My Reaction Review to One of the Working Questions in Chapter Ten by Victoria Allen In the book, “The Theory Toolbox,” authors Jerry Nealon and Susan Searls Giroux delve into the complexities of identity, exploring the multifaceted aspects that distinguish individuals and groups. These aspects encompass race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. As stated on page one-hundred and eighty-three, “The discourses that construct or mark differences also tend to tell us what those differences mean.” This profound statement resonates deeply with the intricate aspects of human identity. However, the concept of difference is not confined to human identity alone. It extends to various forms of expression, including music. One striking example is the genre …show more content…
Indeed, it seems that lots of people who know nothing about Jamaica or Coptic religious tradition somehow identify with reggae. How or why is that, do you think? And what, if anything, does such an identification suggest about reading or writing across ethnic, racial, gender, and class lines?” Upon encountering this question, I found myself reminiscing about the countless times I heard the soulful tunes of the legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley, emanating from my father’s vehicle. These memories prompted me to ponder the question’s implications, leading me to reflect on the nuances of identity and the power of understanding them. In response to the question, I feel that the universal appeal of the reggae genre of music stems from its potent messages of love, peace, resistance against social injustice, and resilience in the face of adversity. These themes resonate with a broad audience, transcending geographical, cultural, and religious
Music is another was that people can have a sense of cultural identity. Gloria also writes about how even the Chicano music portrays the struggles that they have had to endure. Even though there can exist this sense of pride in one’s music, to some Chicanos there was a sense of shame. “In the 50s and 60s, for the slightly educated and agringado Chicanos, there existed a sense of shame at being caught listening to our music”
American singer-songwriter and folk musician Bob Dylan describes in his autobiography, as well as his life and music in general, the ambiguity of folk songs and their ability to be openly shared, interpreted, and even fabricated, and he believes that human nature is such that we are most comfortable with this opacity. The work of African American artist Kara Walker reinforces this belief, and applies it to history with the exploration of cultural ideas regarding race, sexuality, identity, gender roles, repression, and violence.
Music is magical: it soothes you when you are upset and cheers you up when you are down. To me, it is a communication with souls. I listen to different genres of music. When appreciating each form of music, with its unique rhythm and melody, I expect to differentiate each other by the feelings and emotions that it brings to me. However, I would definitely never call myself “a fan of jazz” until I witnessed Cécile McLorin Salvant’s performance last Friday at Mondavi Center. Through the interpretations and illustrations from Cécile’s performance, I realized that the cultural significance and individual identity are the building blocks of jazz music that create its unique musical features and support its development.
Although there is a variety of music that could be examined to trace its evolution through time, there is one genre in particular that is quite interesting to examine. Though it differs from other types of music, it will be looked at in conjunction with Reggae music as they have similar ties. Reggae music is quite prominent today in the United States, parts of Africa, and of course Jamaica. Reggae is notoriously known for its most influential artist Bob Marley, and it is not unusual for one to have heard a few, if not many of his songs. Reggae’s popularity is steadily increasing and is doing so through both expansions of the music as well as increasing knowledge on the genre.
“Together the matrices of race and music occupied similar position and shared the same spaces in the works of some of the most lasting texts of Enlightenment thought..., by the end of the eighteenth century, music could embody differences and exhibit race…. Just as nature gave birth and form to race, so music exhibited remarkable affinities to nature” (Radano and Bohlman 2000: 14). Radano and Bohlman pointed out that nature is a source of differences that give rise to the different racial identities. As music embodies the physical differences of human, racial differences are not only confined to the differences in physical appearances, but also the differences in many musical features, including language, tonality and vocal expression. Nonetheless, music is the common ground of different racial identities. “In the racial imagination, music also occupies a position that bridges or overlaps with racial differences. Music fills in the spaces between racial distinctiveness….” (Radano and Bohlman 2000:8) Even though music serves as a medium through which different racial identities are voiced and celebrated individually, it establishes the common ground and glues the differences
Reggae music is a meaningful channel for social change. Reggae music portrays resistance to oppression, it is a symbolic action, part of a nonviolent revolution. It is a type of rhetoric; a method of communication designed to influence and persuade. It is a message with a purpose, it represents a crystallization of fundamental issues. Reggae music asks the listener to reconsider our daily lives and to hear the cry of the sufferer, because so many people are suffering. The lyrics and music of Robert Nesta Marley gave reggae music international recognition. Bob was a charismatic performer who truly stands out as a prophet. There is clearly a prophetic overtone to his lyrics yet he was only given the prophetic status after he died. His lyrics operate on a deep level, yet they typically relate to everyday occurrences. Bob's music was and is a powerful force to ease the pain of life in the ghetto. He embodied a feeling of empowerment, and encourages all listeners to 'chant down Babylon'.
Reggae The Story Of Jamaican Music BBC Documentary. vols., 2012. Online. Internet. 22 Mar. 2014. . Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv1Iy26qlLk&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
This music helps to shape and influence cultural identities and becomes that person’s musical DNA. Once that person is old enough to access the world beyond the confines of their home, such as the internet, that can change. The internet allows a person to discover music like hip-hop, blues, and 70s rock and roll. Surprisingly a split from the traditional music of their home does not erase their social identity, but allows him/her to break defined musical boundaries according to race. The music industry is lacking when it comes to breaking racial musical boundaries. According to research conducted by (Henry 2015), many inequalities and injustices were within the music industry itself. Radio, record labels, and television networks like MTV continuously shut out various groups of minorities within the music industry. She states that some of the boundaries that musicians and
Bob Marley expresses his belief that music is a message and route to freedom in the song “Trench town.”
The lyrics of dancehall reggae music in Jamaica seem to encourage the taunting and violence towards homosexuals. Of course it is normal for most reggae songs to deal with the social concerns and religious beliefs of Jamaicans because it is a big representation of the Jamaican culture. Homosexuals are looked down upon as outcasts because of their sexuality. Homop...
Many listeners of reggae music classify it as island music. However, reggae music means a lot to the Jamaican community back home and abroad. Reggae music in particular has influenced the Jamaican expat community in the United States. Non-Jamaicans hear the tunes of Bob Marley and quickly relate the Jamaicans to people who say “No problem Mon” but as outsiders, we truly don’t understand the lyrics. The purpose of this paper is to examine how reggae music has affected the understanding of expat Jamaicans. Jamaicans that have migrated to the United States are sometimes categorized by non-Jamaicans as people who are Barbarians that practice hatred towards homosexuals. Because of hearing lyrics produced by certain dancehall artists such as Vybez Kartel and Buju Banton. However expat Jamaicans believe reggae music has glorified the Jamaican expat community through unification of culture, people, and language.
Music played a very important role in the lives of people is diaspora communities. It served as a reminder for the immigrants of their homeland, which allowed them to proudly express their national and cultural identities. Diaspora refers to an international network of communities linked together by the identification of a common ancestral homeland and culture. People in these communities are no longer living in their homelands, with no guarantee of a return either. (Bakan, 19). Music played a large role in African diaspora communities. This was first started by the slave trades many years ago when slave traders traveled to the coast of West Africa to capture Africans and brought them back to the United States to be slaves on plantations. Slaves were more prone to loose a sense of their own culture because every new aspect of their lives was forced upon them, therefore they were undoubtedly forced to abandon their n...
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)
Burning Spear has in the past 25+ years achieved many acclaims as a reggae musician. He is known to many as the African teacher; the elder statesman of reggae; a cultural ambassador; a preacher; a rastaman. The main themes incorporated into his music are the teachings of Marcus Garvey, African roots, Rastafarian beliefs, and consciousness, especially black consciousness. Spear's sound is said to be hypnotic and trance-like (Bloodlines, Davis and Simon, 1992, 53-55). His lyrics are simple, but the resonant sound of Spear's voice, along with the drum and bass, intensifies the listening experience to its fullest. His music is meant to be heard in every part of your body; to carry the listener to a higher state of being; to uplift. In Newsday, Elena Oumano wrote:"At its heights, reggae music transforms the loss rage and love of 2 million former slaves/colonials into"dread"consciousness, and international revolution of the mind against blind acceptance of the world as it is, rocking affirmation of the power of the underclass to elevate the human spirit,"(Oumano, 1991, p 17). Spear's reggae has, since the beginning, continued to reach this height.
King, Stephen; Jensen, Richard,(1995) Bob Marley's "Redemption Song": The rhetoric of reggae and Rastafari Journal of Popular Culture 29.3