Category: Uncategorized

Music In Middle East Cultural

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Characteristics of Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074575 h 1Instrumentation in Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074576 h 2Arab music genres PAGEREF _Toc381074577 h 2Arabic Maqam system PAGEREF _Toc381074578 h 3Arab musicians PAGEREF _Toc381074579 h 4Arabic music roots PAGEREF _Toc381074580 h 4Changes in Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074581 h 5Suppressing of Arab roots in music PAGEREF _Toc381074582 h 6Rediscovering or rejuvenating of Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074583 h 6

The Arab culture is one of the cultures that are found in the Middle East. Within this Arabic culture there is the Arabic music which is the music that is for the people who speak the Arabic language. Classical Arabic music has been in existence for a very long time and it is popular among many people not just in the Middle East but all over the world. This paper will therefore look at the Arab culture music roots. It will look at the Arab music generally, the instruments used and some of their popular musicians. It will also focus on how this music has changed throughout time. There will also be an insight on the efforts that have been made to rejuvenate and rediscover the music and the reasons as to why these roots have been suppressed.

Characteristics of Arab musicA lot of Arab music is characterized by emphasizing rhythm and melody and not harmony. Some of the genres are polyphonic and others are homophonic. There are five major components which characterize Arab music and they are; the tone system, the Arab tone system is a system with musical tuning which relies solely on structures with a specific interval and it was invented in the 10th century by al-Farabi.the second component is that the music has a rhythmic temporal structure which leads to the production of a wide range of rhythmic patterns which are known as awzan. These are often used in company of vocal cords that are metered as well as instrumental genres which give them form or assertion. The other component is musical instruments which are found throughout Arab culture and world which represent a tone system that is usually standardized. The instruments in the music are played using standard techniques which display same details when it comes to their design and construction. The fourth component is that the music often has specific social contexts which lead to the production of various sub categories or genres of the Arab music. They can be broadly ne categorized into urban which is meant for those inhabitants of the city, rural meant for country inhabitants or Bedouin which is meant for people that inhabit the desert. The fifth component is the mentality of Arab music. This mentality is aimed at creating a esthetic homogeneity of rhythmic-temporal as well as the tonal-spatial structure that is found all over the Arab world whether it is improvised, or composed, secular or sacred and vocal or instrumental. The Arab music is described mentally as being made up of many things.

Instrumentation in Arab musicThe instruments that are used in Arab music are diverse and too many when it comes to being listed. The four main melodic instruments in Arab music are oud, qanun, nay and violin as well as main percussion instruments known as riq. The riq is often substituted by a table or daff which is a frame drum. When it comes to style the instruments are categorized into two groups the sahb which is played by stretching or puling and the naqr which is played through hammering or plucking. The nay and violin are categorized as sahb while the qanun and oud are categorized under naqr. These two categories are meant for accompanying each other that there can be creation of music which is richer and more complete. Where there are duets the combinations which are common are oud with violin and nay with qanun.

Arab music genresThere are various genres within Arab music and they include Andalusia music that originated from Abu Hassan Ali who was known as Zirriab. This was a famous singer and composer in the 9th century. This music is characterized by use of instruments which are complicated. Its lyrics are in Andalusia dialect. The other genre is Aissawa which was founded in the 15th century by Sidi Ben Aissa.it is characterized by the use of percussion instruments. Another genre is Bedouin music which is meant for Arabian tribes in the desert. It often based on poems and accompanied by the sun. Berber music is another genre that originated from the Berber culture which was rich and diverse and it uses various styles of music such as Celtic style to music which is pentatonic which are combined with rhythms that are African in nature. The music is an important stock of oral literature which is authentic. Other music genres in Arab music are chaabi, Gharnati, Gnawa, Griha, heavy metal, khaleeji, malouf, Ra’I and so on. These genres can be broadly put into two categories under secular art music and sacred music. The secular art music includes analusi, layali, dulab, liwa and many others. On the other hand sacred music includes Jewish music which is Baqashot and pizmonin.it also includes Christian and Islam music. However some of the Islamic music is still categorized under secular while Christian music is under the influence of Coptic, catholic, orthodox and so on.

Arabic Maqam systemThe Arabic system of music is quite a complex one even more complex than the ancient Greek harmonica. Arab music is based on the Maqam system that is similar to the mode but not exactly it. The maqam used determines the dominant note, the tonic note and the ending note unless there is occurrence of modulation. There are over 110 maqams in the Arabic music which can further put into categories that are often larger known as fasilah. The fasilah are groups of maqams which have their first four pitches being similar. The maqam is made up of two scale segments known as ajina. There has been continued innovation which has led to the emergence of other ajinas there is therefore no solid number of ajinas that scholars have come up with. However there are eight main ajinas that have been universally agreed upon and they are Saba, rast, kudi, ajam, hijaz, sikah, bayat and nahawand.

Arab musiciansClassical Arab music has been known for virtuoso singers that sing long songs which are ornamented elaborately using tunes that are melistic and are known to drive those listening to the music into ecstasy. these musicians get their tradition drive from the times where Islam was not in existence when the singers were women who were slaves and they were meant to entertain the rich people, give inspirations to warriors when they were in the battle field with rajaz which was made up of poems, they also staged their performances in weddings and other festivals. There are various Arab music singers who produce a wide range and genres of songs. These musicians create their music and record them as well as produce videos for them. Among the famous Arab musicians are Amr Diab, Mohamed Moneer, Kadim Al sahir, Nancy Ajiram and many others. These musicians are not only famous in the Middle East bust they are known all over the world from the music that they produce.

Arabic music rootsArabic music is independent and has been in existence and alive for a very long time. It has some interactions with various genres and styles of music in the Middle East region. The Arab music has its roots deep in Arabic poetry that dates back to the pre-Islamic period that was known as Jahiliyyah. Arabic music as is known today came into being as a result of art that is termed as evolutionary form which dates back to the Greek civilization. Many cultures as well as political powers led to the evolution of this art of Arab music. The recitation of Arab poetry was done with rhythm and tone which was spoken in a manner that was highly musical that was incorporated with several instruments. Therefore the Arabic music is marked by focusing on melody and style and less emphasis is put on harmony of the music as compared to the western music. The tone system of the Arabic music as well as other rhythmic- temporal structure that the musicians use makes the Arabic music very distinct from other music. The music has been harmonic in nature since its development and has not features like polyrhythm, polyphony as well as a development that is motivic.

Due to its roots on poetry Arab music is made up of tones and semitones which can also shift to quartertones. It is therefore it is so far music that has the very smallest of the tonal steps. This is therefore the typical character of Arab music and as it plays repeatedly around the notes with variations that are slight, there is loss of key notes by the musician.

Changes in Arab musicNowadays there is use of western temporal instruments in the Arabic music. There is use of instruments like piano, guitar, synthesizer, electric organ and so on. This has led to the diversion of Arab music from what it was known to a new form that it takes. Arabic music has therefore changed and transformed totally. There has been creation of new genres which are as a result of the combination of Arab music and the western music. Therefore Arab music has undergone major transformation and people are now getting to know and like the new Arab music version as opposed to the old Arab music.

Suppressing of Arab roots in musicThe strong roots of the Arab music are slowly being suppressed this is due to the fact that there has been a strong interaction between Arab music and popular music from the western cultures. This began in the 1950’s and by 1970 most of the Arab musicians adopted these changes and Arab pop came to existence. Arab pop was made up of songs that were of the western style but with use of Arabic lyrics and instruments. Western pop music was also influenced by Arabic music as surf music developed from this. Several west-meets-east music styles began to develop and they were such as Franco-Arabic. There was also development of Arabic reggae, R&B and hip hop, Arabic jazz, Arabic rock and so on. These interactions between the western culture and Arabic music therefore led to suppressing of the initial Arabic music roots. A complete deviation from the Arabic root was seen and the Arabic music became completely different from what it was before.

Rediscovering or rejuvenating of Arab musicThroughout time Arab music has gone through changes and has been some what been lost. It is no longer what it was intended to be as the western culture has greatly influenced it. The music is seen to have taken a western tone that has greatly changed it. There are seen to be efforts made by musicians to try and rejuvenate as well as rediscover Arab music as it existed before these interactions. Arab musicians are constantly being encouraged to produce Arab music like it was done before. They are discouraged from incorporating the western culture too much each time they make music. There are also shows that are organized where Arab music that was produced before influences from the western culture.

This is aimed at giving an opportunity to people who have never had the opportunity of listening to this music and hence be able to appreciate it and want more. The shows are also aimed at encouraging musicians to get ideas from this music and appreciate its value so that they can try to produce such music. Without this efforts to rediscover the Arab music then it might be completely lost as it can be taken up by the western culture. If this is not done in good time then the generations to come will not have a chance to listen to the original Arab music tunes as they were. They therefore will have been denied a great opportunity which other generations that came before them enjoyed.

 Student’s name

Course title

Supervisor’s name

Date of submission

Music Culture

Music can be a combination of tunes or beats lyrically put in a set of rhythms to pass some information. As a culture, music can be called an art introduced in ancient times for particular purposes. However, music is very complex as it is divided into different genres, representing people’s sense of choice and preference according to their personalities. The biggest reason behind the division of music into several genres is that every person seems interested in music related to their nature and character. What makes one person happy might not create another one happy too, whereby the same fact applies to music where people will listen to different genres based on how they are feeling, exposure, or the environment one grew up in. This paper has explained facts about the originality of different genres of music and how the culture affects the standard way of living, whether positive or negative.

Music has a lot of advantages, the most important one being about inspiring others. For centuries, music has been used as the motivation to the listeners as these artists also speak to their fans either directly or indirectly (Kruse, 40). As said earlier, music passes massage to the people, thus being used as a tool that generally influences the listeners’ lifestyle, hence proving that music affects the mind.

Society is controlled and defined by the culture in it. At the same time, music happens to be a culture accepted by all communities globally, hence being a unique one. Research done by Dr. Shaw shows that music provides both peaceful states of mind and is involved in sharing ideas, thoughts, or feelings, which influences how an artist feels about an issue in the community. Every artist sings what they think will make the listeners happy or relaxed. Other kinds of songs bring a state of loneliness or sorrow, which happen to be loved by some people.

Music culture relates to the listener’s behavior, meaning that the kind of music a person listens to defines a lot on the type of personality one has (Cook, 39). It is proven that the choice of music is connected to the functioning of the mind, where it is used as an activity so that one can exercise the brain to think out clearly. Again, music is a culture that keeps on updating itself, meaning that most listeners stay updated. Artists are now focusing on what is happening now as a way of capturing attention from their listeners. Music comes in hand with some advantages, which define the role the culture plays in society.

In our daily lives, we plan different kinds of celebrations where we meet and enjoy. Music in this matter happens to be the only determinant that decides whether the festival will be a success or not. By listening to music, the feeling makes most people happy, thus making it easy for them to celebrate and be excited. Occasions such as weddings are always cheered up by listening to music; hence it has become normality for almost every individual in the world. Again, passing information may be different from expressing oneself (Blacking, Bruno 24). Music can be used as a tool where the artist explains how they feel about themself, thus allowing the listeners to compare their situations with those of the artists.

Dancing brings happiness, burns calories, and makes the body fit. Music is defined by beats and rhythm set by the producer, whereby the artists use the moments to create movements that people use to dance. Dancing changes the mood of an individual while introducing a feeling of relaxation and happiness. Every genre has particular activities or dance styles, which are strictly followed by the fans. For example, people who listen to hip-hop tend to have a unique way of flexing their music, where they dance differently from people who listen to reggae or African music.

New trends come up every day, forcing people to switch from old to modern times (Bennett, 46). Music as a culture is considered a flexible sector, where music is being transformed into contemporary music. Unlike the ancient times, some artists are graduates who sing differently from local people, meaning that the kind of music they sing is highly upgraded and is covering the new era. Music is compared to art or can be termed as an art as people express their ability in thinking and other skills such as dancing. Art keeps on changing, meaning that music changes as time goes on.

Communication is done through music. Artists pass important messages to their listeners through music, expecting them to understand whatever the song says and abide by it (Kruse, 33). People express their feelings differently, meaning that a group of people will speak out directly; others will write notes or poems while others write songs to speak out for themselves. For example, J. Cole, a pop artist widely known for singing about what is happening now, expresses his feelings with sad or emotional songs well understood by his fans. On the other hand, King Von, a hip-hop artist, speaks his love to people who love violence or show off their riches. The two artists have special massages to their listeners, confirming that music is a form of communication.

Lastly, music is a culture that offers intimacy. Intimacy applies to both the listener and the singer, where each has a chance to quietly make decisions on what they feel and express themselves privately. People who cannot speak directly to others are highly favored by music, whereby artists express their deep feelings and other emotions to the people without fear (Cook, 38). Relatively, the listeners get private chances to listen to the music in their own time, where they compare their lives with what is being sung and make decisions out of it. Songs also act as a channel where people communicate with others privately as they always convey messages to different kinds of personalities possessed by human beings.

Works Cited

Bennett, Andy. Popular music and youth culture: Music, identity and place. Macmillan Press Ltd., 2000: 40-53

Blacking, John, and Bruno Nettl. Music, culture, and experience: Selected papers of John Blacking. University of Chicago Press, 1995: 20-45

Cook, Nicholas. Music, imagination, and culture. Clarendon Press, 1990: 36-40

Kruse, Holly. “Subcultural identity in alternative music culture.” Popular music 12.1 (1993): 33-41.

Music In The 1960s

In the mid 1960,s a number of rock and roll bands crossed into America in droves after being inspired by the success of the Beatles who had already made a breakthrough in America. The bands way of playing differed as they played a wide variety of rock which included hard rock, kinks and Herman’s Hermit

Most of the bands that took place in the invasion were playing blues or pop, with loud guitars and melodies. Between the years 1964 to 1966 the British topped the charts both in America and the United Kingdom. A second invasion occurred in the late 1960,s, many of the bands had become households name in the U.K and America.

By 1962, driven by the attitude that anyone could sing and the popularity of rock, most British teenagers developed interest in American rock and roll which they blended with local beats and came up with music that they played and sang proudly. Groups of young people with electric powered guitars began composing tunes such as melodic pop and electric blues. The defiant tune and image of the blues musicians was well received by the British youth and ultimately influenced the Artists of the popular invasion.  

The arrival of the Beatles to New York on the 7th of February 1964 is recognized as the occasion which led to other pop and rock groups cross into America, even though there had been earlier attempts in 1950,s, none had succeeded like the Beatles.

The Beatles formed in 1960. Was from Liverpool and played a major role in the invasion .they were the most successful music group in the sixties, selling about over a billion records world wide, releasing over 40 singles and leaving a legacy of being the group topped both the United Kingdom and United States of America charts.

Liverpool was the place where one could find the latest American hits before they were circulated in the other parts of Britain, this was because Liverpool being a seaport most of the sailors who visited the United States came back with the music.

The Beatles first public appearance in public in the United States was on a show hosted by Ed Sullivan on 9th February 1964. The studio had the capacity of only 703 seats but a record 50,000 people requested for seats at the studio and another estimated 73 million watched on television, as the Beatles performed five songs.

The Beatles right away became a house hold name in rock music and the most known music group, but at the end of the 60s the Beatle members went separate ways to begin solo careers. Another type of music known as Motown music it was produced by the first black owned company which was known for catchy lyrics.

Rock music had some negative aspects; it began to be associated with drugs. This was after a singer from the group Doors died of drug overdose

Other groups that made an impact apart from the Beatles were, the Pace makers, quintet and also the Dakotas. The first British music group that made it to the Americas top hit singles chart was the Tornados, a little time later the Beatles followed suit and soon the rest of the groups joined in 1963. Not all of the performances by successful British artists were successful in the United States of America like the case of Cliff Richard.

By 1964 London was the resident to a dozen musical groups like, rolling stones Dusty Springfield and many more. Newcastle was home to groups like the Animals, Birmingham was home to the moody blues, Belfast had the music group as the zombies.

From the year 1964 to 1966 scores of British artists went across the Atlantic into the United States of America following on the footsteps of the now successful Beatles, groups such as Manfred Mann, Petula Clark, Donavan’s and many more.

Right through 1966 and 1967, a movement which was opposed the war became an astonishingly very important concern in the political landscape of America. The movement received support of the most influential politicians, and eventually the movement gained support from the west coast through the hard work of the musical groups which had the support of most of the youth.

The musical icons included John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, and others. When addressing the audience, the icons saw them as a faction that could run the society in the best way they wanted, and oppose the authority .The music brought out the belief they shared on the war in Vietnam and the political state in America.

In the 1960s the music had a big role in addressing social problems such as war, and other forms of social repression that was seen as the major reason for the youth protests. The bands played to mammoth crowds to tackle such issues. But none of the events could have impacted more than the Woodstock festival that took place just outside New York City from the 15th to 18th August 1969. This was viewed as the peak after years of revolutions around the world; more than 500,000 came together to listen and watch the performance by some of the most established in the world.

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

Characteristics of God in Psalm 18 In the 18th section of the book of psalms, David, the king is seen rejoicing in the goodness of the lord and in the deliverances God has given him. These are seen in the verse 1 to 19 of the 18th section. There onwards, David is further shown taking comfort and enjoying the integrity which God has placed upon him. He further gives God praise in verses 29 to 50 for His goodness and mighty deeds. The book of psalms also commonly known as the psalms is a book found in the Christian bible and also in the Hebrew bible. It is composed of about 150 poems all of which express the full range of the faith of Israelites in religion and in God. In this particular psalm, we are shown the strong believe David had on the Lord and how he depended on Him for his strength and integrity. This paper will, therefore, explore some of the characteristics this psalm gives, God. Furthermore, the paper will consider some of the similarities and differences in the character of God as seen in the books of Psalms, Genesis, and Exodus.

Psalms 18 shows God as a God of strength. David calls God a rock to show His strength. He was not really a real rock but He acted as one to David when he asked for help to be delivered from his enemies. The characteristics of a rock include strong, hard, unbreakable, and stout. These were the same characteristics that David gave God when he called Him his rock. This is seen in the second verse of psalms 18. God is also shown as being merciful. He offers David help when he calls upon him for help. Verse 4- 5 of psalms 18 shows that David had numerous enemies who wanted to finish him. There were many people around David who wanted to harm him and this made him feel helpless before them. When he called upon God, He did not hesitate to give David the help he needed to conquer his enemies.

Another characteristic of God that becomes apparent in psalms 18 is that God knows everything; he has all the answers to our questions and problems. When David did not know what to do with his enemies, God send an earthquake that moved the earth bringing buildings down this is in verse seven. In the 8th to the 14th verses, God answers David’s calls by sending a storm when David did not know how to deal with his enemies. God is also shown as being righteous. David says that the lord helped him because he was righteous, because his hands were clean. He also says that his enemies who were not righteous did not receive any help from God even when they cried to Him because they were not righteous. In verses 20 to 23, it is indicated that Christians must be righteous so that they show everyone else how to be righteous christens. This is proof that God only likes people who are righteous and clean.

God is also shown as the provider. Everything that David has has been provided for him by God. He is strong and wise; he is also given the ability to win over all his enemies. He wins all of the battles he gets involved with because God has provided him with mercy, integrity, strength and wisdom. The image of God presented in psalms 18 can be compared and contrasted with His image as shown in the creation and the flood story. The image in psalms is that God is all powerful, He is righteous, He is strong, without mercy for those who are not righteous, helpful, and all knowing. This image can be compared with the image of God presented in the book of Genesis about creation. In the creation story, God is shown as powerful, righteous, vengeful, and a God of order. The image of power is clear when He creates the whole world all by himself by word of mouth. He says let there be, and a creation takes place. Power is also shown when he creates and breathes life in man. This image of power can also be seen in psalms 18 when God is able to help David overcome his enemies by sending storms and earthquakes to destroy them. Another image in creation is righteousness. God demands obedience from his creations, and when they sin he becomes extremely angry with man and He punishes them. This shows that he likes righteous people just like in psalms 18 where He only helps those who are righteous and clean before Him. The image of God being the provider presented in psalms 18 is also clear in the creation story. God creates man and provides them with food to eat. The vengeful and destructive image of God presented in the creation story when he punishes man for disobeying him can be compared with the way He lets the unfaithful, enemies of David get destroyed in the battle.

The flood also shows this side of God that does not like unrighteousness. He decides to flood and finish the whole world because people have been unclean and unrighteous before Him. He only saves Noah and his family because they were the only faithful ones. His vengeful character also becomes clear when he decides to kill all humans because they disobeyed Him.

Work cited

‘The Psalms 18.’ In The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: The American Bible Society, 2000.

Discussion post

Characteristics of remarried couples

In my opinion, there are many reasons why once separated individuals get to remarry.

1). Familiarity, knowledge about each other, and comfort. It is an essential quality and characteristic when it comes to human relations. Even though the two might have issues that make them not want to be together, they know each other very well, and therefore, it is easy for them to manage their problems together in an easy way instead of trying to go and look for other partners. Looking for other partners can be a very strenuous activity. Therefore these individuals may decide to remarry since they already know each other, and that brings with it some comfort since one is aware of what would make the other upset or happy.

2). Long-term happiness- when individuals get remarried, they do so basically for the sake of their happiness. One of the reasons individuals get divorced is that they are looking for something better than their partner, and in the real sense, there is nothing better than their partner. However, these individuals tend to forget what their partners have done for them and seek divorce due to minor misunderstandings. When outside, most people do not get what they expected the outside world could provide, and therefore, they finally get to come back to their partners who at least had real happiness before they separated.

3). Desire to have a quality life with all resources- even though it is only a few people who get married of late due to help, it is true that several individuals get married due to the financials and resource state of the other person. When these people get divorced, they go looking for the same or even better resources and spend their resources on them, which does not always play out. Therefore, due to frustration and inability to find people willing to pay their help, they get back to their former spouse and get remarried. The text supports the opinion as it states how resources make individuals remarry (brooks, 2013, p. 465).

4). Desire to keep children safe- most parents divorce, and this affects their children very negatively. However, some parents tend to rethink their marriages for the sake of their children. Therefore, most couples who break up when they had children usually undergo a tough time trying to avert the adverse effects brought upon the children by divorce. At times, they are unable to prevent the impact. They tend to remarry. However, this is also determined by the reasons why they had divorced at first. For example, if the cause was huge and did significant damage to the marriage, the individuals might not remarry, but if the issue were a small one, they would likely remarry.

Reference

Brooks, j. B. (2013). The process of parenting (edition 9). Mcgraw hill.

Music Disparity

Student’s Name

Institution

Course Id

Music Disparity

Music is an efficient tool of communication that enables people to freely express their feelings regarding the emerging issues in the society like inequality as well as the public’s way of living.

The two songs selected as per this paper’s instructions are “Formation” by Beyoncé and “Chained to Rhythm” by Katy Perry. Beyoncé’s song is a morally poignant work in kind of a social anthem that talks about police brutality, happenings of Hurricane Katrina and Africa-Americans segregation history. Katy Perry’s work depicts adverse effects of the political affiliation in the society today and how people are not concerned about others issues so far as they are not affecting them in a way or the other. The songs are selected because they both talk about inequality and current issues affecting the society today.

The typical day’s society interaction symbolically relate to the selected music. Perry gives an insight into not allowing leaders build walls to separate use instead of establishing efficient connectivity (Dodson, 2018). She provokes civilians not to shut up while the front-runners are risking their well-being. Also, Beyoncé brings about racial issues in the society which has been the root of many evils in the community. She urges that everyone regardless of the ethnicity have equal rights and have the potentiality to take part in societal development.

In dealing with inequality, oppression and power exploitation, both songs incite the audience by reminding their responsibility of enhancing unity in the nation as well as making human rights elaborate to the listeners. In her song, Beyoncé takes part in protest advocating equal rights and condemning segregation of the black Americans, showing that she is part and parcel of the community and supports national cohesion. The case is same with Perry’s message as she says that they are about to riot and cannot comfortably see trouble coming.

Their relevance to the topic of discussion regarding inequality and political prejudice makes both Beyoncé and Perry’s song be selected. According to Katy Perry people have to be active in issues regarding social, political and economic development not to easily allow the influential tamper with the nation’s economy and stability. Similarly, Beyoncé portrays that she is comfortable with culture and ethnicity as she shows commitment being in the front line to fight injustice both regarding gender and racial bias (James, 2017).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRaFMlZ1YHA

“Apparently” by J. Cole is the third option as the song that reminds people especially the marginalized and minority in the society to keep heads high in fighting injustice. J. Cole postulates the effects and threats of inequality to the community as it will at all the time lead to societal deprivation. This makes it relevant to the subject of discussion in this paper as all that people need is enlightenment and encouragement to fight for their rights and justice.

“Apparently” symbolically depicts the injustices undergone during social interactions where the inferior do not have a say in the community and have to fight hard on their success way. In his song, J. Cole states that he does not know freedom, but he will keep his head high and have a strong faith as he has to fight for his dreams. Here the music talks about the everyday inequalities seen in the society such as segregation when it comes to access to public amenities such as healthcare and education.

In dealing with injustice, J. Cole’s song insists on realizing person’s best friend and having an individual perspective on how to achieve the dreams. People may surround one pretending to there to help, but in reality, they aim at destroying one’s future and degrading the success. Therefore, it is a personal decision to set future goals and follow them to the key. Regardless of ethnicity and social differences, people have to fight inequality and great conducive environment for others to develop both socially and economically.

References

Dodson, J. (2018). On track to utopia. Overland, (230), 88.

James, K. (2017). From Bandannas to Berets: A Critical Analysis of Beyoncé’s “Formation” Music Video.

Student’s name

Lecturer’s name

Course

Date

Music exists in a variety of genres. They convey different messages depending on the target audience. Songs also vary depending on the purpose and settings they are played. Music sets scenes and creates emotion for its consumers. One song that has captured my attention and stayed in my mind for the longest time is called ‘this is America,’ sung by a famous African-American singer and actor, Donald Glover. His stage name is Childish Gambino, and his target audience is Americans, particularly black Americans. The official song video and audio were released in 2018.

The song ‘this is America’ is a controversial piece that caught people’s attention worldwide because of its specially defined lyrics and video. It focuses on the issue of discrimination against black people and police brutality. The song starts with a gospel choir to symbolize good news. During the slavery era, black people relied on the good news to give them hope of a better future and freedom from oppression by the white man. Childish Gambino proceeds to put himself in a white room to symbolize America then shoots a black man sitting on a chair. The gun he uses is treated with utmost respect than the body of a black person lying on the ground. As he shoots, he takes the pose of Jim Crow, a famous racist caricature to enhance his message and bring the audience closer to the narrative. The artist uses this scene to connect with his audience and convey the message of racial discrimination happening in America.

I believe the song intends to portray the image of police brutality against African-Americans in America. Many Cases of police using excessive force when handling black people have been reported, yet no serious or legal action seems to support the black community. Some go to the extent of using their legal power to kill black men and use the excuse of self-defense. The song warns black people to stay woke because they are not safe in America. Childish Gambino dances amidst the chaos to show his audience that they need to wake up and address America’s real issue and not get distracted.

Name:

Course:

Institution:

Date of submission:

Characteristics phases of development of pre-historical humanity according to western civilizations by Joshua Cole and carol SymesPre-history refers to the period when human first appeared and invention of writing. This period has being characterized with limited sources of information as there were no formal ways through which information could have been stored except through the use of myths.

During the Paleolithic era, the main characteristics of this phase were the invention of fire by the Hominids who lived during this era. The human societies of this era were able to benefit from fire in a variety of ways including using it to harden tool tips, for hunting purposes, used the fire to made jewelry from metals, keeping themselves warm during cold nights and scaring away dangerous wild animals.

During this period, western civilizations were also characterized by cultures such as painting on wall caves and the burying of dead people in unique graves. During the burial ceremonies, the deceased were buried with objects that were meaningful to the life they lived including instruments such as horns, flowers and jewelry. At the end of Paleolithic era, the western civilization was characterized by finely crafted small tools that were developed by humans to aid in various activities such as fishing and hunting. Some of the finely crafted tools at this stage included fishhooks, wooden and bone sewing needles and arrow heads.

The Neolithic era began at around 11,000 B.C.E when there was rapid climate change and the human populations had become significantly huge. As the natural sources of food diminished, humans started looked for stable sources of food leading to the development of manageable food productions. Humans began domesticating animals and crops leading to a settled lifestyle as the need for hunting for food were eliminated. As people adopted a settled lifestyle, populations grew rapidly and specialization and division of labor became entrenched in societies. There was an emergence of status and rank in societies as a distinction developed between the rich and the poor.

Name:

Date:

Institutional Affiliation:

Characterization in Hamlet

Characterization in the play ‘Hamlet’ plays a crucial role in developing the story’s themes and plot. ‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s most famous literary works that has been studied throughout the world. It is a tragic play whose main characters are the first family of Denmark. It is a sad tale of how a son, Hamlet, seeks vengeance for his father’s death and how his quest leaves destruction in its wake. Hamlet who is the main character in the story is central to the development of the play’s themes and other characters.

The story is set in the city of Elsinore in Denmark around the middle ages (Knights 19). When the play begins, the King of Denmark who is Hamlet’s father has been recently murdered. Hamlet is grief-stricken at the death of his father. Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother. Upon the death of her husband, she marries Claudius who happens to be her late husband’s brother. Other characters in the play are Ophelia who is the daughter to Polonius. Polonius serves as a royal attendant to the King. Laertes is Ophelia’s brother and a son to Polonius who ends up taking his father’s place in the palace after the death of Polonius.

The Ghost of Hamlet’s father is another character in the story that is seen to inspire many of Hamlet’s actions. Other minor characters include Horatio with whom Hamlet attended school and Guildenstern and Rosencrantz who are friends of Hamlet as well. All the characters in the story play a critical role and help to deliver the plot and the themes of the play in a vivid manner. The reader can find the characters very relatable, and their actions are what one would expect from the situations in which they find themselves.

Hamlet is the main protagonist in the play. Throughout the play, his actions are focused on seeking revenge for his dead father. He believes that the new king, Claudius, was a part of the plot to kill his father. He even suspects that his mother Gertrude aided him in carrying out the deed. “O most pernicious woman/ O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!…/ One may smile, and smile and be a villain/ At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.”

Hamlet can be described as being loyal to the memory of his late father. He tells Horatio that he will never see anyone like his father, ““I shall not look upon his like again”. He wants to find out exactly who killed him so that he might take revenge on them. He is also very impulsive, and this can be seen in Act III where he speaks to his mother about her relationship with her husband, King Claudius. He tells her that what he did by marrying Claudius is disrespectful of his dead father. Unknown to him, Polonius was hidden behind the tapestry to protect Queen Gertrude from her son’s strange actions. Hamlet thinks Claudius is behind the curtain and drives a knife through it, killing Polonius.

Hamlet is brutally honest. He tells his mother in no uncertain terms exactly how he feels about her marriage to his uncle. He says, “O most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!/ It is not, nor it cannot come to good/ But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue” . Hamlet thinks that his mother and Claudius insulted the late King’s memory by getting married a short time after the King’s death. Their marriage can also be considered incestuous as Gertrude married the brother of her late husband Knights 35). He is also vengeful and will stop at nothing to find out who killed his father.

Hamlet is also very emotional and unstable. His father’s death caused him much grief, and this shows what a loving son he must have been (Jarosz 13). Hamlet is anxious to speak to the ghost of his father when Horatio tells him of how they saw the ghost. With all the problems that Hamlet faces after the death of his father and his mother’s remarriage, he considers suicide but fails to go through with it as he believes it a sin. His actions, however, become more unpredictable by the day and lead his mother to summon him in the third act to find out what the problem is. Hamlet can also be quite level-headed when he chooses to be. Instead of rushing to kill his uncle on the ghost’s word, he decides that he must first get more evidence of his foul actions. He does this by performing a play about the Murder of Gonzago to see Claudius’ reaction.

Gertrude is another major character in the play. She is the Queen of Denmark because when her husband died, she married his brother and remained Queen. Such an act can be considered a betrayal and an insult to the memory of her late husband. She did so very soon after the death that Hamlet feels that her grief was faked. She is also very inconsiderate of her son Hamlet. Gertrude did not give him enough time to grieve his dead father before she went ahead to marry his brother. She, however, does not understand how her actions affected Hamlet and led to his unstable state of mind. Gertrude is a woman who lacks virtue, her marriage to her late husband’s brother can be considered incestuous and Hamlet tells her as much, her weak morality is brought to light when Hamlet asks her not to sleep in Claudius’ bed, to which she replies, “What shall I do?” (Thompson & Neil).

Queen Gertrude can be said to be gullible and guileless. She bows down to her husband’s every whim and is blind to his faults. She fails to comprehend the reason as to why Hamlet has been acting so strange lately. She acts shocked and surprised when Hamlet lets her know how he feels about her marriage and her grief that is quite shallow. She presents herself as a helpless victim in the whole scenario. This is hardly the case as she married Claudius soon after her husband’s death with no regard for Hamlet’s feelings or the opinions of other people. She is also selfish as her marriage was likely because she wanted to maintain the status quo of being Queen of England.

King Claudius is the main antagonist of the story. He became King by poisoning his late brother and then becoming King in his place. He also marries his dead brother’s wife, Queen Gertrude. The marriage can be seen as an incestuous act. Claudius appears to be repentant of his crimes as he confesses his sins to God in his chapel. The confession shows how remorseful he is for killing his brother. The King can also be said to be a capable leader. When the play begins, he manages to diplomatically avert a military crisis when Denmark is threatened by Norway. He is calm and gentle with Hamlet whom he urges to stop being so sad all the time.

As is his wife Gertrude, King Claudius is inconsiderate of Hamlet. He marries the Prince’s mother without giving him to grieve for his dying father. Claudius is also manipulative and scheming. He manipulates his wife into believing that he is innocent of any crimes. He manages to convince Laertes to become his ally after the death of Polonius. When he takes over as King, he tries to unite all his people who are grieving for their king. “The whole kingdom/to be contracted in one brow of woe” (Shakespeare 31). He is a heavy drinker, and in the end, he succumbs to poisoned wine which is ironical. The public persona of Claudius is entirely different from who he is in private. The ghost describes him as being incestuous for marrying his wife. His greed and lust for power are what led him to kill his brother in the first place.

Other minor characters in the story are Polonius, Ophelia, and Laertes. Polonius was a faithful attendant to the court. He is the one who asks Gertrude to speak to Hamlet to find the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. This is not out of genuine for concern for Hamlet, but it was a way of spying for the king hence Polonius is a pretender. His son Laertes is a man of weak character as he goes from being King Claudius’ enemy to being his friend. Ophelia is a gullible woman who bows down to the instructions of her father Polonius when he sends her to speak to Hamlet with the hope of finding the cause of his behavior.

The characters in the play are well explained, and Hamlet especially brings vivid images to the reader. His desire to avenge his father and his anger towards his mother overwhelm him and lead to the death of all the characters discussed. Characterization in the play helps the reader to identify the lot and theme of the story without much struggle.

Works Cited

Jarosz, Maria. Bargains with fate: Psychological crises and conflicts in Shakespeare and his plays. Routledge, 2017.

Knights, Lionel Charles. An Approach to” Hamlet.”. Stanford University Press, 1961.

Muir, Kenneth. The sources of Shakespeare’s plays. Routledge, 2014.

Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, 2018.

Thompson, Ann, and Neil Taylor, eds. Hamlet: A Critical Reader. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.

Subject

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Date

Music has been for a long time been associated with politics, with a large number of musicians being involved in politics through their indirect influence as well as their ability to command a large population. Due to their influence, some of the musicians have been labeled as rebels to the government with some of the accusations leading to the assassination. Politicians, however, have misused the musicians and manipulated them to their gain.

‘Who shot the Sheriff’ is a Netflix documentary that narrates the circumstance that led to the attempted assassination of the Jamaican reggae icon, Bob Marley. Bob Marley was a famous reggae musician commanding a large crowd in Jamaica. Bob was a Rastafarian and rose to fame during the times that Jamaica was in chaos with people getting into war due to politics. Due to this Bob formed an underground movement named the roots and reggae movement and through this movement, he advocated for unity among the people through his music. Marley gained international recognition, and this sent tension to the politicians back at home as they saw a revolution and considered Bob Marley a threat. Two days before Marley could perform to a concert organized by the then prime minister of Jamaica Michael Manly, Bob together with his family and manager were shot by unknown people. According to the documentary, it is inferred that the attempted suicide was a plot to warn Bob to restrain himself from engaging in politics, and the CIA is thought to have had an upper hand of the attack.

The filmmaker intends to investigate who shot Bob Marley and therefore the film is an investigative documentary. The documentary opens with flickering images of black and white. Gunshots and people armed with guns are seen in the film, and this implies that Jamaica was in war at the time of the shooting. The documentary uses natural lighting, but the contrast is not very clear, and the reason is that the documentary uses past images recorded at a time when the technology was not advanced. Since the images and most of the videos were recorded past the year 1976, the visual quality is not that pleasing, and therefore the visual quality cannot be termed to be very good. However, the audio is very clear, and one can hear the wording without any strains. The coordination of the audio and visual elements is excellent, and this makes the overall quality of the documentary to be of high quality. Since the whole documentary is investigative, various interviews are done with different personalities providing their perspective on what transposed at the time of the shooting. Interviews are a source of valid data, and therefore it is a production of facts from the first-hand source, and this increases the credibility of the author. Through the interviews, that include from Bob Marley himself, we are able to obtain firsthand information and therefore sum up that the overall quality of the documentary is highly rated.

The mood created in the documentary is that of fear as people are seen shooting at one another and this creates a feeling of anxiety. The black and white images are a reminder of the past and therefore carries the mind of the viewer sometimes back. The responses of the Bob Marley during the interviews depicts him as being brave as he seems not to fear anything and this triggers a response of bravery from the audience. Despite the introduction of the documentary being hot with gunshots, Bob is seen with only a guitar in a concert preaching for peace, and this triggers responses of unity and togetherness to the people. Since Bob was a reggae artist, the Rastafarian colors are vividly depicted even through his dressing as well as the long hair that is a culture of the Rastafarians eliciting a response of being true to own religion which again calls for peace and unity. The documentary is thrilling and at the same time educative and therefore serves more than just being an investigative documentary.

Reference

Netflix. “Who Shot the Sheriff”. Retrieved from: https://www.netflix.com/ke/title/80191047