The Art of Neosoul Essay Example for Free

The Art of Neosoul Essay Neo Soul is a genre of music that arose in the 1990s from the experience of RB/Soul music and is characterized as â€Å"bringing freshness to a genre long pronounced dead †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Phillip Cunningham/Bowling Green State University). As defined by the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy, â€Å"art is modern works that appear to break radically with all traditional art† and this music genre is by definition new and radically different. Considering neo soul in terms of art, I believe that this music is an expression of modern mainstream African American culture, experience, belief, and surely, the root of this ethnicity. Different and more artistically expressed than soul music it brings great aesthetic value to the music scene. Not just music, but a powerful expression of deep rooted feelings through attention-grabbing and talented artist of our day. Neo-Soul is new and innovative in expressing the common culture of African American life and in its refusal to walk the conventional line. In what the Music Said’ an essay by Mark Anthony Neal, this form of music is ‘post-soul’ and is a combination of rhythm and blues, funk, rap and hip-hop and arose out of resistance to, and often times in opposition to, middle class sensibilities of respectability and norms. In Soul, the expression seems disdain and rebellion for the normal societal norms, that have been put in place by the government influences such as Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Let’s Get it On? two of his most popular pieces where he is in defiance of the current political agenda and abstinence. Neo, meaning ‘new, or ‘Nu’ brought a different vehicle of expression the experiences of the time. Though there is much debate regarding the terms ‘Neo-soul’ or ‘Neo-classical-soul’ has become, in the 1990s and 2000s, more popular. Neo Soul is an extension of a culture that has a voice. The African American community in the 1990s as ‘church’ and faith become more important to young professional Christian, Neo soul also creeps into the Gospel music with artist such as Lisa McClendon and Leon Timbo. These individuals express a ‘real time’ acceptance and reliance on their God and expression of their faith in contemporary terms. Neo-soul music is one such singularity, which has reframed the subjectivities of black people and suggested identities embodied and disembodied, human and post-human. (Weheliye 30) Simply put, it is a genre of music that refocuses the African American art of music. More aesthetically pleasing I think. The beauty of neo Soul has I believe redefined African American Music as an art form rather than beat for bump and grind, distrust and defiance. Such artist as : Lauryn Hil, India Aria, and Jill Scott, women who have redefined lyric with bold and encouraging expression and melody that beats to the heart of the listener. In Aria’s â€Å"Strength, Courage, and Wisdom†, she speaks of positive thoughts to encourage and that these elements are internal, pointing the listener to uplift rather than what can be done in secret. As well as the song â€Å"I Am Not My Hair†, which counteracts bigotry and sterotypes with positive phrases and rhyme. Similarly Jill Scott, with a more rhythmic driving beat in â€Å"My Petition†, Scott speaks out against the American government without the hatred that you would usually see in this type of song, through straight, it is not militant – just truthful. Neo Soul music is an adaptation of Soul music as an art form and moves it to a higher degree of listening pleasure. Not timid but definitely bold, but respectful of both the artist and the listener. Even the presentation of the artist in this genre is an artistic expression of the African American culture. One of India Aria’s latest releases, Testimony Volume 2, Love Politics says explains this artistic form of getting her point across about poverty and society outlook on those that live in poverty in Ghetto: Now the dictionary says / That the ghetto is a place / of minority, and poverty, and over population. We list on this earth together, / ain’t no separation. / when you’re looking down, / from outer space. / we’re just a human race and the world is a / ghetto-o-o-o. A clear point, but not so hard on the heart. Work Cite Afrofuturism and post-soul possibility in black popular music. Aria, India. Strength and Wisdom. http://www. azlyrics. com/lyrics/strengthandwisdom. html Art and Popular Culture online. http://www. artandpopularculture. com/African_American_music Cunningham, Phillip. â€Å"There’s Nothing Really New Under the Sun†: The Fallacy of the Neo-Soul Genre. Journal of Popular Music Studies, Volume 22, Issue 3, Pages  https://www.thefreelibrary.com/

Meg Bogins The Women Troubadours Essay -- Meg Bogin Women Troubadours

Meg Bogin's The Women Troubadours What is Bieiris de Romans’ speaker seeking from the woman, Maria, about whom Bieiris writes? More generally, what are female troubadours as a whole seeking from their loves, and their craft? Meg Bogin, in her The Women Troubadours, asserts that â€Å"their poems were addressed to women†¦ to whom they vowed eternal homage and obedience. In exchange for their prostration, the troubadours expected to be ennobled, enriched, or simply made ‘better’† (Bogin, 9). Is the poetry of female troubadours less about the women being addressed and more about the troubadours themselves? By performing a close textual analysis of Bieiris de Romans’ poem to Maria, I hope to elucidate some possible answers to these questions. The poem opens with Bieiris’ speaker addressing her subject as â€Å"Lady Maria.† Rather than merely employing the woman’s first name, or utilizing a possessive phrase such as â€Å"my love† or â€Å"my Maria,† the speaker addresses her as â€Å"lady.† This implies a certain bestowal of respect upon her subject, and is potentially also a means to convey an understanding on the speaker’s part that this Maria has not yet consented to be hers. Next, the speaker proceeds to enumerate copious qualities that she finds pleasing in Maria. She begins by praising Maria’s â€Å"merit and distinction.† By â€Å"distinction† we can safely assume that the speaker refers to a pleasing reputation that Maria has cultivated within society, and possibly also the speaker’s own opinion that Maria is able to be distinguished as superior to other women. The term â€Å"merit,† however, is relatively ambiguous. By â€Å"merit,† the speaker could be indicating one or many qualities, including, but not limited to, virtue, achievement, a... ...g female companion, who will comply with her wishes and desires. Thus, Maria, judging from the qualities attributed to her in the poem, seems a perfect target for Bieiris’ speaker’s affections. Bieiris also appears to have created a speaker who is more concerned with being given the ability to express her desires than with the woman about whom those desires are expressed. Maria seems to be utilized as somewhat of a passive vessel about whom Bieiris can write and express herself in a literary fashion. The desire that Bieiris succeeds in expressing, then, is less one for Maria in particular and more one for composing lyric poetry in general. As a troubadour, Bieiris most likely avidly seeks patronage. Thus Maria is less of a goal to achieve and more a means to a different end: composing poetry for the sake of procuring a reputation, and obtaining financial gain.

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay

The roles the society allocates to its members according to sex are the root course of how people relate to each other in the society. Those who don’t fit into predetermined gender roles face social sanctions. This paper reveals that the gender stereotyping in the society are unfair and amount to the abuse of the rights of those who don’t conform to the norms. The essay takes into consideration the origins of the social standards and experiences of life which are used on women. Devor’s essay reveals how gender stereotypes give rise to female to male transsexuals. This paper shall also analyze Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls that provides a literary example that complements Denvor’s scientific explanation. The paper will also be complemented by various views by feminists. Devor states that since time immemorial women were taken as less important than men. Women were not much recorded in writings on the society as men were. A close look at the writings of ancient religions e.g. Greek, Judaism, and the dark ages reveals this.   Cultures in the past have had individuals with mixed gender, who are based on polytheistic beliefs. In America this was identified in the 16th century. This was not written about as most of the writings focused on men thought to have female traits for social ridicule. In the twentieth century women became empowered and became workers due to the industrial age. In this time women who dressed like men were branded the title lesbians. This name later was used to refer to transgender women in the culture. Efforts to discover the trait of transgender individuals have been undertaken in the recent past however this phenomenon has been present in societies always. This phenomenon for long has been suppressed. Modern science has discovered the biological differences as well as psychological and social influences between men and women, and now the study of transsexuals can be studied and medication given. Devor argues that the context of culture is very important in understanding sex and gender. He states that the structure of the society determines the lives of individuals. Gender is a result of cultural influence on the members of the society. The relations in the society that enhance gender are rules of relations in the society. He observes that the society is responsible for its transgender individuals. They represent the mean of what the society has forced in the diverse human life (Dover 37). His argument is that the home is the place where the female to male transsexuals are bred. Most of the theories on transgender individuals put the responsibility of the situation on parents. For instance fathers are seen to impart the message that women are lesser to their daughters. Also mothers who appear victimized and dependent on the husband make their daughters attracted to be like men. This leads to a personality split, which is not illness, as some people believe. In the developmental years at the stage of early development those children with male to female traits do not identify with female relations in their childhood years.   The children in this stage identify themselves with masculine figures and preferred male company. In the final analysis there seems, on the part of these girls a desire to escape the problems of their gender. Transsexuals, therefore, are the result of intense socialization.   The process starts at early childhood and continues to build up in adolescence and even in adult life. She argues that people should be left to live and fully express the gender roles they choose. Most transsexuals don’t undergo the surgery to change their genitalia so they face continuing limitations in society. In spite of this they are able to achieve their goals in life.   As stated in the introduction, Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls supports Devor’s idea of sex and gender. The story of the girl narrator sheds light on Devor’s argument about gender stereotyping in the society. In the book Munro depicts challenges and successes in the process of passage from childhood to adulthood. Her narrators are a girl and a boy, who are siblings. She tackles the theme of sex role stereotype which is full of unfairness. The protagonist undergoes exacting and extreme initialization into adulthood like her younger brother. The author suggests that stereotyping of gender and loss of innocence are initiation into adulthood, and are extremely influential to individual children. Munro through the choice of a female protagonist who is without a name and therefore undignified lays he ground for showcasing the stereotype. The younger brother of the protagonist is named laid – for lord, and by virtue of the name he is to become a dignified master of others. The grandmother of the children comes calling and gives the narrator advice on the rules of conduct for a girl. For instance girls keep their legs together when they are seated. The narrator faces a disliking of the roles that she is being couched to take; those of her mother. She rather likes her father’s roles.

Heroism in Beowulf Essay - 531 Words

Heroism in Beowulf A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life. Beowulf was a man of admirable exploits. He had the strength of thirty men in his arms, and would use this strength to aid anyone in need. Upon hearing of the plight of Grendel and the ill happenings in Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf†¦show more content†¦Beowulf, being a man of distinguished valor, accepted the challenge whole-heartedly and made his way through the murky, dismal swamp waters and into the underwater cave. Though the jaunt was difficult, Beowulf was relentless in his pursuit. When he reached Grendel’s mother, the battle was long and hard, but the hero refused to surrender. He fought until the disconcerted mother gave up and died. As a token of his feat, Beowulf took a jewel-studded sword from the cave. To further celebrate his heroic feat, he decapitated Grendel and kept his head as a souvenir of his triumph. The last battle that Beowulf partook in was perhaps the most heroic of all. Although the battle ended his life, it proved that of all the men in the story, Beowulf was the only true Anglo-Saxon hero. All of his troops proved to be fickle. They abandoned him in a time when they were needed the most. Though his men lived, they lived as cowards, yielding to the dragon apprehended by all the Geats. Never the less, Beowulf’s strength of heart and mind gave him the will to fight the dragon, although none of his men were there to help him. In this part of the tale, Beowulf was older and his physical strength had dwindled. But despite this, his tremendous heroism remained. He fought the dragon to his death and died with a pride, gallantry and chivalry that no man at the time hadShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf1139 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Beowulf† is the oldest surviving poem in Old English Literature. It is an epic poem, which is a narrative poem typically revolv ing around heroism. The poem emphasizes repetitively on how Beowulf is a hero. He saves countless people from countless monsters, three of which are the main antagonists in the poem – a demon, the demon’s mother, and a dragon. But is saving innocent lives the only factor to justify and determine a person’s heroism? Throughout the story of Beowulf, the author makes appealsRead MoreExample Of Heroism In Beowulf726 Words   |  3 Pagesmany texts that we studied, I especially enjoyed, Beowulf, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, and Morte D’Arthur. To begin, in the text, Beowulf, there was a theme of heroism which made the story one of my favorites. Beowulf is an outstanding hero who is willing to give up his life to save everyone. He has insane battles against scary monsters that no one else could even survive. In fact, those monsters raid the cities and eat people. In Beowulf, it states, â€Å"the monster’s scorn of men is so greatRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf748 Words   |  3 Pagesof riches is often prefigured as an inclination towards greediness. However, in Beowulf, the collective reverence for wealth plays a defining role in the acts of heroism and manifestation of power. In fact, the poem oftentimes professes the idea of wealth and glory, most cherished, as an embodiment of strength and obedience among cultural values. Throughout the poem, Beowulf, is characterized by his acts of heroism in the Anglo-Saxon society. He not only possesses the values of strength and braveryRead MoreHeroism and Leadership: Beowulf1382 Words   |  6 Pagesselflessness to his tribe, personal valor, and ability to survive despite the toughest opposition. Heroism and leadership are characteristics that brought my fellow men to abide by my side despite the situation, which in response led me to become such an aspiring leader, and in the end a hero – the demonstration to attain glory through brawls. Traditions, natural laws, and religion are descriptions of my heroism and leadership. In medieval literature, heroes are defined to be courageous, valiant, courteousRead More Heroism in Beowulf Essay1449 Words   |  6 PagesBatman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude. Wisdom is one of the traits of hero, but what is wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to make the right judgment, the right decisionRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf1544 Words   |  7 PagesBeowulf demonstrates the qualities and traits of being an ideal hero. In the poem it explores Beowulf ‘s heroism in two distinct stages which are youth and age. Beowulf has three separate and very difficult conflicts that involve Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. When you are viewing these major encounters with the three different people Beowulf demonstrates the importance of heroic code. There is a much clearer division between Beowulf’s adolescent heroism as a warrior as well as in onesRead MoreThe Importance Of Heroism In Beowulf1073 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf is a classic, epic story which theme focuses on good versus evil, â€Å"Beowulf is essentially a heathen poem† (Bodek) said F.A Blackburn because it consists of elements drawn from Anglo-Saxons cultur e before they were converted to Christians. It is tidily divided into three parts; The battle with Grendel, The battle with Grendel’s mother and the battle with the Dragon. The poem deals with Germanic forebears, the Danes, the Geats and the Swedes. This story features a super-strong warrior BeowulfRead MoreGrendel and Beowulf Heroism1584 Words   |  7 PagesIntentions and Heroism A building is ablaze and a crowd of people stare helplessly from the streets, listening to screams coming from within. A single person runs in to rescues whomever he or she can find. Whether or not that person emerges with a child in their arms, empty handed, or not at all, does nothing to alter our societys perception of their heroism. Todays society would classify such an action as heroic, regardless of outcome, for one reason: intentions. During Anglo-Saxton timesRead MoreThe Characteristics Of Heroism In Beowulf857 Words   |  4 PagesHeroism Essay What really defines a hero? Beowulf has been known as one of the greatest heroes in Anglo Saxon history: Strong, brave, and a great leader who will lay his life down for his people. Heroes now, show many of the same qualities, but can come in many different shapes and sizes, some even in the shape of a kitchen sponge. Beowulf’s stories depict epic quests across new and foreign lands. He goes on these quest either to keep his people safe from monster, or earn fame and glory throughoutRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf740 Words   |  3 PagesThe theme of Beowulf is heroism. Beowulf himself represents the heroic ideal because of his features, strength, and courage, but also because of his intelligence and honor. Beowulf is proud of his strength and great his honor. When Beowulf goes to Heorot, waiting for Grendel, he refuses to keep a weapon. He believes in himself that he can defeat the monster who has devoured many men without using any weapons. It turns out that Beowulfs intelligent approach was right. Glory is also one of the themes