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Impact of culture on society
Impact of cultural change
Impact of culture on society
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Patti Smith was important to American culture because of her influence and involvement in shaping its future. Smith’s self-pride and fame led her to become quite an influential figure in American society. Individuals who had met Smith and had heard her sing, pushed her to begin a singing career. In Just Kids, Smith writes, “It came, I felt, too easy. Nothing had come to Robert so easily. Or for the poets I had embraced. I decided to back off. I turned down the record contract but left Scribner’s to work for Steve Paul as his girl Friday. I had more freedom and made a little more money, but Steve kept asking me why I chose to make his lunch and clean his birdcages instead of making a record. I didn’t really believe I was destined to clean the …show more content…
cage, but I also knew it wasn’t right to take the contract” (123). By rejecting the record contract, Smith illustrated to her readers that she had too much pride in taking something that she felt wasn't hers to take.
This led her towards achieving her dream of becoming famous in a harder but more respectable manor. All of these situations resulted in Smith becoming a role model towards others, which in turn, helped to shape the future of what was to become the present American culture. Robert Mapplethorpe- Smith’s ‘Muse’ throughout Just Kids- had also played a huge role in helping Smith become successful, and was there for her in her times of need. Smith focuses on her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe in Just Kids because of his artistic abilities, his sexuality, and the influence he withheld on Smith on her road towards …show more content…
fame. Throughout Just Kids, Smith had an obsession with artistic abilities such as the ones that Mapplethorpe had possessed. These obsessions were soon to be discovered in Mapplethorpe when Smith writes, ““I was happy because he had selected the piece I singled out, yet sad to see it go. When I wrapped it and handed it to him, I said impulsively, “Don’t give it to any girl but me.” I was immediately embarrassed, but he just smiled and said, “I won’t”” (27). Due to Mapplethorpe having the same taste in art as Smith, a spark ignited between the two, and you knew they would meet again. Smith had always longed to be in love with an artist. She emphasized this to her readers in Just Kids by saying, “I’d brag that I was going to be an artist’s mistress one day. Nothing seemed more romantic to my young mind. I imagined myself as Frida to Diego, both muse and maker. I dreamed of meeting an artist to love and support and work with side by side” (12). Shortly after the spark between Mapplethorpe and Smith flew, they ran into each other again and he then showed Smith his art collection. Eventually they fell in love, and this resulted in Mapplethorpe leaving a mark on Smith. As a result of his artistic abilities and the spark ignited between them due to their love of the same art, Mapplethorpe became unforgettable to Smith leading their relationship to become worthy of writing about throughout Just Kids. Additionally, Mapplethorpe’s sexuality had an impact on his relationship with Smith. Although Mapplethorpe loved Smith ever since the spark between them ignited, his sexuality got in the way of their sexual relationship lasting. Mapplethorpe would cheat on Smith with other men, and smith stayed with him through these injustices. Smith would write of some of these injustices in Just Kids by saying, “Yet I understood why he couldn’t tell me. I think having to define his impulses and confine his identity in terms of sexuality was foreign to him. His drives toward men were consuming but I never felt loved any less. It wasn’t easy for him to sever our physical ties, I knew that” (104). Coming to one’s own terms with their sexuality is not an easy task. Yet in Just Kids, Smith continues this when she writes, “Robert and I still kept our vow. Neither would leave the other. I never saw him through the lens of his sexuality. My picture of him remained intact. He was the artist of my life” (104). Because of Mapplethorpe’s homosexuality, they eventually ended their relationship as lovers but because of the vow they made to one another, a lifelong friendship would take its place. Once they had established this friendship, Smith still stayed by Mapplethorpe’s side while even still collaborating on art pieces with him. The chemistry between them never truly changed, and Smith would still complement and support Mapplethorpe’s pieces. An example of this can be seen when Smith writes, “His mission was not to reveal, but to document an aspect of sexuality as art, as it had never been done before. What excited Robert the most as an artist was to produce something that no one else had done” (155). It was through his sexuality that Mapplethorpe began to change how art was viewed upon, and this was inspiring to Smith. In spite of his sexuality, it was the bond and chemistry between Mapplethorpe and Smith, that led her to talk about their relationship throughout Just Kids. Furthermore, Smith’s road towards success was ultimately achieved because of the influence Mapplethorpe withheld on her.
Smith made this clear by writing in Just Kids that, “Robert came home late, sullen and a little angry that I had drinks with a strange guy. But the next morning he agreed it was inspiring that someone like Bob Neuwirth was interested in my work. “Maybe he’ll be the one to get you to sing,” he said, “but always remember who wanted you to sing first” (96). Mapplethorpe played a huge part in Smiths life. He was her on and off lover, and they stayed friends through thick and thin. Mapplethorpe led Smith towards becoming a performer by constantly complementing her singing. This in turn also pushed her towards a performance career. In light of this, Mapplethorpe also made an effort to try getting Smith a performance somewhere using his rising popularity. Smith would write of this saying, “Although we were a bit estranged in this period, Robert off with David and me with Sam, we had our common ground. Our work. As he had promised, Robert was determined to get me a reading. He spoke on my behalf to Gerard Malanga, who was scheduled to read at St. Mark’s Church in February. Gerard generously agreed to let me open for him” (121). It was generous actions such as this that influenced Smith to work towards success and fame. As a result of this, Smith’s fame and popularity became a reality because of her own hard work, as well as Mapplethorpe’s generosity and
complements which had inspired her to keep following her dreams. Due to her newly found popularity people began talking about Smith like crazy saying things like, “Her seminal album Horses, bearing Robert Mapplethorpe’s renowned photograph, has been hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time” (Smith 182). There was one main reason to why Mapplethorpe was on Smith’s album cover. It was a result of his influences on her, and showed how much he truly meant to Smith, as you don't just put someone worthless to you on something so important. Due to Mapplethorpe’s admirable relationship with Smith, her success led her to focus on it as being something she will never forget and will always be grateful for. Mapplethorpe had several interesting aspects to his personality that made him who he was. But Smith could have very well purposefully downplayed aspects of Mapplethorpe’s personality to help reveal the kind of relationship she wanted her readers to think that they had. As with most individuals, Mapplethorpe’s sexuality could have had a big effect on his personality, an example of this could be of when Smith says, “Robert was still in San Francisco. He had written that he missed me, and that he had accomplished his mission, discovering new things about himself. Even as he spoke to me of his experiences with other men, he assured me he loved me” (52). Due to the intimate relationship that Mapplethorpe and Smith had once endured, she might of have downplayed some of the sexual things that he had once said in order to make him more appealing to a ‘straight’ audience. Smith could have also done this because in my opinion, Mapplethorpe seemed to be Smiths first true love and no one can really get over their first true love.
It was not until a trip to Japan with her mother after her sophomore year of studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute that Annie Leibovitz discovered her interest in taking photographs. In 1970 Leibovitz went to the founding editor of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, who was impressed by Leibovitz’s work. Leibovitz’s first assignment from Wenner was to shoot John Lennon. Leibovitz’s black-and-white portrait of Lennon was the cover of the January 21, 1971 issue. Ironically, Leibovitz would be the last person to capture her first celebrity subject. Two years later she made history by being named Rolling Stone’s first female chief photographer. Leibovitz’s intimate photographs of celebrities had a big part in defining the Rolling Stone look. In 1983 Leibovitz joined Vanity Fair and was made the magazine’s first contributing photographer. At Vanity Fair she became known for her intensely lit, staged, and alluring portraits of celebrities. With a broader range of subjects available at Vanity Fair, Leibovitz’s photographs for Vanity Fair ranged from presidents to literary icons to t...
Her influence is simply not a question; it is a salutation to a musical icon that has embedded her legacy into musical history. When I think of the word artist, I think of someone who is innovative, original and someone who has style and a sound all their own. One artist that comes to mind is Janet Jackson. They simply don’t make artists like Janet anymore. Unfortunately, she was the last of her kind.
In the poem “Fear and Fame by Philip Levine, readers gain insight into the struggles of a blue collar worker. The intimate description of the worker not only highlights the dangerous and monotonous work he performs but also accentuates how the worker takes little pride in his occupation. Levine’s use of meter and rhythm, irony, figurative language, and tone provide an understanding of the difficulties faced by blue-collar individuals both at work and in society. The majority of the lines contain a sort of syllabic meter, which evokes a lulling sense of monotony as the speaker describes his work.
...ng to this day, she is one of few who could compete with the men of hip-hop, but she never pretended to be anything but a woman. She not only sang about female empowerment, but she wrote about being a woman from the insecurities that we as women sometimes feel to the nirvana of being in love. Sensuality and femininity were always as important to her which was her strength, and message to get out to women especially those of color.
...ht some "terrible stories." By bringing to light these "terrible stories" a poet in effect slays the "angels" that kept her from writing. Every author has his/her own "angel" to slay. Lucille Clifton sees past the fear she has about what she might write about using her gift of poetry to "slay her angel."
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is very influential when it comes to the music industry. To this day, people have doubts about us young people going into the field of music. They feel like making a career out of rapping, singing, or acting is one in a million. Especially, being born and raised in Detroit. Diana has given us hope. She is an idol that many of us look up to. Ross is a woman of great achievement and one day someone with just as much potential as her, will follow in her footsteps.
ii.Sonny was so serious about being a jazz musician that he stayed at the piano day and night at Isabel’s house when he moved in with her. “At first, Isabel would write me, saying how nice it was that Sonny was so serious about his music and how, as soon as he came in from school, or wherever he had been when he was suppose to be at school, he went straight to that piano and stayed there until suppertime. And, after supper, he went back to that piano and stayed there until everybody went to bed.” (Baldwin,
Baldwin executed a well written short story by making the point of view through the eyes of Sonny’s brother. The setting made the story realistic, and the themes were powerful and influential. Though Sonny had struggles in life along with the rest of the family, he is able to redeem himself through his music. “Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life. But that life contained so many others. And Sonny went all the way back, he really began to make it his.”
In 2002, Perry had a major solo exhibition in Amsterdam. A year later he was awarded the Turner Prize, and was praised for his “uncompromising engagement with personal and social concerns”. (Tate, 2003)
People still remember Bessie Coleman today for her bravery, courage, and her leadership. Bessie showed these outstanding traits she had, by not always thinking of herself. She did not go with the flow as we say it in the year 2014. She did what she believed was right. She stood up and told the person who was in charge to let the colored or Native Americans watch her perform. That is why Bessie Coleman is important in the world.
Aretha Franklin is a well known pop, R&B, and gospel singer. She has been nicknamed “The Queen of Soul” and is an internationally known artist and a symbol of pride in the African American community. Her popularity soared in 1967 when she released an album containing songs “I Never Loved a Man”, “Respect”, and “Baby I Love You.” Throughout her career she has achieved fifteen Grammy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Legend Awards, and many Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Time magazine chose her as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century. She sang at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and at former President Bill Clinton’s inaugural party. Although she has all these accomplishments and awards there are other reasons that have driven Franklin to fame and landed her on the front cover of Time magazine on June 28, 1968. The reasons I believe allowed Aretha Franklin to become so successful are the following: Her family’s involvement with religion, the inspiring people that surrounded her, and the pain she suffered.
Both "Richard Cory" poems by Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson reflect the idea of the American Dream, but both in distinct ways. The two poems are different in the ways that societal views have changed through time based on wealth. The image society portrays the American Dream is depicted in the poems by the conversion from royalty to fame. This change of the American Dream is shown through many symbols, but wealth best illustrates how times have changed from the Cory of Robinson's poem, to that of the poem by Paul Simon.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
Without a doubt there is one major performer that certainly stands out within our pop culture world. The name of this very famous American icon is, Dolly Parton. Dolly has surpassed any rags to riches story that ever lived. She has touched the lives of so many individuals over many decades through her many talents. Dolly started her career at a very young age and continued fulfilling her life endeavors through country music, pop music, and even acting. This American icon didn’t stop with just her talents, she also gave back to our society through charity, fundraising, and establishing her own theme park. Dolly Parton was brought up in a very poor family, however through much dedication she became the famous icon everyone idolized today.
It leads toward the development of women’s presence and existence in the music industry. This song played a huge role in popular culture and music. Women started to get themselves involved in social media such as television and radio station to promote feminism. Popular culture was one of the site to reproduce gender inequalities. Women’s mind was stored with the idea of false image on femininity. “No more Miss America!” campaign motivated women to eliminate low class status by pleasing audiences with their body and appearance. (‘No more Miss America! [1968] (1970,