.  This song tells about a girl who is doing just that, sitting around and waiting for “Mr. Right” to come along.  Instead of fixing anything or changing her lifestyle she waits for someone to come save her, and show her what she is doing wrong. 

The title itself, “When You Were Young” suggests that she has been fed these ideas ever since she was a little girl.  She has the perfect idea of a man she formed as a young girl, and waits for someone to fill that mold.

2. "Face Down" by: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

2. "Face Down" by: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"Face Down" tells a story about an abusive relationship.  It perfectly illustrates the issue of the "tough guise" that we covered in English this year.

"Do you feel like a man?

When you push her around?

Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?"

    The artist is criticizing the way this man abuses his girlfriend.  He is asking him why he does abuses her, and if it makes him feel masculine.  In the movie "Tough Guise" it talked about this issue.  It brought up that over ninety percent of abuse is initiated by men.  They offered an explanation that men do it because it empowers them.  Male domination has been apart of our culture for years, which has also fostered abuse because society teaches men that they should be powerful and respected.  In books like "Romeo and Juliet", "Antigone", and "The Epic of Gilgamesh", all of the women are subject to the rule of men.  Brothers, husbands, and or fathers dominate them; they are supposed to keep quiet, and those who don't are punished.  It also address the idea that abuse is a chain reaction that is carried through the generations in the following lyrics:

"A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect,

Every action in this world bears consequence"

    The lyrics suggest that one descion, like abuse, can start chain reactions.  One boy who was abused can abuse his kids, who can abuse theirs, and the vicious cycle continues.

1. "Gone by Switchfoot"

1. "Gone" by: Switchfoot

This song address the idea of mortality and how nothing lasts forever, and idea brought up in Gilgamesh and Ishmael.  We see this in the following lyrics:

"We are not infinite

We are not permanent

We are so confident

In our accomplishments"

    The lyrics are trying to make humanity realize that nothing is permanent; we all die at some point.  Even though it’s hard for us, we have to accept our mortality. Similarly, in the book "The Epic of Gilgamesh", Gilgamesh is forced to accept his own mortality when the gods kill his best friend.  Gilgamesh tries to defy the gods and gain immortality, but in the end he cannot obtain it and must accept that he too will die.

    In "Ishmael" when they give the example of societies being on hangliders.  People enjoy the view and the feeling of flying so much, that they forget the will have to fall at some point.  Once they finally realize the ground is fast approaching its too late to do anything to save themselves.  The song expresses the same idea that we are too confident to see the problems we have created.

Unwritten Rules

Testing English Final