CHORUS]
I see your true color, shinin through
I see your true color, an' that's why I love you
I see your true color, shinin through
I see your true color, an' that's why I love you
[VERSE 1]
Yo, father forgive, we all tryin to survive where we live
I'd rather feed the homeless eight times than talk to da kids
Show 'em life ain't no walk on the bridge
Damn as hard as it is, when I be dreamin I be talkin to B.I.G
In my hood it ain't no yellow brick road, we hear the shots echo
Sneakers hangin from a telephone pole
In my ghetto aint no rainbow wit pots a gold
but tha was love from tha family when tymes are cold
I seen n analyzed tha world from my project roof
An' seen the hope in tha eyes of a troubled youth
A good kid, I kept this burna in dis motha goose
A motherless child,lost in these streets loose
in the waterworlds away these are rainy days
My man got poped at an early age
These cowards run n say he flipped into his early grave
They say the good die young, we're headed for dem early gates
CHORUS
[VERSE 2]
yo,they say this love wasnt meant to be
2 people from 2 different worlds,we wasnt meant to be
it musta been fate you were sent to me
we'll make it through these hard tymes,eventually
tha standard fight,walk by faith n not by sight
we're all tha same color when you turn off tha lights
i take tha sunshine with tha pain
wear my Saraguards sad,dats when it rains
no fridge,kept tha food on tha window payne
we all breathe tha same air so we all tha same
im trapped in this ghetto maze tryna make it out
if you dont know me dont judge me,wuthcu talkin bout
im far dividable of ard of tha broken dreams
single mothas yall my heroes,yall my queens
to get my moms out tha hood,thats my hope n dreams
to raise my son to be a soldier by any means
CHORUS TO FADE
These are the lyrics for the song True Color, the version from “Save the Last Dance”. This is a remake of the Cyndi Lauper song, originally written about the true colors of the gay community. She was talking about the importance of accepting people who are different from you, even if they have a different sexual orientation. In this version, by Fredo Starr, the true colors being spoken about are different races. The song attempts to state that race issues should not matter, and that we are all truly the same color. The song states :
2 people from 2 different worlds,we wasnt meant to be
it musta been fate you were sent to me
Although the people are in love, others do not approve because they feel black and white people are not from the same world. In the movie, there is considerable tension when a white girl falls in love in a black man and their friends and family do not approve. Starr makes other comments about how race should not affect relationships by commenting that “we're all tha same color when you turn off tha lights” and “we all breathe tha same air so we all tha same”. Although they are different colors, the color should not affect the relationships between people. What matters is we are all together in the same world, and there is no need for blacks and whites to be treated different. This song shows both how relationships of different races are not approved of, along with the perspective that although we look different we should all be treated equally. Although this is not as much of an issue anymore, the song is able to successfully comment on past problems with bi-racial relationships.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
War
Media has changed considerably from Revolution to now. The media used has changed drastically along with the types of messages being promoted by news outlets. During the Revolutionary War only one specific message would be presented by an outlet. There were specific Tory, Patriot and Whig newspapers that would promote their own views. At this time only newspapers were available, so people would typically follow only the "viewspapers" of the side they agreed with. Th people during the time of the Revolution did not have the opportunity to hear all sides of a story, which is a privledge media outlets have since provided us with.
The Civil War is the first paper in which government parties did not own newspapers. Since the papers were not owned by one particular group stories could display different points of view, and give readers a more comprehensive understanding of what was happening during battles. Reporting for media outlets also changed during the Civil War since there was the telegraph, which was able to send article more rapidly. The invention made for a more informed public, since people far away from battles no longer had to wait weeks or months in order to hear reports. The third change that happened during the Civil War was the use of photographs. This helped give readers a more comprehensive understanding of battle. This was the first time readers had a visual image of what was happening during war time.
The third war that I choose to pick was the Vietnam War. This was the first war to use television, and it was clear that the American public was not prepared for the images. Television would stream video of American soldiers acting in malicious ways which quickly made the Vietnam War extremely unapproved of by the American public. After the Vietnam War it was common for news station to edit the content of video, being much more cautious since they were fearful of losing public approval for the war. The different invention of media have drastically changed the way the public views individual wars. Looking at these three wars shows the clear impact news outlets have on society's perception of an event.
The Civil War is the first paper in which government parties did not own newspapers. Since the papers were not owned by one particular group stories could display different points of view, and give readers a more comprehensive understanding of what was happening during battles. Reporting for media outlets also changed during the Civil War since there was the telegraph, which was able to send article more rapidly. The invention made for a more informed public, since people far away from battles no longer had to wait weeks or months in order to hear reports. The third change that happened during the Civil War was the use of photographs. This helped give readers a more comprehensive understanding of battle. This was the first time readers had a visual image of what was happening during war time.
The third war that I choose to pick was the Vietnam War. This was the first war to use television, and it was clear that the American public was not prepared for the images. Television would stream video of American soldiers acting in malicious ways which quickly made the Vietnam War extremely unapproved of by the American public. After the Vietnam War it was common for news station to edit the content of video, being much more cautious since they were fearful of losing public approval for the war. The different invention of media have drastically changed the way the public views individual wars. Looking at these three wars shows the clear impact news outlets have on society's perception of an event.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ragtime
Nicole Paschal
At first I was very confused about why some people had names while others were simply referred to as their title. I have decided that his happened for multiple reasons. I realized the book described many historical events, yet then incorporated these real people in with those created by E.L. Doctrow. Since many of the characters are historical people it seems reasonable that they are the ones referred to as their real names. Figures such as Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Harry Houdini make appearances in the novel. Having the characters who are not real be left without names helps reader to understand the difference between historically important events and major plot points.
Since the imaginary characters do not have names it helps readers to understand their role within society. Characters such as Mom, Dad, Tateh, Little Boy and Little Girl are quickly recognized because of their simplicity of names. I feel that their names are so general because these characters are supposed to represent people of this time, and not only these characters. Mom and Dad represent the wealthier American citizens of the time where as Tateh and Mameh represent the immigrants traveling to America for a better life. The different general names represent the stereotypical family environment for American citizens and people who had recently migrated to the States. Using these vague names instead of a specific first name helps people to see that these situations were not specific to only these families. The final reason for the characters not having specific names is to promote creativitiy. Without names the individual reader can come up with their own image and name for the characters in the novel. This method has many purposes including helping creativity as well as greater a general picture of what life was like during this time period.
At first I was very confused about why some people had names while others were simply referred to as their title. I have decided that his happened for multiple reasons. I realized the book described many historical events, yet then incorporated these real people in with those created by E.L. Doctrow. Since many of the characters are historical people it seems reasonable that they are the ones referred to as their real names. Figures such as Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Harry Houdini make appearances in the novel. Having the characters who are not real be left without names helps reader to understand the difference between historically important events and major plot points.
Since the imaginary characters do not have names it helps readers to understand their role within society. Characters such as Mom, Dad, Tateh, Little Boy and Little Girl are quickly recognized because of their simplicity of names. I feel that their names are so general because these characters are supposed to represent people of this time, and not only these characters. Mom and Dad represent the wealthier American citizens of the time where as Tateh and Mameh represent the immigrants traveling to America for a better life. The different general names represent the stereotypical family environment for American citizens and people who had recently migrated to the States. Using these vague names instead of a specific first name helps people to see that these situations were not specific to only these families. The final reason for the characters not having specific names is to promote creativitiy. Without names the individual reader can come up with their own image and name for the characters in the novel. This method has many purposes including helping creativity as well as greater a general picture of what life was like during this time period.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A Different Mirror
The first and last chapters of A Different Mirror, by Ronald Takaki, speak about the diversity in America today. He talks about how it is important to emphasize cultural education and begin to learn about the other ethnic groups living in America. There are so many different groups living here, but it has become important for us to all blend together as one cohesive people. Instead of seeing the United States as many different nationalities, we should start to see ourselves as one whole, instead of many different groups of people. Takaki believes that in order for us to be one unified public we must have a better understanding of each ethnic group. In school we should learn about the different groups, along with developing a better understanding of the group dynamic in America. We used to see our country as purely black and white but we need to look at Hispanics and Asians as well since they are becoming a dominant part of our society.
The book also gives a considerable amount of history about the origins of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Jews and Indians. Looking at each ethnicity’s voyages here can help us to understand the similarities and differences between each group. All groups have contributed to the building of American economy and making the United States the prosperous nation we now live in. Students are becoming more willing to learn about the histories of different nationalities so they can have a better understanding of themselves and be less ignorant about the start of their homeland. The best way for people to learn more about our history is to listen to stories of diverse people. When people tell their stories we are “looking back in the mirror called history”. When we look at our past we can see the role and influence of each ethnic group.
The last chapter is mostly about the history of each nationality, which I found to be very confusing. The chapter talks about each nationality and the specific efforts in took to be considered equal when they arrived in America. Many minorities didn’t care how they were treated in war as long as the Americans saw they were loyal to their country, and would hopefully treat their families better than how they were individually treated. I found this chapter to be ironic, since so many of these minorities moved to America in search of a better life and were then treated unfairly. Takaki concludes that most of the tension in America comes from this idea that we are not willing to accept the fact that we are an extremely diverse society. I agree with this book that we need to look at the various minorities, see our differences, and then form one unified country. I think all the differences can help our nation to prosper. We have citizens with so many different talents and such a vast history that each individual group can help the prosperity of America.
The book also gives a considerable amount of history about the origins of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Jews and Indians. Looking at each ethnicity’s voyages here can help us to understand the similarities and differences between each group. All groups have contributed to the building of American economy and making the United States the prosperous nation we now live in. Students are becoming more willing to learn about the histories of different nationalities so they can have a better understanding of themselves and be less ignorant about the start of their homeland. The best way for people to learn more about our history is to listen to stories of diverse people. When people tell their stories we are “looking back in the mirror called history”. When we look at our past we can see the role and influence of each ethnic group.
The last chapter is mostly about the history of each nationality, which I found to be very confusing. The chapter talks about each nationality and the specific efforts in took to be considered equal when they arrived in America. Many minorities didn’t care how they were treated in war as long as the Americans saw they were loyal to their country, and would hopefully treat their families better than how they were individually treated. I found this chapter to be ironic, since so many of these minorities moved to America in search of a better life and were then treated unfairly. Takaki concludes that most of the tension in America comes from this idea that we are not willing to accept the fact that we are an extremely diverse society. I agree with this book that we need to look at the various minorities, see our differences, and then form one unified country. I think all the differences can help our nation to prosper. We have citizens with so many different talents and such a vast history that each individual group can help the prosperity of America.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Strange Disappearance of Civic America
The article The Strange Disappearance of Civic America, written by Robert D. Putman, describes the various possible factors in why there has been an increasing lack in social capital, along with civic engagement. The writter came up with numerous different ideas of what could have caused this to occur, and then researched which idea seemed to cause people to be less connected to one another.
Group membership and citizen’s time spent together has dramatically decreased within recent decades. Since our country has changed considerably during this time all of the changes occurring had to be looked at as possible effects for our country’s social downfall. After coming up with a list of potential suspects, Putman then asked several questions of each possibility. The questions included whether each topic was related to community trust and involvement, if the change was relevant to the specific factor, and whether each factor would be the cause or effect of civic disappearance. Each of these questions helped the author to gain a better idea about the significance of each change, and its potential in limiting social life and causing people to distrust their community.
As I continued to read the article the author kept disproving the different possibilities. Each of the changes in our culture did not seem to be directly related to fewer people participating in group activity and having less trust in the people around them. I began to believe that the author would not be able to conclude that one particular factor was the main cause of this occurrence. As we neared the end of the article Putman brought in this idea of television limited social contact between citizens. Of the many changes in our environment including people’s moving, women’s involvement, focus on education and pressure about timing, the most significant to people being less involved is the creation of new technology.
Putman concludes that the time of television’s appearance is closely related to the time in which people began to participate less. Since people are spending time watching television they are spending less time on hobbies such as reading newspapers and books. The author mentions that reading has the ability increase knowledge, as well as trust in community. The negative images presented by television shows and the news make people fear interacting with other members of community. I do agree with Putman that television has become a very important part of our community. Even when people do spend time together television is often involved which will limit their contact with one another. I feel that it is important for people to watch television less and participate in community groups and social interaction more. I feel that communicating with others not only increasing the sense of social closeness, but also deepens knowledge of ourselves, fellow community members, and our own culture.
Group membership and citizen’s time spent together has dramatically decreased within recent decades. Since our country has changed considerably during this time all of the changes occurring had to be looked at as possible effects for our country’s social downfall. After coming up with a list of potential suspects, Putman then asked several questions of each possibility. The questions included whether each topic was related to community trust and involvement, if the change was relevant to the specific factor, and whether each factor would be the cause or effect of civic disappearance. Each of these questions helped the author to gain a better idea about the significance of each change, and its potential in limiting social life and causing people to distrust their community.
As I continued to read the article the author kept disproving the different possibilities. Each of the changes in our culture did not seem to be directly related to fewer people participating in group activity and having less trust in the people around them. I began to believe that the author would not be able to conclude that one particular factor was the main cause of this occurrence. As we neared the end of the article Putman brought in this idea of television limited social contact between citizens. Of the many changes in our environment including people’s moving, women’s involvement, focus on education and pressure about timing, the most significant to people being less involved is the creation of new technology.
Putman concludes that the time of television’s appearance is closely related to the time in which people began to participate less. Since people are spending time watching television they are spending less time on hobbies such as reading newspapers and books. The author mentions that reading has the ability increase knowledge, as well as trust in community. The negative images presented by television shows and the news make people fear interacting with other members of community. I do agree with Putman that television has become a very important part of our community. Even when people do spend time together television is often involved which will limit their contact with one another. I feel that it is important for people to watch television less and participate in community groups and social interaction more. I feel that communicating with others not only increasing the sense of social closeness, but also deepens knowledge of ourselves, fellow community members, and our own culture.
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