Glory By John Legend And Common

“There are a number of different lyrics used in songs that have been derived from poetry” (Kumar). Poetry is an older form of art and song lyrics have evolved from the art. However, it is a great debacle over which one can be considered the higher art form. The underlying question is if song lyrics have evolved past poetry, or has poetry remained artistic and intellectual. Despite bearing some superficial similarities, the differences between “To a Daughter Leaving Home” and “Never Grow Up” in imagery, message, and point of view are prevalent causing poetry to be considered a higher form of art.

Poetry has changed over the course of many years and numerous events in history.Music, as well, changed the sound and lyrical meanings due to many events in history. Whether music is poetry or not can be argued, but I believe music is an art represented through sound and lyrics. Music is a form of poetry with a little tune to it. Music has a message to it just as poetry would. Modern day music can reflect on many things, just as poetry sometimes refers to events going on in the world. Many years ago a very controversial topic was the discussion of slavery, and later the inequality of colored men to whites. Popular American poets, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes, are two of the very few who would talk about these controversies. Their poetry consisted of slavery, racial relations and inequality, opportunity, and hope. Their poetry captures the despair and faith in the colored people through all their oppression. Modern day music genre and style of hip hop or rap is a style created by African Americans. Present day rap artists, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar, are two rap artists who have revolutionized music and have become idolized by many African Americans. The two are known for discussing the reality of what it is like being a black man in today’s society. The poems of Hughes and Dunbar are very comparable to the songs of Cole and Lamar that discuss oppression, inequality, and hope within black

Today many people feel compelled to buy anything or everything with an expensive price tag. This includes Expensive designer clothes, latest gadgets, expensive vehicles and many other similar things. This form of consumerism has embedded itself in today’s society; where it's encouraged to invest in such materialistic possessions. Kanye West is an African-American rapper, producer, and entrepreneur, who articulates his struggle with consumerism and the struggle for those around him in his song “All Falls Down.” West, utilizes puns, rhyme, and juxtaposition to highlight the issues surrounding materialism that can be interpreted differently by different listeners such as African Americans and White Americans.

     The voice of one person can send a profound sound into the hearts of people to help liberate one’s mind. That profound sound is seen through poetry. The creative structure and style of poetry creates a different form of writing that can either have rhythm, alliteration or have a direct message. In the poem “I Too Sing America”, by Langston Hughes had a significant message in that he desired to voice his expression on the issue of black oppression in America. Langston basic themes focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. The tension between the unrealized dream and the realities of the black experience in

Social Justice is a huge topic in our society. Its touches on important subjects such as labor laws, environmental rights (racism), poverty, etc. These topics are things that many people have views on whether they agree or disagree. Many artist took note of this and made songs about this and voiced what they thought was right or how they saw the act.

In the article, McCalla lists 10 famous songs about civil rights movement and analyzed their contents. "Oh Freedom" is about the call for freedom in the Civil Rights movement. "We Shall Not Be Moved" presents the determination in Civil right movement of face with govenment. "Go Tell It On the Mountain" is as an analogy for Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. "Time They Are A Changin by Bob Dylan captured the spirit and essence of the change and turmoil that surrounded the Civil Rights movement". "Lift Every Voice And Sing" and " Strange Fruit" talk about ugly essence of lynchings racism and the opposition to the Civil Rights movement. Moreover, "People Get Ready" is about the optimism and excitement of the Civil Rights movement

Poems like these are still written in today’s society but are expressed through different mediums than the poetry of old. While this song was originally released in 1928, it didn’t gain popularity until 1939. In today’s society, poems are found more often in music than in a book, although those are common too. Song’s in today’s society often rhyme or tell a story and can be analyzed just as poetry

In “To My People “by Assata shakur, she’s infuriated that the white men has manipulated and oppressed the black men. She commands the colored men to advocate, assemble, and to fight for their rights, and freedom because the american society and law enforcement is corrupted. She contends that their isn’t any equality and justice for colored people. Also Assata Shakur illustrates that colored people should get their freedom and justice they should to fight for it because the white men corrupts the system to the point where the colored men will remain oppressed. She was a member of the Black Panthers and she was the most wanted person by the FBI and charged with of first degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, assault with a

The song Glory was written by music artists Common and John Legend and was part of the Oscar nominated movie Selma. The movie Selma was an incredible experience that showcased the African American history and in particular the turbulent 1960s era in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr(MLK) was leading the civil rights movement. The song Glory itself won the oscar for the best song in a motion picture and truly was an important part of the movie because not only did it chronicle the civil rights marches of 1965 led by MLK but it also incorporated events that occurred in the 21st century. It was this combination that made the song a true inspiration for all human beings because it shed a light on the struggle for racial equality that African Americans have been pursuing for over a century now and also showed that the struggle is still ongoing and is far from over. The song Glory through its lyrics included several key moments in the struggle for racial equality for African Americans such as the Rosa Parks incident, Ferguson, MLK civil rights marches and through all of these events the common theme of defiance and resistance is brought to light.

In the song “Glory” sung by John Legend and Common is a powerful song inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The theme of this song is that resistance enacts change. There are several literary devices that convey the importance and power of peaceful protest such as allusion, symbolism, and metaphors. These three literary devices help to illustrate the struggle, dedication, and triumphs of those involved in peaceful protest of the civil rights movement.

Songs and song lyrics can take many different forms. Like poetry, they tend to use many different literary elements to convey a story. While most songs don't necessarily have a rhyme scheme like some poems, they do however use elements such as imagery, diction, and many more elements that can be found in poetry. The four songs “Rule Britannia”, “Land of Hope and Glory”, “Waltzing Matilda”, and “We are the Boys from old Florida” demonstrate the use of poetic elements to tell a story.

Meaning in music is derived from parenthetical analysis of several technical aspects including lyrics, form, historical context, emotional content, and personal connection. A hermeneutical approach to the Star-Spangled Banner can yield only interpretational results. Therefore, we must examine the more concrete details of the work, and how the music relates to the meaning of the protests as stated by Colin Kaepernick in August of 2016.

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.

If one listens closely, they can hear America’s song. The words, like thunder, comprise the groans of the slave, the cheers of the free, and the unmistakable sounds of the brave. The music rings out as clear as day; it is composed by the growing children and the dying men. Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captured the essence of these songs in their respective works, “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too, Sing America.” The first describes the melodies of a working nation, the “the wood-cutter’s song” and the “delicious singing of the mother” (Whitman 7-8). The quiet musings of a young African American make up the latter; it is a hymn of hushed hope for tomorrow. Although the two poems stand alone, both Whitman’s and Hughes's works powerfully capture the song of America through the sense of pride found in each piece, the uses of different literary elements, and their individual views of the nation.

When it comes to analyzing a song there is no right or wrong way of doing so. Music appeals to people differently and every person will interpret it based on their own feelings. I chose the song Imagine by John Lennon because it’s a song that speaks volume. John lennon is a very sensitive singer that when you listen to his songs it touches your emotions and make you live the situation discussed. In his song “Imagine”, John Lennon expresses and tries to encourage call people to peace regardless all the conflicts that people face such race, religion or ethnicity.