Paul Simon Essays

  • Song Writing of Paul Simon

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    Paul Simon single-handedly changed the world of song writing. His songwriting is among the best, if not the best, of all time. It changed the life of millions of young teenagers who felt more connected with Simon's introverted style of music rather than with Bob Dylan's protest music. Simon was the first to use poetry as a style of songwriting, which has been a prominent feature of current songwriters. This style started to develop at a young age when Simon teamed up with high school friend,

  • Comparison Of Paul Simon And Arthur Garfunkel

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    orn in 1941 only 3 weeks apart from each other, Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel became good friends in Forest Hill elementary school in Queens, New York. What was unknown to them at the time was that this friendship would eventually lead to them becoming major contributors to Folk Rock and music holistically. Their friendship extended past elementary school as they lived 3 blocks away from each other and attended the same high school, Parsons Junior High School, where they discovered their mutual

  • I am A rock Paul Simon

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Paul Simon said that the person or people in his poem were sick of society, and wanted to be isolated away from society. He represents this by saying that they want to be like a rock, or like an island. They wanted to be isolated away from society. The poem talks about people being sick of society, and want to be isolated from it. Even in the first line, he made an analogy between December being dark and dingy, by saying "A winter's day - in a deep and dark December." The month of December is usually

  • Paul Simon?s The Sound of Silence

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence A poem, like all other works of art, may appear as an inter-subjective truth, an intricate thread of images, a surreal yet realistic expression, and as a “creative fact” according to Virginia Woolf. In canon literature, a good poem is usually that which has fine structure, imagery, meaning and relevance; an art, which has sprung out not only of personal necessities but out of socio-cultural quagmires. Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence transcends the mediocre. It

  • The Sound Of Silence By Simon And Garfunkel

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Sound of Silence” The record hit still played to this day, The Sound Of Silence as sung by Simon and Garfunkel, is appreciated for its seemingly dark but encouraging meaning and chord progressions that delve into the sensitive parts of the heart. Before one can hope to understand the meaning of the song, the social context of the song must be understood. At the time of writing this piece, Paul Simon witnessed the assassination of JFK and provided the inspiration to start writing this dark, yet

  • Humorous Wedding Speech by the Groom

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    wedding date as a source for funny lines, comparing their marriage with celebrity couples for comic effect. While preparing this speech I thought it would be interesting to see if any celebrity couples had been married on the same day as us. Paul Simon and Carrie Fisher wed in 1983...and split up after 9 months. Oh dear. Also, Madonna married Sean Penn on this day in 1985; and we all know the outcome of that. Unlike the latter, while Lisa is "Like A Virgin," I plan to "Cherish" her forever

  • Relationships

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    that vulnerability is equally as important as understanding the other person. It is the “art of letting things happen” – we, as individuals, need to be open to being hurt - because the future is unpredictable, but be entitled to the joys as well. Paul Simon once wrote a song entitled “I am a Rock”, in which he concludes his song by saying “I am A Rock, I am and island. And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.” This communicates that interpersonal bonds, or relationsh...

  • The Need for Mandatory Foreign Language Study in America

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Need for Mandatory Foreign Language Study in America "Cultural isolation is a luxury the United States can no longer afford." -Senator Paul Simon Americans have hidden behind the excuse that everybody important knows English for too long. The United States is the only country in the world where a student can graduate from college without ever having learned a foreign language. Most countries start foreign language instruction at ten years of age or younger. It is time we did something

  • Significance Of Graceland By Paul Simon

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Graceland was one of the most controversial albums by Paul Simon because of its connection to the apartheid. The apartheid is a policy on segregation or discrimination based on race. The album was censored from the South African government because they believed that Simon was supporting the regime. He took influence from the South African music and American Rock n’ Roll to create the Grammy award-winning album. Simon worked alongside many South African singers bringing out their heritage, traditions

  • Reggae: The Music of Protest

    2352 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marley claimed that the word was Spanish in origin, meaning "the king's music." Veteran Jamaican studio musicians offer the simplest, and probably the most logical, explanation. "It's a description of the beat itself," says Hux Brown, lead guitarist on Paul Simon's 1972 reggae-flavored hit, "Mother and Child Reunion". "It's just a fun, joke kinda word that means the ragged rhythm and the body feelin'. If it's got a greater meanin', it doesn't matter," Brown said (The Origin of “Reggae';,n.d.). To

  • Summary Of The Film 'The Graduate'

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Graduate is a 1967 film directed by Mike Nichols. Which tells the story of a young college graduate, who finds himself seeming lost in the real world and in addition, he finds himself torn between a mother and her daughter. The Graduate shows us how difficult the transition from childhood to adulthood could be for college graduates and how aimless it actually is. Mike Nichols uses selective choose in the songs used in this movie, camera angles and the characters to help illustrate this theme

  • Sounds of Silence analysis

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    a task. Some people draw, some debate, and others write. Paul Simon, a genius with words and music, wrote poems to describe his feelings on politics, love, and the ways of life. Hearing or reading a Paul Simon song gives a person a blessed experienced, they had just seen real emotion, an oddity in these days. One Simon song that stands out above the rest is also probably his most famous, “The Sounds of Silence”. Like many other Paul Simon pieces, the contradictory title is not the only confusing

  • Song Review: The Rhythm Of The Saints By Paul Simon

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    The recording I chose on Youtube to write my paper about is entitled, “The Rhythm of the Saints,” by Paul Simon. Paul Simon is an American musician, actor and singer-songwriter. He has received many awards throughout his musical career including a Lifetime Achievement award which is an extremely prestigious award. He has also released many albums to date but his most interesting album, The Rhythm of the Saints is sure to grab the attention of people everywhere, even though there were a majority of

  • Analysis of 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night by Simon and Garfunkel

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    Analysis of 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night by Simon and Garfunkel In expressive arts we are studing the topics the 60’s. We listened to the song “7 O'clock News/Silent Night” Simon and Garfunkel. In 1956, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were juniors at Forest Hills High School in New York City. They began playing together as a group called Tom and Jerry, with Simon as Jerry Landis and Garfunkel as Tom Graph, so called because he always liked to track hits on the pop charts. As seniors in 1957

  • Richard Cory: Comparing Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    transforms. Many symbolic issues that deal with this dream are related to wealth, which is the most prominent reoccurring theme in the two poems. Whereas Robinson's "Richard Cory" focuses on symbolic issues of wealth during an early time period, Paul Simon creates a contemporary "Richard Cory", showing the transformation of the American Dream coinciding with the passage of time. In Robinson's poem, it states, "We people on the pavement." This line clearly addresses the issue of social status for

  • I’m Proud to be Lefthanded

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    One in 10 people reading this is left-handed. There are nearly 34 million of us living in the United States, and about 500 million in the world. Throughout history, though, lefties have been looked down upon. Centuries ago, the Catholic Church declared that left-handed people were servants of the devil. The word "left" comes from the Old English word meaning "weak" and "worthless." In the 1600s in Europe, lefties were burned at the stake for alleged witchcraft and sorcery. Just a generation

  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren-Hen

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    mankind’s existence. While there are some who fight these “beast-men” humanity has no chance against their “Gunmen” (pilotable robotic humanoids that has been weaponized for military use). This is a story of a man who has yet to realize his destiny Simon, Kamina and all of their friends have battled to the surface to obtain their long lost freedom that they once had. Upon stealing an enemy “Gunmen” from the enemy whom they vow to defeat and finding another beneath the earth surface the pair of heroes

  • Lord of the Flies

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lord of the Flies Golding uses many symbols in the novel, Lord of the Flies, to represent good and evil in society. He uses Simon to represent the peacefulness of life and the kindness of a good heart, while Piggy represents the civilization on the island and the adult viewpoint of the children. The conch symbolizes order and also adult behavior. It is a symbol of strength and knowledge as well, as the evil of the beast represents the fear in the boys. All of these symbols change as the story

  • Lord of the Flies

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    instincts if he tries. Simon, Ralph, and Piggy are prime examples of keeping their good character. In each of them there is a desire to do good. They show throughout the novel that it is possible, even when surrounded by evil, to put aside desires and keep good morals. Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes

  • A Day at the Norton Simon Museum

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Day at the Norton Simon Museum It was the day of April 13, 2000. I woke up at exactly 12 o’clock because my boyfriend was to pick me up at 1 like we planned the night before. The day looked quite nice, but I was in a fowl mood. I got into a car accident the night before and had a huge argument with my parents about the car. I finally dragged myself into the shower and got ready in half an hour. Then I went downstairs, sat on my couch, and repeatedly told myself the day would hopefully turn