My musical construction raised what I believe to be the perfect representation of the racial problems of the 1930s-1940s in the United States. I make this statement mainly because the two songs I proposed raised two clear positions of these atrocious events. Strange Fruits highlighted some foul actions, while Rosie emphasized the power of music in slavery situations. I find that last week's reading echoed the power mentioned above. What I mean by this is that we are able to listen to understand. My relationship with listening has changed a lot thanks to this course. I suddenly find myself obliged to listen. I suddenly find myself paying close attention to the words of people who tell us a story. Last week, readings forced me to focus on words. Listen and interpret words. It was like music to my ears. I found myself in a sort of trance while I went back to the bottom of myself. Like the two songs mentioned above, I am confronted with feelings that I can not understand. Slavery, I can be "witness". I can say that I understand it, but I have never lived it and I am not in contact with anyone who has lived it. I was not born at that time and the only way to live what I am told is through music or listening. Reading a text by yourself sometimes does not allow you to completely delve into what the author really wants to expose. However, when listening to or being told something, the sentimental value of the person who is telling puts a lot of emphasis on the emotions and emotions that emanate from a person's "deep feeling". In short, the reading of the past week in connection with the composition that I made allowed me to understand the sentimental value without really bringing a logical dimension to the events.
Errantry (errance) 18- errantry does not proceed from renunciation nor from frustration regarding a supposedly deteriorated (deterritorialized) situation of origin; it is not a resolute act of rejection or an uncontrolled impulse of abandonment. - The thought of errantry is a poetics, which always infers that at some moment it is told. The tale of errantry is the tale of Relation. 21- The thinking of errancy conceives of totality but willingly renounces any claims to sum it up or possess it. 20- The thought of errantry is not apolitical nor is it inconsistent with the will to identity, which is, after all, nothing other than the search for a freedom within particular surroundings. Rhizomatic thought / rhizome 18- the rhizome- prompting the knowledge that identity is no longer completely within the root but also in Relation. Poetics of Relation 11- each and every identity is extended through a relationship with the Other 20- in the poetics of Relation, one who is erra...
Strange Fruit is a very interesting song. I've always been curious about why Abel Meeropol, a Jewish poet & teacher, wrote this piece. There are political connections between Haiti & Israel, but I'm unsure of the ties his particular community (being from Russia) may have with African Americans as a people. I wonder about why it is believed that Billie Holiday co-wrote this song ( as stated in her book "Lady Sings the Blues"). Of course, empathy is available through our collective consciousness, yet I find there might be a thread, perhaps through trauma, that made this man, among many others, write such a gut wrenching piece.
ReplyDeleteAt the time, people were not having these types of discussions publicly. One would have to have major courage to publish or even interpret this openly. It's amazing, really.
This whole thing makes me think about the types of stories we tell in connection to ownership. Who can tell these types of stories? How does it ring coming out of different mouths? I haven't heard Sting's version of the song yet, but I have a feeling the affect created is different from that of Billie or Nina Simone or even India.Arie.
Here's a quick portrait of the man in question (Meeropol). Even his pen name is sorrowful:
https://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-strange-fruit