A. Philip Randolph was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and once said “Freedom is never given; It is won.” Our American soldiers fight every day so we can stay free and have the privileges we have today. We do not just get to be free. There are people fighting for our freedom. However, the poem and the song both talk about fighting for freedom but they have a separate motive. Both the poem named “Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too?” by Langston Hughes and the song “American Soldier” by Toby Keith both have the same theme by freedom is worth fighting for and everyone wants freedom, but in the poem the soldier is fighting for freedom and in the song the soldier already has freedom. Langston Hughes uses imagery to show what the soldier looks like …show more content…
and what he is doing when he is fighting for freedom. In stanza one-it states, “I’m a Tan-skinned Yank/Driving a tank.” First, the author uses imagery to emphasize and depict the soldier on the battle fighting for his liberty. Hughes use a Metaphor for the Jim Crow laws and what should happen after the war. In stanza four, Hughes says “And there’d be no Jim Crow birds/Left in our sky.” She is bringing in the Jim Crows law that was put in place to control the slaves and using that for a piece of evidence that since he is fighting for the country there should no longer be these laws in place. Since the slaves were fighting for us, they should have equal rights like everyone else that fights for the war. Langston uses another metaphor to compare the slaves to the holocaust. In the poem it says, “Will you do me/As the Germans did the Jews?” Hughes uses the Germans and the Jews because they were tortured and not equal, and that is how the slaves feel. They are fighting for the country and do not want to come back and be placed right back in the fields. They fought for our freedom and all they want is their freedom too. He explains what the men should do to give freedom to the slaves by using a simile. Hughes states “Or will you stand up like a man/At home and take your stand/For Democracy?” He uses this simile for the USA to stand up and give the slaves their freedom. In addition, change to democracy for everyone has a say and not just the white males. He compares United States to a man that will stand up for what they think is right. Moreover, the thing that is right is to give freedom to all because even African Americans were fighting for our freedom when they did not have those same rights and were not free themselves. Everyone wants his or her freedom.
Langston Hughes poem is speaking of an African American trying to fight for his freedom. In contrast, Toby Keith’s song “American Soldier” speaks of a man who already has his freedom but he more explains that freedom is worth fighting for. Toby Keith uses imagery to show what our soldiers are thinking getting ready and what their mindset is going in to the war. Toby Keith says in his song “Yeah, I’m dressed up for success, /from my head down to my boots, /I don’t do it for money.” He uses the imagery to show that the soldiers are always ready and they always are thinking they are going to succeed. Also that they only fight because they want to keep our country safe and allow the United States citizens to have the liberty we have. Toby Keith uses a metaphor and onomatopoeia to show how dangerous it can be in the war. He says in his song, “You can bet that I stand ready/when the wolf growls at the door.” Toby means the enemy at the door but he compares the enemy to a wolf to exaggerate the danger they face each day. In addition, what the soldiers are facing and what they do to keep our freedom. Without these soldiers facing these dangers, we would not have the liberty we have today. Moreover, this shows that freedom needs to be fought …show more content…
for. Toby Keith uses another onomatopoeia to really emphasize what our soldier’s physical characteristics are and that they will do anything for our freedom.
He states “Hey, I’m solid, hey I’m steady, /Hey I’m true down to the core, /and I will always do my duty”. Toby uses onomatopoeia to very exaggerate the physical characteristics of our soldiers and to show that we have a strong army that will do everything they can do to keep our liberty in tack. Also that our soldiers will always be there to fight the fights we do not see but depend so much on. Toby Keith uses a connotation to show what they have to give up but that freedom has no price and anything you can do for freedom is what is going to be done. Toby Keith sings the line “No matter what the price, /I’ve counted up the cost”. He uses price in a different way than usual. Price is mostly somethings cost to buy but he uses it by what the sacrifices they have to make. In addition, he says cost but he uses it by what they get out of what they are doing. That is there family and friends get to live a free life with no
worries. All in all freedom is worth fighting for even if you don’t know if you’re going to be free or right back to slavery. In addition, the fight for freedom has no cost and anyone that is fighting is sacrificing a lot for their family and friends so we can be free and have the rights we have today. In both of these poems, freedom was fought for and not just given.
The poem I personally chose was called, American Hero I chose this poem because I can relate to this on a personal level coupled with the fact that it was very suspenseful and brought you off of your seat. This particular poem was developed by Essex Hemphill, he was born in 1957 and later passed on in 1995. He began writing in his early years and with all this time he developed 3 volumes of poetry Essex has been active in writing all his life and was a great role model to our future writers. American hero is a successful poem that signifies on self-acceptance and social acceptance, also denial. The poems setting was based at a basketball court with all eyes on the main character, referenced from page 307 stanza 1 the author wrote,’’I have
In the short story “Chickamauga,” by Ambrose Bierce, there are several examples of imagery throughout the passages that help to describe the horrors of war. Bierce sets the story with a young boy playing war in a forest, who is then approached by a “formidable enemy,” a rabbit. The sudden appearance startles the boy into fleeing, calling for his mother in “inarticulate cries,” and his skin getting “cruelly torn by brambles.” The selection of these details leaves a lucid image in the mind of the reader, allowing them to see a sobbing boy running through the forest, covered in cuts and scratches. It represents the innocence and fear of a child, lost and alone in an unknown place. The birds above his head “sang merrily” as the boy was “overcome
...t of people around you. The images are really helped clarify what the singer really wants to talk about. Without the images in the video some many things could have been interpreted from the song itself. Before I watched the video I just thought the author was talking about war, and specially the wars America was fighting at the time of the song’s release. The music in combination with the instrumentals and video create a piece of art that enlightens the soul.
American independence was achieved through the unification of colonists against the British crown. This unity required cooperation among the colonies and support for the newly formed Continental Army. George Washington was the general of the Continental Army and was expected to meet the expectations of colonists eagerly awaiting freedom. To encourage the general in his endeavors, poet Phillis Wheatley wrote “To His Excellency General Washington.” Using literary devices in the poem, Wheatley promotes the merit of the American Revolution.
Joan Baez, a famous folk singer, sang her most famous song “Oh Freedom” during the civil rights movement. She expressed her want and need for equality and freedom f...
To the persistent individual, though, there is a body of music in existence that merits regard. It is powerful music written by the youth of America, youngsters who did have a stake in the Vietnam War. There can be little question about the origins of the power which American protest music conveyed: those who wrote such music lived each day with the real knowledge that they were losing friends in, and could possibly be forced themselves to go to, Vietnam. One such group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, made its contribution to this genre near the end of the Vietnam War.
Springsteen wrote “Devils & Dust” during the Iraq War. He has been openly against the war and has been quoted saying to Rolling Stone, “As the saying goes, "The first casualty of war is truth." I felt that the Bush doctrine of pre-emption was dangerous foreign policy. I don't think it has made America safer.” The song itself could be interpreted as a soldier’s point of view about the war but overall it stands as a critique on our society betraying its own principles. The first couple of verses in the song already evoke the image of a soldier stuck in a war. “I got my finger on the trigger / But I don’t know who to trust” could be understood as a soldier’s experience in war but it could also have a deeper meaning. It could also signify that our society has to make these important choices that will end up affecting people’s lives but it is all too ambiguous, there just isn’t any certainty. We are left with the desperate feeling of not knowing what to do, not knowing wh...
The cadence in America can be traced as far back as the American Revolution with Yankee Doodle. Historically it finds its roots in ancient armies marching to battles across foreign lands. The most significant song in this genra was created in May, 1944, by Pvt. Willie Duckworth, an African American soldier. This chant that we know today as the "Duckworth Chant" or "Sound Off”, 1-2 sound off 3-4 is the most recognizable to the average person from its usages in movies and P.E. classes. The cadence has historical links to the field holler and work songs. Slaves sang about their oppressive environment while working tirelessly in the cotton fields. Similarly, the majority of cadences are reflective to the environment and training, which soldiers endure. These cadences share the themes of phys...
The song "War Pigs," by Black Sabbath, argues the fact that, during the Vietnam War, politicians were willing to start wars and cause destruction because they were not the ones in danger of losing their lives or being injured. The song suggests that the politicians of the 1960's and 1970's started a war for fun, treating soldiers in America's army as "pawns in chess." By the end of the song, the lyrics say that those men and women will get what they deserve when their day of judgment comes.
Masters of War by Bob Dylan is a song which protests against the Cold War. Dylan comes to strongly emphasize the amount of lives lost during war and the ignorance of powerful individuals; who seem to promote war with the development of weapons of mass destruction. The war between the United States and the Soviet Union greatly emphasized the competition to develop superior weapons. The lyrics “You that build the guns…death planes… and bombs” can represent the arms buildup which occurred during the Cold War; as well as those who helped manufacture weapons. Furthermore, the song comes to depict the people who have power, the government as the “Masters of War” in a negative way where they start war without being involved physically. This can be
Songs like “We Shall not be moved” represented the determination of those in the civil rights movement in the face of government and social oppression. This lines say,” Like a tree that stands by water, we shall not be moved”. Music had an enormous impact in the war because It promoted the first amendment that is the freedom of speech, it helped the American society to develop by exerting deep lasting influences on the form of popular music paving its way towards musical expressions in times of
If analyzed carefully, the melancholy verses of the song are in sharp contrast to the overpowering chorus. Ignore the addictive chorus "Born in the U.S.A.” and what you really hear is a protest song that tells the depressing story and struggle of Vietnam Veterans returning home to a disillusioned life. To his most devoted ...
Poems are expression of the human soul, and even though, is not everyone’s cup of tea when the individual finds that special poem it moves their soul one with the poet. There are many poets in the world, but the one that grab my attention the most was no other than Langston Hughes. It would be impossible for me to cover all the poems he wrote, but the one that grab my attention the most is called “Let America Be America Again.” It first appeared in “1938 pamphlet by Hughes entitled A New Song. Which was published by a socialist organization named the International Worker Order” (MLM) and later change back to its original name. I have never felt such an energy coming out of a poem like this one which is the reason that I instantly felt in love with it.
In the midst of the Vietnam war, songs arose about much more threatening subjects. These songs reflect this generation’s increasingly likelihood of being critical of both the war and the government as compared to past generations. The first sign of...
The 1960’s was a time of war and fear for the United States and many people were turning their accusations towards the government. “Masters of War” was written by Bob Dylan in late 1962 and early 1963. The focus of this song is a protest against the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis that was happening during the early 1960’s. The song is protesting on the American government having its citizens live in fear of a constant attack and hiding behind their shroud, unaffected by anything that would happen to the people. It shook the nation with its fierce and angry tone against the “military industrial complex.” Dylan’s lyrics stated that it was not contained by declaring a pointless war and not taking responsibility for the problems it was causing. “Masters of War” is a powerful song against the government and the military. The protest song “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan highlights how the looming aspect of the Cold War affected the people of the United States and demonstrates Dylan’s view on the governments involved.