Toxicity of Todays Music Essay Example For Students

Toxicity of Todays Music Essay Music Industry To some the music industry is a toxic one, while to others they could not be more indifferent about it. In the article Sex, Lies and Videos Joan Morgan stresses the negative affects the music industry is having on this generation. She makes great points throughout the article while using examples to support those points. T. V is one of the most popular forms of advertising if you will. She says T. V is essentially a babysitter for children. Whether or not that is true, is up for debate. For starters, USIA videos seem to be one of the hottest topics when talking about how women are being degraded. From a parental stand point one could understand a mothers concern about her young daughter watching these music videos where a woman is degraded and is being portrayed as nothing more than an object where she is subjected to be used. In these videos those women are dressed provocatively and are hanging all over men and their demeanor is everything short of self-respect. In todays society young girls from the ages of 13-18 are targeted more than anyone else. We will write a custom essay on Toxicity of Todays Music specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It could be believed that they are most affected and influenced by these videos. Theyre young and naive, and so badly want to fit in. The Job of the producers of these videos isnt to censor things that could give a young girl the wrong idea on how to dress herself and attract someone of the opposite sex. Unfortunately a young girl cannot be monitored at all times. Morgan brings up a valid point in her article when she talks about how a large percentage of girls have eating disorders. One could argue that a single music video with very thin girls could be the culprit. There are any other things that could cause a girl to be diagnosed with some type of eating disorder. Take a look at the models in magazines and celebrities going to extremes to lose weight. What some cable companies have done is allow parents to block certain channels from being watched. Taking advantage of this could solve a world of problems. With that being said, a parent cannot control what their daughter sees when she leaves the home. A mother would like to think she can shelter her daughter from all the bad things in this world, however that is very unrealistic. On the rappers offense, not all downgrade women in their videos or their lyrics. If you take Drake for example, his lyrics are about success, hardships, and the love of women. To him, women are beautiful creatures and should be treated with nothing but respect and showered with love. A line of his lyrics in his song Best I Ever Had he says, Sweat pants, hair tied, chilling with no make-up on. Thats when youre the prettiest I hope that you dont take it wrong. Not anywhere in those lyrics specifically does Drake make it seem as if a woman needs to take her clothes off to be accepted or wanted by a guy.

african american lit paper

african american lit paper african american lit paper African American Literature Paper Sarah A. Perkins March 2, 2015 ENG/301 African American Literature Paper African-American literature is literature that was written and published in the United States by African – American writers. Much of this writing began during the American Revolution and has continued to flourish and thrive throughout Western society. Many of the themes and issues explored within this literature include the role of African Americans in society, racism, African culture, civil rights, slavery, and social equality. Many African American writers would expound upon these ideas through various literary conventions and forms to help build their stories and create a relationship with the readers. Some common literary conventions that can be found in African American writing are the use of imagery, character, and language. Some common literary forms were oral forms, visual forms, and auditory forms. Jourdon Anderson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Maya Angelou are three prominent African American writers that composed masterful works using some of the various literary conventions and forms stated above. Jourdon Anderson was a writer during the post – American Revolution era. His work â€Å"To My Old Master† (1865) is a letter that he wrote in response to his former slave owner requesting that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdon- , who was emancipated at the time and had moved to Ohio to find work, responded with this letter which soon became an immediate media sensation after its publication in the New York Daily Tribune in 1865 (Breed, A., 2012). In the letter Anderson tackles two themes common in African American Literature: Slavery and freedom. These themes are clearly seen through Anderson use of tone and language. At first glance the letter seems nothing more than a polite response to his former master’s request. But it is clear as one continues on that Anderson’s harbors antipathy for his former master. In the opening paragraph, he states, â€Å"I have often felt uneasy about you† (Anderson, J., 1865). He applies the word â€Å"uneas y† as a euphemism to disguise his abhorrence for his former master without explicitly stating it. By doing this, he maintains his polite language and demeanor yet successfully drives home his sense of anguish at his former oppressor with his sarcastic tone. Since this work is written as a letter, it is clearly oral in form. Which means that, by design, this work is meant to be read aloud with stress on specific syllables and words to emphasize the meaning. For example, Anderson states â€Å"As to my freedom, which you say I can have† (Anderson, J., 1865). The parenthetical he uses, â€Å"which you say I can have† provides a sense of sarcasm to the reader/listener because Anderson is underlying the fact that his former master still believes that he has control over Anderson’s life. He then continues to clarify his thought by adding the statement, â€Å"there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-Ge neral of the Department of Nashville† (Anderson, J., 1865). When read aloud, this statement is very definitive and final in nature, lending to his thesis: I am free and I never again will be a slave. W.E.B. DuBois was a poet during the early Twentieth Century. His work, â€Å"The Song of the Smoke† (1907) was a poem that was written tackling the themes of African Americans in society and social equality. It is often understood as an affirmation of Black pride and Black acceptance. This poem was first published in 1907 in the magazine known as Horizon, one which he himself edited. (Thompson, E. 2001, p.215). DuBois employs the use of imagery and language to emphasize his thesis: African American lives are important and impactful. He opens the poem with, â€Å"I am the Smoke King/I am black!† (Dubois, W.E.B., 1907, L/1-2). Here he uses the image if back smoke against a grey visage. We can see that DuBois is using the contrasting elements to show that, despite the