Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, by Ottis Redding, initially seems like a calming peaceful song about a man sitting on the dock and watching nature pass by. However, despite its initial happy appearance, it is actually a commentary of how Blacks are mistreated. Through the happy beach sounds and merry whistling, you experience the lyrics of “I got nothin to live for”, since he left his home and travelled all this way, and now he still can’t find work or anything to do. This type of ironic/satirical combination of happy music and sounds with depressing lyrics is a very powerful style which serves to garner sympathy for his plight.
Tag Archives: Group C Post
“We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue” by Curtis Mayfield
“We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue” by Curtis Mayfield was released in 1970. The song as a whole is trying to bring attention upon issues that are prevalent in society. It is about discrimination that African Americans face because they have a darker complexion than that of others. Mayfield wants to show his passion in what he believes in, which is that all humans are the same on the inside, through this song. An interesting aspect of the song is the instrumental break around half way in the song. It starts after Mayfield sings, “I know you won’t mind if I tell the whole story”. This instrumental break is played with percussion and brass instruments in a jazz manner for about a minute and a half. I thought this was interesting because I wondered why it was included in the song. By the way he sang the song with the tone he used and took deep breaths, listeners could tell how passionate he felt about the issues mentioned throughout the song. It didn’t seem necessary to add in the instrumental break, but maybe, to Mayfield, it was. Playing instruments possibly allowed Mayfield to release all the negative energy inside of him and relieve the stress he felt. This instrumental break changed how I heard the song the second time because I tried to focus in on this break and try to listen for any techniques that could indicate more of what he felt.
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”
While listening to this song by Otis Redding, I really enjoyed the melody and the sound effects that they added into the background. I had the lyrics of this song open while listening, and the lyrics seemed to match with the story of the song. When he talks about sitting on the dock of the bay and watching the tides roll away, you can hear the sounds of the waves in the background. Using this sound effect, it helps the listeners to feel as though they are basking in the sun alongside Otis Redding. In his lyrics, when he talks about sitting on a dock and looking into the sunset, it seems like he is reflecting on his life. Looking into the waves, he sits there not wanting to go through change and he states it when he says “Looks like nothing’s gonna change everything still remains the same I can’t do what ten people tell me to do.”
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I’ve been to the Mountaintop,” which is addressed to Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. starts off and begins to talk to the audience as if having a conversation rather than giving a formal speech. In this informal conversation he has with the audience, he is able to bring together the audience, gaining support from the listeners. He uses the everyday scenarios and his personal life experiences in his speech to talk to the audience at a personal level. He pictures the almost-perfect America when he states, “I would take my mental flight by Egypt (Yeah), and I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, on toward the Promised Land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn’t stop there. (All right).” After, he continues to talk about the extent to which he still has hope for America in changing its views on prejudice. And when he talks about the mountaintop, I think that he is referring to not just the equality of all races, but the unity of the nation when he mentions the mountaintop.
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Response
Martin Luther King Jr’s statement “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” is very powerful. It creates this image of a man at the top of a mountain, overlooking the world beyond him. Mr. King claims he has been to the mountaintop and explains that he has seen the “promised land” from up there, a world where everyone lives in peace and equality. In reality, it’s not possible for Mr. King to have seen this world of equality because it simply hasn’t truly existed yet. However, this metaphor instills a sense of hope that there will be peace and equality in the future. Mr. King continues to admit, that he doesn’t know if he, himself, will make it to the promised land, but he isn’t concerned because he is confident in the fact that they, as a people, will eventually get there. I think that this is what makes Martin Luther King Jr so powerful- his motivation is truly for the good of the people.
This idea is really important to consider while we write our argumentative essay. In order to get anything accomplished, we must show numbers and more importantly, our people must be determined and optimistic in order to push for our goal. In order to accomplish this, we should follow Mr. King’s method of establishing a sense of hope by ensuring our goal will be accomplished in the future, whether we are here to share the accomplishment or not.
MLK’s I’ve Been to the Mountaintop
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Martin Luther King Jr. protested against how little African American sanitation workers make. He said that to be successful in gaining equality in the world, people must do nonviolent acts. He said that only though nonviolent acts will people be heard. He supported boycotts and said that if people worked together to protest against the injustice that African Americans face, they will eventually be heard whether industries wanted to hear it or not. In addition, he brought up the First Amendment rights that he believes should apply to everyone in America. At the end of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. said that he is not afraid of death, which is an interesting aspect to me. He said, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life–longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. (Yeah) And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. (Go ahead) And I’ve looked over (Yes sir), and I’ve seen the Promised Land. (Go ahead) I may not get there with you. (Go ahead) But I want you to know tonight (Yes), that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. [Applause] (Go ahead, Go ahead) And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. [Applause].” I think the mountaintop he refers to is the sight of peace and justice, which isn’t easy to achieve in a world of struggle and misery. This interesting aspect of his speech strongly showed how passionate Martin Luther King Jr. was about achieving equality and peace in the world. It was almost as if it was his fate to give out this speech to inspire others in his nonviolent protests because he dies the day after he gives this speech. What makes his statement so powerful is that he said he’s happy because he knows that peace will eventually come and that is why he is not afraid to die.
I’ve been to the Mountaintop
This speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is a very powerful one which calls the people of Memphis to act against violence and racism and to use non-violent methods of equality. However, as in much of King’s speeches, there is an aspect of his speech-writing that is quite interesting. This “speech” isn’t truly a speech at all. It is a conversation. A dialogue between him and his “listeners.” For example, he starts off with a personal joke and talks to the audience as a friend, which honestly is a common speech practice. But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to talk to the crowd as a group of individuals as if he knows them all personally. He says that he’s “delighted to see each of you here” and that “you are determined.” He continues with these informalities by talking about what he would do in certain situations, his own opinions, and informal transitions between his thoughts. This method, in my opinion, is nothing short of brilliant. Here is a famous man, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and he is talking to these individuals like a commoner. He is bringing himself to their levels and acting as their close personal friends, and in doing so, he gains their support and faith. This tactic, which King uses quite often, shows the difference one has to make when writing a speech as opposed to writing an essay, and few do that better than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Nature
“Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson expresses what Emerson feels about the relationship between nature and mankind. He says that one can only see what nature truly is after being in complete isolation with nature. In nature, things can be perceived as spiritual such as the stars, which represent God or heavenly bodies. In addition, nature is not easily grasped and can’t be grasped through parts of it. People who can see nature as a whole are the poets in the world. Another point Emerson brings up is that if people allow themselves to be part of nature, they will feel peace with it and their inner selves, despite any conflicts they have been dealing with.
An interesting aspect of this piece is when Emerson says, “ The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child” in the second paragraph or the mention of the word “children.” He doesn’t explicitly say why he believes children truly know the meaning of nature and why adults have to have a child-like mind to know what nature profoundly means. I interpreted the view of children to mean the view of nature with a simple mind. Children usually live their lives spontaneously and look at things for how they simply appear to be. Maybe the author is trying to say that people have to view nature simply for what it is and not think too abstractly about it. This aspect makes readers wonder how profound is the difference between an adult’s mind and a child’s mind. Because of this aspect, everything I read after this quote related back to children and how nature is not easily perceived.
Nature
“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society.” Ralph Waldo Emerson starts off this chapter by telling us how one can go into complete solitude. To Ralph Waldo Emerson, true solitude can be achieved when one goes out into nature and leaves behind all of his thoughts along with society. He also starts the chapter off by telling us of stars and how great they appear to the eyes of men. The stars are able to separate a man from “what he is touching,” which is the ground of the Earth. These stars should appear as great as they appear even a thousand years later according to Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Ralph Waldo Emerson describes stars as present but inaccessible because in order to see stars, one needs to see it with the his/her “inward and outward senses” when they are “still truly adjusted to each other.” Nature needs to be seen with the simplicity of childhood. Therefore, most adults are unable to see nature in this way. But when nature is seen with the correct balance between senses, it offers youth and joy.
Self-Reliance
What defines a man? What is it that we call “strength” or “superiority” or “advancement”?
In today’s culture it would surely be the one who is most successful in an area of work which has plenty of people competing against one other. The one who emerges victorious from this crowd is “successful”. And we say that “advancement” is the technological prowess we have which benefits society as a whole. The way we band together and collectively “move forward” as a species.
However, Ralph Waldo Emerson seems to disagree with these definitions. He postulates that being a conformist in a single group is the opposite of being a man! You must “absolve you to yourself” and preserve the “integrity of your mind” in order to be a true man, even if the world will not be pleased with you.
Now, while Emerson carries on this vein for a long while, I am most drawn to the end of his essay where he gives 4 examples towards a need for greater self-reliance. Firstly how prayer is simply calling out for foreign assistance due to a lack of individual will. This is a premise that I have always believed in, yet it is one which today’s society would scold you for saying aloud. His second and third point about traveling actually don’t speak to me that much, but his fourth point regarding societal advancement is what really captivated me.
“All men plume themselves on the improvement of society, and no man improves. Society never advances.”
Yes! Finally the problem plaguing our society put into words! There is a pervasive notion in our culture that all we must do is help one another, and that by doing this society will spring forward. That by being fair and just to everyone and working on our “political correctness” and our “cultural interactions” will somehow make our world leap forward. But that is absurd! Society is not an entity in of itself! Society is the amalgamation of every individual that exists within it! Society as a whole will never spring forward unless each individual advances. It is not enough to build new devices and hope that our culture and tolerance will advance along with it. Nor is it enough for us to put boundaries on our society as a whole by limiting what can and cannot be said. Instead we must stop focusing on the concept of society as a whole, and we must first have individual advancement. Man must stop relying on personal “Property”, rather we must have self-reliance! For as Emerson says, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”