Date:2001
This song is really a list including people and events that happened during Billy Joel's lifetime. Harry Truman was president the year Billy Joel was born, 1945. Harry Truman is the first word in the song. The singer sings the song in a historical perspective while building up to present day. I believe this is a story that happened in Billy Joel's life. I personally enjoy listening to this song because it is rock n roll and it has a catchy beat. This song also has a quick tempo and I like that in a song. This song helps us know that the United States has been through many hard time since WWII.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Track 14- The Hands That Built America
Date:2003
This song is about how different races of people help build America. It talks about building buildings and it also talks about 9/11 in the last verse: "There's a cloud on the New York skyline
Innocence dragged across a yellow line". This song has a very strong meaning to it and I believe it was written after the events happened therefore giving us a historical perspective of the United States. This song helps a person understand that America was not only built by Europeans but a whole list of races. I thought this song was ok and I think it could have been less slow.
This song is about how different races of people help build America. It talks about building buildings and it also talks about 9/11 in the last verse: "There's a cloud on the New York skyline
Innocence dragged across a yellow line". This song has a very strong meaning to it and I believe it was written after the events happened therefore giving us a historical perspective of the United States. This song helps a person understand that America was not only built by Europeans but a whole list of races. I thought this song was ok and I think it could have been less slow.
Track 13- The Times They Are A-Changin/ Bob Dylan
Date:1964
This song is about how things like government are changing. If you cannot help with anything then do not get in the way. If you are old and frail and cannot offer any assistance and help, then don't bother trying. You will only be in the way. The young are ready to work and the old are too slow to help. The times are a changing. This is a classic country song and I like the words to the song but not the genre. This song helps us learn about the history of the US because the elders used to be respected and were the workhorses, but now the young are more capable of doing the work. The times they are a-changin'.
This song is about how things like government are changing. If you cannot help with anything then do not get in the way. If you are old and frail and cannot offer any assistance and help, then don't bother trying. You will only be in the way. The young are ready to work and the old are too slow to help. The times are a changing. This is a classic country song and I like the words to the song but not the genre. This song helps us learn about the history of the US because the elders used to be respected and were the workhorses, but now the young are more capable of doing the work. The times they are a-changin'.
Track 12- Youngstown/ Seal
Date:1995
This song is about how the machines were changing the world in the 1800's. The singer tells us that the soot and clay from the chimneys of the houses and factories coated the sky. I believe that the songwriter is writing about the history of the United States maybe during Industrial Revolution. I do not entirely like this style of music but the words have a good bit of meaning to them. This song allows us to learn that since the 1800's till now, pollution is a major issue. The more a country industrializes, the more pollution there will be.
This song is about how the machines were changing the world in the 1800's. The singer tells us that the soot and clay from the chimneys of the houses and factories coated the sky. I believe that the songwriter is writing about the history of the United States maybe during Industrial Revolution. I do not entirely like this style of music but the words have a good bit of meaning to them. This song allows us to learn that since the 1800's till now, pollution is a major issue. The more a country industrializes, the more pollution there will be.
Track 11- A Change is Gonna Come/ Seal
Date:1964
This song is about a man who is struggling to live his hard life in a tent by a river. The song is very slow, but stresses the point that a change is gonna come. This is what the Pilgrims had to live like for their first couple of years. They knew it was going to be a hard life at first and there would be much suffering. However, they probably thought that there would be good times coming. I like the beat of this song and the singer is good so I guess I can say I like this song. It has a strong meaning.
This song is about a man who is struggling to live his hard life in a tent by a river. The song is very slow, but stresses the point that a change is gonna come. This is what the Pilgrims had to live like for their first couple of years. They knew it was going to be a hard life at first and there would be much suffering. However, they probably thought that there would be good times coming. I like the beat of this song and the singer is good so I guess I can say I like this song. It has a strong meaning.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Track 10- Strange Fruit (1939) Single Version/ Billie Holliday
Date: 1939
I believe this song is about a bitter and strange fruit that no on likes and will soon rot away. It may be an African American that has been hanged or lynched because it mentions burning flesh. The tone of this song is very dark and in a minor key I believe. I did not particularly like this song because it was a little too strange for me. This song may show us that American history had its Dark Ages but I am not entirely sure that is what this song means.
I believe this song is about a bitter and strange fruit that no on likes and will soon rot away. It may be an African American that has been hanged or lynched because it mentions burning flesh. The tone of this song is very dark and in a minor key I believe. I did not particularly like this song because it was a little too strange for me. This song may show us that American history had its Dark Ages but I am not entirely sure that is what this song means.
Track 9- Do Re Me (live)/ Ani DeFranco
Date:2000
This song is about how if a person is going to California from the East, the they better have the right attitude. The singer takes the listener as she speeds up and slows down the song. She is the one in control. I do not really enjoy country music and this song fits under country music. This song shows how people expanded to California because it was so beautiful.
This song is about how if a person is going to California from the East, the they better have the right attitude. The singer takes the listener as she speeds up and slows down the song. She is the one in control. I do not really enjoy country music and this song fits under country music. This song shows how people expanded to California because it was so beautiful.
Track 8- Jesus Christ/ Woody Guthrie
Date:1940's
This song is about Jesus' life and how he ended up being crucified on the cross. The singer is not that good, but instead really talks his way through the song. I do not entirely like this song because it has a bad singer. This song tells that if Jesus were to preach now like he did 2000 years agos, he would be nailed on the cross again. We Americans do not like anything out of the ordinary and anyone who decides to go around this rule will be hushed. They seem to only cause a stir of emotions in people for the good or bad.
This song is about Jesus' life and how he ended up being crucified on the cross. The singer is not that good, but instead really talks his way through the song. I do not entirely like this song because it has a bad singer. This song tells that if Jesus were to preach now like he did 2000 years agos, he would be nailed on the cross again. We Americans do not like anything out of the ordinary and anyone who decides to go around this rule will be hushed. They seem to only cause a stir of emotions in people for the good or bad.
Track 7- Paddy's Lament/ Sinead O Connor
Date:2006
The singer describes a person in hunger and poverty. How they lived on a farm and then departed from that. This song is about the Mayflower's voyage to America because England was full of war and poverty. The singer has a good voice and adds an accent to it. This adds to the effect that these people of Europe were ready for a change and serious about leaving to America. I am reminded of Justing Beiber when I hear this singer's voice. This song pretty much gives the listeners the reason why people moved to America.
The singer describes a person in hunger and poverty. How they lived on a farm and then departed from that. This song is about the Mayflower's voyage to America because England was full of war and poverty. The singer has a good voice and adds an accent to it. This adds to the effect that these people of Europe were ready for a change and serious about leaving to America. I am reminded of Justing Beiber when I hear this singer's voice. This song pretty much gives the listeners the reason why people moved to America.
Track 6- Hard Times Come Again No More
Date:2010
This song is about how life is full of pleasures, but is also full of sorrow and hard times. But, there is a way through the hard times and there will be happiness again. The singer does a good job portraying the message that " hard times will come again no more" through her beautiful voice. I enjoy the ups and downs of this song. This song helps us understand that the Pilgrims first few years were full of suffering, anguish, and death. However, settlement out of scratch with the help of the Indians.
This song is about how life is full of pleasures, but is also full of sorrow and hard times. But, there is a way through the hard times and there will be happiness again. The singer does a good job portraying the message that " hard times will come again no more" through her beautiful voice. I enjoy the ups and downs of this song. This song helps us understand that the Pilgrims first few years were full of suffering, anguish, and death. However, settlement out of scratch with the help of the Indians.
Track 5- Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
Date:1990
This song is about how a soldier went off to war and left his lover behind. This singer and songwriter offers the listener the historical perspective of how a lover typically acted when their husband went to war. It is short song but has a strong meaning but it is not my style of music. This song allows us to learn that that is what probably typical of a man to go to war and leave someone behind that is dear to them. This is probably an example of what happened in King Philip's War to the New Englanders.
This song is about how a soldier went off to war and left his lover behind. This singer and songwriter offers the listener the historical perspective of how a lover typically acted when their husband went to war. It is short song but has a strong meaning but it is not my style of music. This song allows us to learn that that is what probably typical of a man to go to war and leave someone behind that is dear to them. This is probably an example of what happened in King Philip's War to the New Englanders.
Track 4- Brave Wolfe
Date:2007
This song is about the death of British General James Wolfe in Quebec in 1759. This is told in which the songwriter uses speed, tempo, and harmony to create this fastpaced music battle between the violin and trumpet. I think it is a great representation of the battle General Wolfe fought outside fortress walls where he died. This song allows me to learn that war found itself outside of the "U.S" like in Quebec. I do not really like this style of music so I do not really think much of it.
This song is about the death of British General James Wolfe in Quebec in 1759. This is told in which the songwriter uses speed, tempo, and harmony to create this fastpaced music battle between the violin and trumpet. I think it is a great representation of the battle General Wolfe fought outside fortress walls where he died. This song allows me to learn that war found itself outside of the "U.S" like in Quebec. I do not really like this style of music so I do not really think much of it.
Track 3- Shaman's Call/ R. Carlos Nakai
Date:2004
The artist in this song is attempting to bring back the music from Ancient Indians in my opinion. He is playing tunes that are from the Mayflower Period and beyond. The song is very repetitive making it seem that Indian music is repetitive which it is. I enjoy the soothing calmness of this song and think about many different things when I listen to this track. This song could put me to sleep if I really listened hard.
The artist in this song is attempting to bring back the music from Ancient Indians in my opinion. He is playing tunes that are from the Mayflower Period and beyond. The song is very repetitive making it seem that Indian music is repetitive which it is. I enjoy the soothing calmness of this song and think about many different things when I listen to this track. This song could put me to sleep if I really listened hard.
Track 2- Apache Indian Drums(Sedona)/ American Indian Music
Date:
In this this song, the artist is trying to tell and perform the way Indian music was played a very long time ago. He wants the people to know how the drums played a role in everyday life including festive dances to ceremonial deaths/ powwows. This is what happened in the 16th and 17th centuries in American when the Indians danced their dances and the drums were playing. Mary Rowlandson describes this during her captivity with the Narragansetts. I like this song because it has a very nice drum beat throughout the song and never strays from the first drum beat played.
In this this song, the artist is trying to tell and perform the way Indian music was played a very long time ago. He wants the people to know how the drums played a role in everyday life including festive dances to ceremonial deaths/ powwows. This is what happened in the 16th and 17th centuries in American when the Indians danced their dances and the drums were playing. Mary Rowlandson describes this during her captivity with the Narragansetts. I like this song because it has a very nice drum beat throughout the song and never strays from the first drum beat played.
Track 1- Anon: Virgen Madre De Dios/ SAVAE
Date: 1990s
I believe that they tried to accomplish the recreation of the music of newly converted Christian Indians. The original creations dated back to the 16th and 17th centruies, a time when the Europeans were still exploring and discovering parts of America. This music was passed down by Indian's oral tradition as was the New Englanders story of the Mayflower. I do not listen to this music very much...well ever, but it is interesting how the voices of the males and females clash to create a very calming harmony.
I believe that they tried to accomplish the recreation of the music of newly converted Christian Indians. The original creations dated back to the 16th and 17th centruies, a time when the Europeans were still exploring and discovering parts of America. This music was passed down by Indian's oral tradition as was the New Englanders story of the Mayflower. I do not listen to this music very much...well ever, but it is interesting how the voices of the males and females clash to create a very calming harmony.
Answers to Discussion Questions
1. I believe that the Pilgrims wanted to isolate themselves from England and start this tight-knit community of Puritan believers. They did not want to go looking for treasure and things of that nature, but they would need the Indians help to survive in this new environment. The Pilgrims were expected to be loyal to each other and work together as well. They believed that God would show them the way into becoming a working society. This means that there relationship with the Indians must be a lasting one because the Indians were the key to the New Englanders survival.
3. I believe that America wants to forget all of the suffering that happened to get to Plymouth Rock and the First Thanksgiving. So many people died in the first few years. Americans tend to shy away from the idea of suffering and death and open up to the idea of happiness and celebration.
4. The New Englanders were, in essence, buying the Pokanoket's land until there would be no more Pokanoket land to buy. The New Englanders were using every possible excuse to get the Native American land for much less that it was worth. If they mights have left the Pokanoket's land alone and stop executing Native Americans unjustly, then maybe there might have been a chance to stop the war. However, the New Englanders were greedy and wanted to rid the Indians of their own land. These unjust actions sparked unwanted reactions with the younger Indians of the region and the older Pokanokets had a war on their hands that they did not even want to have.
5. Squanto must have been a very intelligent man. He almost brought an end to the Native Americans/ New Englanders alliance. He would have had ally turning on ally and Native Americans fighting each other. He wanted the supreme sachem of the region, Massasoit, dead so that he would be the next in line. However, he left too many loopholes and minor gaps and his plan was unfolded. He was assumed very trustworthy by the English but he cleverness got the better of him. He may have strengthened the Native Americans and New Englanders relationship if anything.
6. I believe that the second generation deserved this title because instead of trying to keep an everlasting peace with the Native Americans, they kept wanting to expand their land and this brought anger. The New Englanders were pushing the Native Americans out of their land unjustly and did not even car. Their greed consumed their minds and they sacrificed a very important alliance for land.
8. In Hollywood movies like The Last of the Mochicans, I see the natives always fighting someone. I see the white men trying to push the Natives out of their land or kill them off. The movie Pocahontas, the New Englanders make peace with the Indians and then turn on them. The Native Americans today are able to live on reservations like in the past. This is what I think of Native Americans today...or I also think of the movie AVATAR because this correlates with the idea of the Natives being pushed out of their land.
9. Benjamin Church comes out as a hero in my mind because first of all he captured around 700 Indians in King Phillip's War. This is a very impressive feat that he accomplished and he also let the Indians live if they would fight for him. In the book, the author explains how torture played a role in the war greatly. However, the author does not say that Church ever tortured his captives. This is also a hero trait because torture is not needed to end a war. The only fault I can see in him is that he grew really fat. How unexpected was that?
10. The New Englanders believed that all Native Americans except some of the well known allies including the Mohegans and Uncas, were savages and should be burned. The Narragansetts, who did not want to be brought into the war were attacked viciously by the English and therefore had no choice. They retaliated with hate and slaughtered many New Englanders. They burned villages and massacred countless numbers of people. However, they were slaughtered as well and lost a great number of their own. This complicated peace negotiations between Indians and the English.
11. I think that the Indians made the right choice in siding with the Indians. It brought the war to a closer end. If I were a Native though, I would have sided with the Indians because the newcomers had no reason bringing their problems with them to our world. They destroyed any peace that might have been between the Indians before they fought against each other in King Philip's War. I would have fought for my own land and not let the English take that away from me. The Indians made a mistake in letting the English get to friendly with their sachems. Unfortunately the English had guns which changed everything.
12. I do not believe any side could take moral superiority. Well actually, I believe that the Native Americans can because they did not want new comers much less to go to war with them. The Native Americans may have tortured and mutilated people but may be only because they were angry at the New Englanders for bringing this destruction to their land. The English only brought behind their old problems., if they knew it or not.
15. I do not believe that Nathaniel Philbrick took any sides. He explained each side of the journey and war equally. The Indians passed their stories down using oral tradition while the New Englanders had hard copies of their history. However, I believe that Philbrick did an excellent job at explaining that both the New Englanders and the Native Americans both had problems. I believe that the book explains equally how captives were tortured and that no side had moral superiority over the other, regardless of what I said in the last answer.
3. I believe that America wants to forget all of the suffering that happened to get to Plymouth Rock and the First Thanksgiving. So many people died in the first few years. Americans tend to shy away from the idea of suffering and death and open up to the idea of happiness and celebration.
4. The New Englanders were, in essence, buying the Pokanoket's land until there would be no more Pokanoket land to buy. The New Englanders were using every possible excuse to get the Native American land for much less that it was worth. If they mights have left the Pokanoket's land alone and stop executing Native Americans unjustly, then maybe there might have been a chance to stop the war. However, the New Englanders were greedy and wanted to rid the Indians of their own land. These unjust actions sparked unwanted reactions with the younger Indians of the region and the older Pokanokets had a war on their hands that they did not even want to have.
5. Squanto must have been a very intelligent man. He almost brought an end to the Native Americans/ New Englanders alliance. He would have had ally turning on ally and Native Americans fighting each other. He wanted the supreme sachem of the region, Massasoit, dead so that he would be the next in line. However, he left too many loopholes and minor gaps and his plan was unfolded. He was assumed very trustworthy by the English but he cleverness got the better of him. He may have strengthened the Native Americans and New Englanders relationship if anything.
6. I believe that the second generation deserved this title because instead of trying to keep an everlasting peace with the Native Americans, they kept wanting to expand their land and this brought anger. The New Englanders were pushing the Native Americans out of their land unjustly and did not even car. Their greed consumed their minds and they sacrificed a very important alliance for land.
8. In Hollywood movies like The Last of the Mochicans, I see the natives always fighting someone. I see the white men trying to push the Natives out of their land or kill them off. The movie Pocahontas, the New Englanders make peace with the Indians and then turn on them. The Native Americans today are able to live on reservations like in the past. This is what I think of Native Americans today...or I also think of the movie AVATAR because this correlates with the idea of the Natives being pushed out of their land.
9. Benjamin Church comes out as a hero in my mind because first of all he captured around 700 Indians in King Phillip's War. This is a very impressive feat that he accomplished and he also let the Indians live if they would fight for him. In the book, the author explains how torture played a role in the war greatly. However, the author does not say that Church ever tortured his captives. This is also a hero trait because torture is not needed to end a war. The only fault I can see in him is that he grew really fat. How unexpected was that?
10. The New Englanders believed that all Native Americans except some of the well known allies including the Mohegans and Uncas, were savages and should be burned. The Narragansetts, who did not want to be brought into the war were attacked viciously by the English and therefore had no choice. They retaliated with hate and slaughtered many New Englanders. They burned villages and massacred countless numbers of people. However, they were slaughtered as well and lost a great number of their own. This complicated peace negotiations between Indians and the English.
11. I think that the Indians made the right choice in siding with the Indians. It brought the war to a closer end. If I were a Native though, I would have sided with the Indians because the newcomers had no reason bringing their problems with them to our world. They destroyed any peace that might have been between the Indians before they fought against each other in King Philip's War. I would have fought for my own land and not let the English take that away from me. The Indians made a mistake in letting the English get to friendly with their sachems. Unfortunately the English had guns which changed everything.
12. I do not believe any side could take moral superiority. Well actually, I believe that the Native Americans can because they did not want new comers much less to go to war with them. The Native Americans may have tortured and mutilated people but may be only because they were angry at the New Englanders for bringing this destruction to their land. The English only brought behind their old problems., if they knew it or not.
15. I do not believe that Nathaniel Philbrick took any sides. He explained each side of the journey and war equally. The Indians passed their stories down using oral tradition while the New Englanders had hard copies of their history. However, I believe that Philbrick did an excellent job at explaining that both the New Englanders and the Native Americans both had problems. I believe that the book explains equally how captives were tortured and that no side had moral superiority over the other, regardless of what I said in the last answer.
Monday, July 12, 2010
- What beliefs and character traits that typified the Pilgrims enabled them to survive in the hostile environment that greeted them in the New World? Did some of the same traits that helped them survive limit them in other ways? How so?
4.The Pilgrims established a tradition of more or less peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans that lasted over fifty years. Why did that tradition collapse in the 1670s and what might have been done to preserve it?
5. Discuss the character of Squanto. How did the strengths and weaknesses of his personality end up influencing history, and why did this one man make such a difference?
6. The children of the Pilgrims were regarded in their own time as “the degenerate plant of a strange vine,” unworthy of the legacy and sacrifices of their mothers and fathers (p. 198). Why did they acquire (and largely accept) this reputation? Was it deserved? Were the denunciations of the second generation a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy?
8.Compare Philbrick’s portrayals of natives in Mayflower with the ways in which they have been represented in popular culture, for instance, in Hollywood movies. How does Mayflower encourage us to rethink those representations? On the other hand, are there some popular images of Native Americans that seem to be somewhat rooted in what actually happened in the seventeenth century?
9.In the chaotic, atrocity-filled conflict known as King Philip’s War, does anyone emerge as heroic? If so, what are the actions and qualities that identify him or her as a hero?
10.As Mayflower shows, the American Indian tribes of New England were not a monolith, either culturally or politically. However, the English were not consistently able to think of them as separate tribes with different loyalties and desires. How did misconceptions of racial identity complicate the politics of King Philip’s War?
11.During King Philip’s War, significant numbers of Native Americans sided with the English. How do you regard those who took up arms against their fellow natives? Do you see them as treacherous, opportunistic, or merely sensible? If you had been a native, which side would you have taken, and why?
12.Philbrick shows that the English, as well as the American Indians, engaged in barbaric practices like torturing and mutilating their captives, as well as taking body parts as souvenirs. Could either side in King Philip’s War make any legitimate claim to moral superiority? Why or why not?
15.One reviewer of Mayflower asserted that Nathaniel Philbrick “avoid[ed] the overarching moral issues [of his subject] and [took] no sides.” Do you find this to be true? Are there moral lessons Philbrick wants us to learn? If so, what are they?
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