Being A Redneck Essay

Hillbilly music was the main genre of music for rural white American’s during the 1920’s. During our class discussion of hillbilly music, I immediately related the genre as the birth of country music today. Hillbilly music was an artistic expression by the people of the rural south. This concept is very similar to the country music that is produced today by musicians from the south who write their music based on what it is like to live in the country.

Country music has various types of song types. One of these types of songs are ballad songs, ballad songs tell a story through the lyrics and the music. A famous ballad song from 1979 is “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band. The song tells a story of a fiddler challenging the devil to a fiddle contest. Another ballad song from 2009 is “The Baptism of Jesse Taylor” by The Oak Ridge Boys. The song tells a tale of a troubled man who is baptized. Furthermore in 2012 Colt Ford and JJ Lawhorn came out with a ballad named “Answer to No One”. The song tells a story of typical country people and generalizes it for listeners to connect to.

Starr and Waterman note that “the use of encoded, or hidden, meaning in the blues has its roots in many earlier genres of African American music.” These coded messages often take the form of referencing local landmarks (i.e., “where the southern cross the dog”) and sexual references (i.e., “That Black Snake Moan”). How do these traditions continue to impact popular music? Starr and Waterman note “songs of slaves could embody secret messages that were impossible to state directly in the presence of the masters or overseers.” Why might coded references be used in contemporary music? In which genres do you think this technique is most prevalent? Cite some specific examples of coded messages in contemporary music that reference this

The way a person speaks is a direct link to a person’s culture and the environment which he or she was raised in. A person’s language, skin color as well as economic status influences the way he or she is perceived by others. Lisa Delpit and eleven other educators provide different viewpoints on how language from students of different cultures, ethnicity, and even economic status can be misinterpreted due to slang and dialect or nonstandard English by the teachers as well as his or her own peers.

According to The Bedford Book of Genres “A genre is a composition’s kind, category, or sort. Genres give us a way to categorize or describe types of compositions”. (Braziller and Kleinfeld) One genre of music is country. There are two things we need to know about genres; “First, genres change according to the ways people use them” and “Second, genres are flexible”. (Braziller and Kleinfeld). Exactly what country music is today can be hard to define as the genre changes with each new artist that comes into it, but a look at the career of George Strait shows why, depsite all the changes in what represnts country mucic, he is known as the king of country music and is the ultimate example of what comes to mind when one speaks of the genre as

In today`s culture, there are stereotypes in every setting, especially music. Stereotypes are ideas or images of something of what it is supposed to be depending the current culture. Music is everywhere and some people believe that the music we listen to, define who we are. This could be true but it is also unfair to assume we know somebody based on the music they are associated with. You can stereotype music based on a song or a whole genre. Stereotypes in every context are bad, but in music you can generalize listeners based on the type of music they listen to which is unfair to the artist and the audience.

One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo  upon experiencing racism and prejudice. Attending a

According to the dictionary, the definition of Americanism is a custom, trait, belief, etc., peculiar to the United States of America or its citizens. In 1776 when the United States was established and we declared independence from Britain, we got many rights and freedoms. Those rights and freedoms are still very important today to making Americans who they are and what they believe.

In this paper I will be discussing “American Idiot” by Green Day as a protest song. A protest song, “is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs or songs connected to current events” (Google, 2015). People who feel strongly towards a certain political view within society create protest songs, and this is the only way they know how to express their opinions. Protest songs can come in many different musical genres such as folk and rock music. I decided to write my paper on American Idiot because I was able to live through it and fully get a grasp on what was happening within society to make people feel the way they did during this time. The song American Idiot is in the

For our group and our shared love of food we figured that a social norm that had something to do with that would be perfect for us. We decided that the norm to drive through a drive thru needed to be tested. Why should cars be the only ones with the fast access to fast food at their convenience? We believed that people should be able to walk through the drive thrus if it is more convenient for them.

According to Kevin, an undocumented immigrant whose family moved here from Mexico when he was just 6 years old, he considers himself more American than Mexican as he has lived the vast majority of his life

“Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess, paparazzi catch my fly and my cocky dress. I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress. I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces. My daddy alabama, momma louisiana. You mix that negro with that creole make a texas bama. I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with jackson five nostrils. Made all this money but they never take the country out me. I got hot sauce in my bag swag.” (Heal 1).

Growing up in the 20th and 21st century, there never was a shortage of music to listen to and never a shortage of people telling me what kind to like. From rap, to rock, to folk music, music is all around. One genre that stuck with me and easily became my favorite: Country Music. My love began in the summer of 2000, while my dad was playing his hank Williams Jr. CDs, I screamed “Dad! Dad! This song is really good!!!!! I like it a lot!” He replied “This is Hank Williams Jr. son.”, and my love only grew from there. I started to explore older country music and the history around it. I fell in love with two artist in particular. I saw the light and fell in love with Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash. These men are considered the fathers of contemporary country. The way their music is written is so masterful and creative, they launched a new wave of country music.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a very elegant film in which the Southern gothic culture is demonstrated profoundly. Tennessee Williams uses the characters in the play to bring about a sense of how corrupt society truly was in the 1940’s in the South. The 1940’s was marked by an immense amount of violence, alcoholism, and poverty. Women at the time were treated as objects rather than people. Throughout the play Tennessee Williams relates the aspects of Southern society to the characters in the play. As the movie goes on, it becomes more and more clear what Tennessee Williams is trying to convey to the audience. This being, Southern culture was deeply corrupted in many ways and the societal norms of the time period were like a drug that people

Close your eyes and try to imagine a melding the history of the Irish and Scottish tunes, of the twang of country music, and the reverence of a gospel message. Enter a touch of the blues and the spirit of generations who played music to express themselves with this unique genre of music. Each of these components brought with it instruments steeped with tradition. Country music built the foundation with the guitar and bass guitar, the Scottish and Irish influences added the mandolin. The Africa American 2/4 beat contributes the banjo and the washboard adds the finishing folk music touch. This church type music combined with the blues is speaks from the soul. The expressive melodies based on simple tunes and intricate harmonies create a