I am always reading. My favorite part of social media is the reading material. I'm not a super social person, but reading and finding out about the world energizes me. Martha Southgate in her essay titled "Rise Up" published in American Scholar explains the impact of Lin-Manuel Miranda and his creation Hamilton on her life. I was drawn to her essay initially because it was about Hamilton, and it would be an understatement to say that I love Hamilton, but she also addresses Lin-Manuel Miranda and how he has affected her. This was particularly interesting to me. This is partly because I feel the same way about him. We read books, watch plays, watch films, and the like but we never feel as though we know the creator. We see them as the vehicle of production, but with Hamilton, Miranda has changed that. His persona draws people to the art just as much as the genius of the art. Because of this, the line between life and art becomes blurred. We no longer see the musical in isolation. We see him and the art. This leads me to our prompt for this week.
Read her essay. Look at what she says about how art affects us. Once you have finished reading the piece, think of a piece of art that has affected you deeply. Think about and explain what brought you to the art in the first place and what you have learned about yourself, the world, and the art as a result. In your response, pull at least two points that Southgate makes that resonate with you and how the art you selected impacts you.
“As they pay attention to the music, the message and the man himself, they are learning and being inspired and pushed to grow in some ways they recognize now and in some ways they won’t recognize until they are older.” This quote from Southgate’s essay caught my eye, and even caught my heart. As a child, sometimes as a teenager, one reads, listens, or sees a piece of art without truly capturing the entity of the theme. This was me a couple years ago. After an unfortunate day, my friend sent me a link to the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann (http://mwkworks.com/desiderata.html). He told me to read it, and I did, but at the time, I was so confused, similarly to what Southgate experienced when she explains, “But the first time (and there’s nothing like your first time, is there?), it was too overwhelming for tears.” Confusion developed into fulfillment as I read through the poem another time, and even was clearer as I read through it now. When I go back to this poem, I realize how significant this text is in my life. The entire text holds massive life advice, creating a deep connection to one’s inner thoughts. The poem concludes with a touching line:
ReplyDelete“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.”
To me, this is the ultimate goal in life, and has been since I first read this poem. Being happy is one of my greatest aspirations, and one that I hope to gain as life progresses. The world truly is a beautiful place, a place every person needs to appreciate and be happy in. We were meant to be here for a reason, so seize every opportunity and enjoy all that you can. Each time I read this poem, I am reminded of the person that I want to be, encompassing all of the qualities that Desiderata presents. I gain inspiration to grow into this person, stepping closer each day.
It is unbelievable what a small piece of work can do for a person. This has uplifted me during hard times, and even has balanced me out during the greatest times. I strongly recommend reading this, as it will impact you in some way, hopefully as great as i impacted me.
Southgate talks about Hamilton as a piece of art that has helped her through times of personal struggle in her professional career. She believes that her writer's’ block was cured by the “miracle” of Hamilton, which gave her something to be engaged in. For me, I had never really focused on a certain area of my life until I had joined high school band. I entered through the doors as a freshman in marching band, not knowing what I had signed up for, other than a gym credit. It wasn’t until the end of that year that I had really understood the meaning of the work I had done and the emotions that was conveyed through our performances. Everytime I step onto a field or onto the stage, I feel myself merging into one living entity that works together in harmony to create a product that is powerful for both listener and performer.
ReplyDeleteSouthgate believes that it was Hamilton that had helped her kick down her block and to advance as a writer, and find reason to write. As a member of band I have found my voice as a leader within the confines of the band and in my community. I was taught that leadership happens in so many ways and can be felt in more ways as well. Band has also helped me to believe in myself as an individual and my contributions to the world that I am a part of. Southgate also grew to feel a connect with the creator of Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda. The passion Miranda gave off was evident in everything he did. The dedication and love for his work inspired Southgate to do the same with her writing. As a musician, I hold a certain amount of pride in the music I play and the idea that I was a piece in the creation of something much larger than myself.
I was brought to band because it was something that I had done in middle school and was a way to get my gym credit. Today I am still in band because I was to help music touch others’ lives and feel the high that is performing. The feeling to creating something with 180 other students who stand as an extended family and to be able to share that with the world is a feeling that is indescribable. And because the words are so hard to come across, the intense passion becomes that much more personal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MfUkt3M5bQ
ReplyDeleteI was going to save this piece for you for later and build up to it, but I think this is the perfect time to introduce it. “Petite Suite” by Debussy is *my* piece. Do you ever enjoy something so much that you never tell anyone about it because it’s so special and the thought of other people enjoying it will make it “tainted” somehow? I get like that a lot, and it’s selfish, I know. This is the piece, and really the only thing, that can make me whole again when I feel drained or as though I am insignificant in such a large world. I remember the first time I heard it: I was driving home from BW in a rainstorm after a lesson that had gone terribly. I felt useless and it was like my efforts had amounted to nothing. I was listening to the radio when I decided to change it to the classical station (which I would listen to all the time, but it gets bad reception out here); the Cleveland Orchestra was playing “Petite Suite” and it was about halfway through the second movement. It was so beautiful, and then when the third movement came, I was in awe. And the fourth movement was the most amazing, beautiful, astounding, incredible, fantastic thing I had ever heard. I was quickly in tears. Southgate wrote that after she saw Hamilton, she “staggered” and “came out of the theater uplifted, thrilled, dazzled, grateful, soul-shifted.” That’s how I feel after listening to this piece. It’s like all the most wonderful emotions have been combined and you realize that all your problems are so petty because there's so much beauty in the world that you had been blind to before. It’s so paradoxical, because I feel so large, yet insignificant: it reminds me that the world is full of many revolutionary people and wonders I don’t even know, while making me feel that *I*, however small I may be, am beautiful, too. Another point Southgate makes is that “a musical will not save us. A musical can’t undo evil and terror and racism and atrocity. And I in no way want to sound naïve or minimize or gloss over that evil and terror and racism and atrocity. And yet. Change is evolutionary, not revolutionary.” And what she says is so true. There may be absolutely dreadful things going on in the world, but there are also many lovely things going on, and that’s what we need to keep in mind. A piece of art will not change the way the world works. But for those who are capable of appreciating it, the smallest piece can change the way they think and make them see the world through a whole new lens.
I know this is not relevant to the discussion, and I hope this will be “off the record,” or so to speak. I don’t know much about Lin’s personality, but I decided to look up his MBTI type. MBTI is a psychological test used to determine character traits and for people to learn about how they (and others) think. I’m not sure how much merit it has in the psych world, but I LOVE it. So I decided to Google Lin’s type. They say he’s an ENFP, which is all you really need to know about MBTI in order to understand me (but if you do know about it, wonderful; I’m an INFJ, if you care to know). ENFPs are my FAVORITE kind of people, absolute FAVORITE - from Jessica Day in New Girl to this middle school kid I met at a music camp I was working, I love them all. And I think it’s because they are SO passionate about life and helping others, and spreading so much love in the world. They’re sensitive, yet strong people and they are, as Ms. Southgate mentioned, “cinnamon rolls.” They’re so enthusiastic and they care about EVERYONE they meet… imagine if there were more celebrities like that. They would spread positivity and people would be more inspired to do wonderful things in the world. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of regular people who inspire those around them, but someone who has influence over so many people and how they think!!!! With all the negativity in the world and celebrities usually doing things they’re not supposed to, Lin-Manuel Miranda is the breath of fresh air we need.
DeleteI have realized over the years that I am a bit over dramatic. Some people look at the word “dramatic” as having a bad connotation, but for myself, I consider my type of drama simply as feeling everything very deeply.
ReplyDeleteMartha Southgate talked a lot in her article about Lin-Manuel Miranda. She often talked about him and his creation of Hamilton; but the part that stood out to me was when she talked about Miranda as a person. Southgate writes, “...no matter who he’s looking at, he’s looking at them, almost into them, lovingly. No matter what he’s listening to, he’s listening to it; the music that influences Hamilton is everything from ’90S R&B to Rodgers and Hammerstein to hip-hop from its creation the present day, and so much more. He shows up for all of life.” In my opinion, I consider Lin-Manuel Miranda the best kind of dramatic. It is so true that he does show up for all of his life, and I connected to him in Southgate’s piece from the fact that both him and I feel everything times ten. I sob in movies when others don’t even shed a tear, I get way too angry over the stupidest of things, and I can’t help but overanalyze everything that comes my way. I still find myself wondering why others don’t see certain things the way that I do, but it’s okay. Every one of us feels things differently; me just a little more than others sometimes. But just like Miranda, the one thing that makes me feel the most dramatic is music itself. Music is my topic of art for this blog.
Although all music is a big part of my life, Christmas music specifically holds a special place in my heart (and my dramatic side). Christmas has always been mine and my family’s favorite holiday, partly because of the music that is brought along with it. Being able to celebrate Christ’s birthday in a fun yet traditional manner is so amazing. I specifically like the harmonies and lyrics in certain Christmas music, and the fact that many of my favorite artists do beautifully remade versions of classic Christmas songs is so great to hear. It always amazes me when the holidays come around because it is a time when people from all over the world come together and give thanks for all they have. Southgate speaks in her article about how giving Miranda is for the poor and to others in need; Christmas is a time when people act like Miranda acts all year round. Southgate states, “Through his every act as a public figure, Miranda reminds us of the full humanity of people of color, all the ways we contribute, all the ways we are and all the ways we matter.” This quote is a great way to express the tone of the whole article because Miranda’s actions really are so pure and beautiful, something we don’t see in celebrities very often. Southgate totally agrees, and I believe that she is dramatically affected by Hamilton and Miranda, just as I am affected by Christmas music.
Reading has always been a big part of my life, and is something that I love doing. Going into to a bookstore is like walking into a candy shop, and it's hard for me to leave. My parents always encouraged me to read, and I was an advanced reader when I was younger, so my loves for books is a part of who I am. Novels have helped me see different places and meet different people, even if those people or places aren't real. I think that this is the great thing about any written work. It takes you outside of your surroundings and places you somewhere new just by using words on a page. Novels allow for an escape when things become too hectic in my life. I become connected to the characters and the connect the author to the stories. For me, novels and any written work, are a way to see how others think. Sometimes they tell a story, and other times they are informational. Either way I always take something away from the book, and they always manage to make me smile, laugh or cry.
ReplyDeleteSouthgate discussed how when you become obsessed with someone, or you idolize them, you make up this image of who they are, even if it's not completely accurate. She writes “When you are 14, 15, 16, the man you carry in your mind is real, even though he’s not in your real life”. For me, the most influential author in my life is J.K Rowling because of Harry Potter. I picture her as a sassy single women, living contently on her own in London. That is the image I choose to have of her, because it's how I connect to her. In actuality she has a husband, a son, and two daughters (although she is still sassy). I also will always think of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, as Harry Hermione and Ron. When you idolize a person you create a schema that helps you identify them and you don't want any negative images tainting your idea of who they are. You create this clear image of them in your mind, and you don't want to accept that they are anything but that.
Southgate also discussed how the play is not only being admired, but so are the actors, and the artform itself. Musicals and theatre can be a difficult type of art to appreciate, especially for younger generations, who don't necessarily understand it. But Miranda has managed to create a musical that is exciting and draws in people from all ages. Hamilton has gained such a big spotlight, that people have gained interest with Miranda and the other actors, which expands it popularity and the knowledge that people gain from it. It is also drawing a positive light to the theatre industry for children to see and be influenced. Many people will discard most musicals and shudder when they have to listen to showtunes, but Hamilton is a musical that is most people can enjoy. This is the first time that I have seen people connect so widely and proudly over an artform whose stereotype is pegged at weird and annoying.
I think that all artforms are incredible and that they all have the power to influence someone's life. For me it was books, for Southgate, it was ballet and Hamilton. I love seeing the way that Hamilton is touching so many people and how Miranda is sharing his joy and kindness with the world. Art is a unique form of expression that has the power to unite people, and tell different stories.
The piece of art I have chosen to work with is the song Save Our Last Goodbye by Disturbed. I was drawn to this piece initially because of the artist. I had heard a song by Disturbed and looked more into their music. I really like the combination of hard rock and deep, emotional lyrics. This song particularly draws me in because it is all about deep personal loss. As Martha Southgate described, “So I saw Hamilton while I was stuck, and then I was in love with it and then, as I spent more time with it, the musical kicked open the door”. I experienced the same emotion with Save Our Last Goodbye, I was struggling with life and expressing my emotion of loss. I really connected with the song and the writer’s take on coping with loss. I learned from the piece that uncertainty during loss is not a unique experience. I learned that others can relate to me in my struggle. I also feel as Southgate does with Manuel, “What he gives, nonstop, is an invitation to share his love of, well, the whole world”. The members of Disturbed have done the same thing, their music is how they share with their fans the journey they are going on in their lives. It was so eye opening to hear the song and realize that I am not alone in the experience of loss and that my thoughts are shared by others.
ReplyDeleteThe closest I can come to saying that I’ve been “moved” by a piece of art would be the painting that my friend is working on right now for school. She drives me to school every day and takes me home in the afternoon so I get to see the progress that has been made on it every time I get into her car. I’ve seen it transform from a drawing in pen in a notebook to a beautiful work of art on a 3 foot canvas. The painting is of a photorealistic heart being held and presented to the viewer in two hands. She plans to enter the painting in the 2016 eXpressions competition. I say it moved me in the sense that it made me think and gave me ideas, much like how Southgate describes Hamilton to have given her ideas on her writing. The painstaking work I saw go into making the piece made me realize just how much art means to people. My friend puts countless hours into her projects. Everytime I get into the car she has something new to show me. All of it I find beautiful, and as someone rather ungifted in that talent, quite remarkable. It also made me see the “full humanity of people” as Southgate states. The idea that we hold our heart in our hands, open to other and entirely vulnerable speaks a lot to me. The heart is our most vital organ, it is what keeps us alive but it is also symbolically where our desires and affections lie. Some people are said to wear their hearts on their sleeves but I feel like this does not grasp the meaning of the idiom. One can still pull their sleeve up or tuck the end up inside, but to hold your heart in your hands does not allow you to hide it. However, it does not allow you to protect it either. Her piece made me see that people who are open and expressful with their feelings are just the more likely to get hurt. The heart is in its place for a reason, hidden and protected behind bars from the outside world. To take your heart in your hands and willingly offer it to people is just asking for trouble. Not everyone is trustworthy enough for your feelings. There are people who will, without a second thought, tear them up and lay waste to them. Her piece has taught me a lot about humanity in the sense that now I see how foolish it is to do such a thing. On a side note, I was very shocked by the turn that this article took. Do not call me a racist, I take race into no account. I respect all people equally no matter their color. If you don’t believe me ask my black boyfriend of almost a year. But I was disappointed in how the focus of this article shifted. It began rather objective, focused on how Hamilton has impacted the author’s life but quickly turned into an anti-racism political spiel. I am not saying the author is wrong in saying that different races deserve equal representation in Broadway, but, at least published on the American Scholar website, it could have done without that in my opinion. By addressing the factor of race, she highlights and almost puts down white actors. As if the only reason she likes them is because of their race, or how it is amazing that a non-white person has become a pop culture figure not because they are talented and brilliant, but because the are not the usual skin tone.
ReplyDelete*Tyler is the lead singer of the band as well as the songwriter
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite albums by Twenty-One Pilots is called Vessel. In this album, as Twenty-One Pilots does in every album, they tell a story. Vessel begins with Ode to Sleep, which is a song about Tyler’s demons not allowing him to sleep at night. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album, where Tyler discusses his inner struggle with his demons. However, the album ends with the last song, Truce, which presents a different idea. In this song, he realizes that he can’t win a war against himself, so he calls a truce with himself to stay alive and try again tomorrow. In the first verse, the song says the following: “Now the night is coming to an end / The sun will rise and we will try again”. I stubbled across this quote on social media, previous to when I discovered who Twenty-One Pilots even was. This quote holds a special place in my heart because I found it during the lowest point of my life and it gave me something that I couldn’t find anywhere else-motivation. I always looked back to this quote as a reminder to not let my own inner demons defeat me because although I might never be able to win against them, I have tomorrow to try again.
Throughout her blog, Southgate expresses her journey not only falling in love with Lin-Manuel’s artwork, but with him as well. Because I already had a pre-established love for the aforementioned quote by Twenty-One Pilots, my discovery of them made me fall in love with the band members of Twenty-One Pilots the same way that Southgate fell in love with Lin-Manuel. In the music industry, it’s so hard to find music that actually means something as well as musicians who have genuine intentions to present that art, but I was able to find that with Twenty-One Pilots. Looking at their songs “Migraine” and “Trees”, it becomes evident to the listener that they thoroughly and vulnerably put their entire souls into their lyrics and express things about their ideology and pasts that I have yet to see anyone do. They put so much energy and heart into all of their shows and every aspect of their band that it seemed inevitable that I would fall in love with them. Each song is a piece to their past and their way of thinking, and I am so grateful that I could find something that I relate with to such an extent.
Southgate also draws attention to the indescribable feeling that Hamilton gave her upon leaving the theatre. She described this feeling as “too overwhelming for tears” and “like riding a rocket”, and I feel the same way everytime I listen to Twenty-One Pilots’ songs. I am a strong believer that artwork should always leave you with that same feeling that Southgate describes every time, no matter how many times you view or listen to it. Each Twenty-One Pilot song affects me in a different way, but they affect me with the same intensity that they did initially. Lane boy makes me feel confident and rebellious, Holding On To You makes me feel empowered and courageous, and Migraine makes me feel hopeful and understood. I always feel empowered when I listen to Twenty-One Pilots songs in a different way, and I believe that is what art is supposed to do for the viewer, reader, and listener.
The piece of art I am immediately drawn too is the song Sanctuary by Paradise Fears. This song is my go to song whenever I’m having a bad day for any reason at all. I’ve been a huge fan of this band for a while now, and even had the chance to meet them twice. I love everything about them from the actual music they play to the personality of all the guys. Their music has beautiful lyrics to describe all the emotions that I can’t ever put words too. Southgate stated in her article that the musical Hamilton helped her “kick open the door” after being stuck so long on what to write. I relate to this quote a lot when it comes to Sanctuary. Every time I’m in a bad mood, I know I count on this song to bring me back up, stronger than before. It inspires me in all aspects of my life, from school work to my music responsibilities. She also states that “Hamilton changed my life”. As crazy as this is, this is exactly how I feel about Paradise Fears. I heard other songs before Sanctuary, but this song definitely had the biggest effect on me. They have changed the way I think and look at the life I have. I now always try to look on the brighter side of what seem like negative situations. Paradise Fears helped me discover my true self and have a more positive mindset.
ReplyDeleteOne of the books, well books series, that resonated with me more than any other was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and its sequel, Go Set a Watchman. For me, the resonance began with the character of Scout in the first novel, who even when I first began reading reminded me of myself. One of the main points Southgate makes in her essay is that she felt so closely connected to Lin Manuel, a man she had never actually met. I think that all of us have, at some point been obsessed with a celebrity, or in my case, someone who doesn’t even exist. In eighth grade, when I initially read To Kill a Mockingbird, I was barely fourteen, but I was in a stage where I was questioning everything; from the school and church I attended, to long held beliefs, and myself especially. In the atmosphere I was in at school, I had been taught to not question what I was told to believe, but I still did. I bottled away questions, concerns, everything that somehow came into my mind that was in direct contradiction of what I had been taught to that point. Scout readily questioned everything, even when it meant getting in trouble, or having parts of her world shattered by the truth. The whole point of this novel was that in the end, Scout learned from her experience with Boo Radley, that not everything is as it seems and that sometimes, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons makes it the right thing. When I read Go Set a Watchmen, I first reread its predecessor and just like the first time it gave me the confidence that I needed with the added lessons brought be its sequel.
ReplyDeleteThe second point that Southgate made was that the best pieces of art have a startling point to them, even if it is an idea that we may find hard to accept. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it was that not everything is black and white, most of what we think we know exists in the gray area blurring in between. For the seven year old girl in the book, and for the fourteen year old girl reading it, that was a hard lesson to learn, and even harder to accept. In Go Set a Watchman, the lesson was along the same lines, but focused on the fact that as we grow up the world gets grayer, and we see things we couldn’t have possibly seen when we were younger. For me, at sixteen years old, that lesson hit home yet again. For Scout the novels take place a little less than twenty years apart in her hometown. For me, the second novel showed how to live in the world in which we understand the lesson taught from the first. In a world where everything is gray, you have to be independent, but you will make mistakes. You will learn more than you could ever imagine, but you have to ask questions. Some things will never make sense, but these novels made one thing clearer for me: that questioning what we think we know is not a bad thing, and that finding an answer was never the intention ment when asking a question, it was in learning something new.
Music has been a huge part of my life since before I can remember. From the time I was born, my dad loved playing music for me. I grew up loving Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, and lots of other bands and artists from that time period. Michael Jackson is my absolute favorite artist of all time. I am fascinated by his music, life, and pretty much everything about him. There is a song called “Stranger in Moscow” off of one of his later albums. The song is very dreary and dismal, and is basically about how lonely he felt throughout most of his life, despite him being one of the biggest stars in the entire world. As someone who has never been very outgoing or big on introducing myself to people and making friends, this song means the world to me. Southgate says, “When you are 14, 15, 16, the man you carry in your mind is real, even though he’s not in your real life. But it affected my real life.” Michael was a very shy person, which I can relate to. Watching videos on Youtube of his concerts or watching his movie are things that always cheer me up and put a smile on his face. Though he is not really in my life, it’s comforting to know he has left music and videos that I am able to relate to and feel connected to. Southgate goes on to say, “As they pay attention to the music, the message and the man himself, they are learning and being inspired and pushed to grow in some ways they recognize now and in some ways they won’t recognize until they are older.” With songs Michael has sung such as Heal the World and We Are the World, I would hear these as a young kid and they would have meaning to me, but as I grew older they began to hold a much deeper meaning. I truly believe Michael’s music has turned me into a more compassionate person who is more willing to help people, animals, and our planet. I am inspired by how much he cared about people and our planet, and it makes me wish I was able to make a bigger impact than I am capable of.
ReplyDeleteThe art of playing violin has been a significant part of my life ever since I was 5 years old. My mother’s side of the family are full of musical artists and it was already in my blood to do something musical as well. When my mom asked me what instrument I wanted to play, I immediately respond with enthusiasm, “the violin”. In the beginning, I would forget to practice and delayed my learning, but at some point it just clicked and I advanced even further than ever. Recently, I got a new private teacher for violin who has inspired me more than any other person in the musical field. The piece called “Meditation” from Thais was one of those pieces that really touched my heart and filled my soul. The technique in regards to shifting and rhythms were not as difficult as making it sound truly beautiful. This piece is where I found my true strength in playing, using emotion and soul in my sound. Sliding from note to note and using a rich tone along with vibrato is what gave me chills every time I played this piece. The unusual thing is that I played this piece literally a hundred times but I never got tired of it. In fact, I delved even deeper into the music, picking at specific sections and making them more musical.
ReplyDeleteSouthgate makes the point, “We don’t know these guys--we just feel as if we do, as if we must”. Many times, I watch other famous violinists on Youtube and even while playing with the Cleveland Orchestra live. While they play, the violinists close their eyes and literally become their music. Watching these violinists, I seem to feel a certain connection because I am a violinist as well as them. Southgate also mentions, “You’re born with gifts and you’re born with an honesty that can never really leave you”. Being part of a musical family and having such supportive parents has been my gift to learning the violin. More than a gift, playing the violin takes perseverance and continuous practice. It is an art form that is not just about learning the notes and techniques, but about expressing yourself in a unique manner. I have learned that although you play the same piece of music in an orchestra, you don’t actually “play the same piece”. The style you play it in, whether with more of a straightforward interpretation or in a more emotional manner, it is a definition of yourself.
Martha Southgate talks about Lin-Manuel Miranda and his work Hamilton in her article as if they had woken something within her, something that inspired her to write a new book when she had writer’s block for months. This kind of deep connection is something that happens every once in a blue moon for most people, and when it does happen it’s like the gift that keeps on giving. For me, music is what I connect to the most. No matter what mood I’m in or how I’m feeling there is always some type of music that I can relate to. Music is especially helpful to me when I’m going through a rough time and I feel as if I can’t talk to anyone or as if no one can relate to what I’m going through. It helps me sort through my feelings and, in the end, realize that there are other people who have felt the way I did during that time.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I love about music is that there is always something new to listen to, and it’s always evolving. Southgate writes about the first time she saw Hamilton, “I came out of the theater uplifted, thrilled, dazzled, grateful, soul-shifted. I had expected to be very emotional—crying, deeply moved, that kind of thing.” This is what it is like for me when I listen to new music. I set expectations for what I think the song will sound like or be about based on the title, but by the time I finish the song I feel a completely unexpected way. I think this is because we as people can never truly predict what someone else’s piece of art will be like until we experience it for ourselves; and even then each person experiences and interprets that work in a way personalized to themselves. These experiences are another aspect of music that I love because there can be so many different interpretations of a single piece and the more you listen to that one song, the more you begin to understand these other ideas flowing throughout it. So, just as Southgate continues to fall in love with Lin-Manuel and Hamilton, I will continue to fall in love and discover new music as well as music I already know by heart.
The work of art that really stands out to me is Rouge Lawyer by John Grisham. Sebastian Rudd is a gun-carrying attorney whose office is a bullet-proof van. He takes cases that no one else is willing to take. The reason i relate to this book so much is because a bunch of my family members are lawyers and that is what i want to be when i graduate college. The fact that he takes on cases that no one else will take takes a great amount of courage and i hope that one day i can find the same great amount of courage later on in life. Southgate says in her essay that "Hamilton has changed my life." This book has changed my life by helping me gain courage to take on new things. Also, it has inspired me more to become a lawyer because everyone deserves a fair trial no matter how big or small the offense. Southgate also talk about idolizing someone. Even though Sebastian Rudd is a made up character he represents so many things i hope to be in my life. He defends people that maybe do not deserve to be defended. He's not worried about morals or values. He's doing his job. I hope that one day i can help people just the way Sebastian Rudd has.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Martha Southgate’s piece about how Lin-Manuel Miranda, and his work Hamilton, have affected her, it became evident that she was emphasizing the importance of loving and being inspired by the artist, and how the artist can be even more influential or personal than the art. Southgate first showed interest in Miranda’s work, and then became more engulfed in his presence and his philosophies. In all my art-consuming days, I’ve done this same thing many times. Patrick Schneeweis is the most prevalent example of “falling in love” with an artist in my life. How I first came to his music is a story in it’s own right. Sharing art amongst close friends is a very intimate act, so I take music recommendations very seriously. Somewhere along the timeline of my friendship with Brian Hribar and Logan Whitcomb, I was introduced to a band called Wingnut Dishwasher’s Union, of which Pat Schneeweis was the main performer. As Brian and Logan remain two of my most cherished friends, my connection with this music is very important to me and very close to my heart. Similar to Southgate’s love for Miranda, I find myself attracted to the personable, and very “real” aspects of Pat (that’s what his friends call him). Not only does he encourage every part of my angsty, anarcho-punk, I-don’t-need-the-government, and I-do-my-own-goddamn-dishes persona, but he does it in the purest possible way: independent, and almost entirely acoustic music. In every video I’ve ever watched of Pat performing, by the time he’s played a song or two his guitar is down to a hearty four strings. He puts a passion into his music that I’d argue is unmatched by any other artist I’ve seen to date. This passion is furthered by the content which he sings about. His song “Free and Alone,” is a good example of how his lyrics and ideologies have both contributed to my own values, and furthered my interest in Pat as a person. Though I’ve never hitchhiked, nor spent any time contemplating my life’s purpose in a bus terminal bathroom, I still find beauty in this song, and get emotional every time I listen to it.
ReplyDeleteSouthgate also references the importance of racial diversity in art, as portrayed by Miranda in his racially-diverse cast, and his support of non-white performers in the media. As a black woman, Southgate resonates with this idea that a Puerto-Rican man has become a sort of “heartthrob” in a nation that typically only fawns over the “ideal” white male. While Pat is a white male, he hardly sees himself as such. In interviews, and even in his music, he portrays an idea that race and gender mean nothing as far as potential or relationship-dynamics go. Pat paints this image of a world free of oppression, where the hippies can collect their own garbage, or fill potholes themselves, and not shower for days without judgement. This image, both in his music and outside of it, really resonates with me, and continues my love for Pat and his work, similar to Southgate’s love for Lin-Manuel Miranda and his work.
Southgate writes about art as a vehicle of change. All of the art she views, not just Lin’s musical, affects her in some way. She gives the second example of ballet as a life changing form of art, commenting that her path is shifted to her own “dreamworld”. A piece of art that has affected me in a similar way just recently reappeared into my life with new meaning as a member of Brunswick’s wind ensemble. I have been listening to An American Elegy by Frank Ticheli since I was a freshman, never knowing the true purpose behind the resonant chords, flowing melodies, and powerful moments. I became aware of the mournful, reflective purpose behind its composition while I sat in Mr. Wardeska’s classroom. Ticheli’s piece was written to commemorate the victims of Columbine, and as well as to pay tribute to the survivors. This piece has taught me, as Miranda would say, to recognize that “life’s a gift”. Knowing the story behind a piece that I had already appreciated brings new levels of emotion that weren’t there before. Southgate argues that responding to emotion with art does not make a person any less of a man; I would like to argue that responding to art with emotion does not make a person any less, either. No performance is perfect, but when An American Elegy is played with musical emotion, it evokes an emotional response. I learned from being a member of the wind ensemble, as well as from having music be a huge part of my life, that reacting to art is part of what makes us human.
ReplyDeleteIn Martha Southgate essay she explains that, “Hamilton came to me at a time when I was despairing about my life as a writer, as an artist.” Hamilton helped Southgate get through a hard time in her life. I had a similar feeling when I came across the famous poem by Maya Angelou titled Still I Rise. Still I Rise taught me not to let anyone else bring me down and helped me through many challenging points in my life. Maya Angelou relates her poem to the oppression of African Americans but it can also relate to anyone who is brought down by others because of their differences. Angelou writes, “You may shoot me down with your words/ You may cut me down with your eyes/ You may kill me with your hatefulness/ But still, like air, I’ll rise.” This poem taught me how to be myself without worrying about what other will think. In Southgate’s essay she writes about how Hamilton has changed her life. Southgate fell in love with Hamilton and Lin’s work. Maya Angelou’s poem changed my life for the better and helped me become a more positive person. After reading Still I Rise I gained a stronger appreciation for poetry and what it means to accept yourself no matter what others think.
ReplyDeleteI am a person who indulges in the arts, as creativity is something that I have always been drawn too and have personally had abundances of. There are so many pieces of art that have affected me deeply but one in particular comes to mind: the Twilight Saga. On any other occasion I would be more hesitant to call Twilight a piece of art but it is inherently a piece of literature. Through growing up and maturing I have realized the very childish language and horrible impactions that Twilight holds but I cannot help but hold it in a very nostalgic part of my heart. I read the books at the young age of 12 and it was the very first book/series that I loved, and actually wanted to read. It is the reason I have devoured books ever since then and consequently so it is the reason I want to be a writer. Southgate mentions, “So I saw Hamilton while I was stuck, and I was in love with it and then, as I spent more time with it, the musical kicked⎯or rather, it helped me kick open the door.” This is comparable to my experiences with Twilight as it was presented to me at a very monumental time of my life, the shift from my childhood to my teenage years. It affected me in a time of my life where I was very impressionable and responsive to the world and because of that I am eternally appreciative for it. Also I would like to note another concept that Southgate mentioned that struck a chord within me,“We don’t know these guys⎯we just feel as if we do…” I find myself constantly doing this with my role models, and I personally do not think this is terrible thing. I idolize people such as Lin, John Green, Jennifer Lawrence, and various other writers/people of influence. I have never been introduced to any of this people before (I have seen John Green in person though and I almost fainted, that’s another story for another time though) or even spoken a world with them, but that does not matter. They have influenced me in so many ways, and we need to have these unrealistic role models in our brains to grow and develop in the arts or any other area of life. Overall I have had an amazing relationship with the arts and the people who create art my entire life, and I would not be the same person today sitting in my messy room, typing this blog without it.
ReplyDeleteI am a person who indulges in the arts, as creativity is something that I have always been drawn too and have personally had abundances of. There are so many pieces of art that have affected me deeply but one in particular comes to mind: the Twilight Saga. On any other occasion I would be more hesitant to call Twilight a piece of art but it is inherently a piece of literature. Through growing up and maturing I have realized the very childish language and horrible impactions that Twilight holds but I cannot help but hold it in a very nostalgic part of my heart. I read the books at the young age of 12 and it was the very first book/series that I loved, and actually wanted to read. It is the reason I have devoured books ever since then and consequently so it is the reason I want to be a writer. Southgate mentions, “So I saw Hamilton while I was stuck, and I was in love with it and then, as I spent more time with it, the musical kicked⎯or rather, it helped me kick open the door.” This is comparable to my experiences with Twilight as it was presented to me at a very monumental time of my life, the shift from my childhood to my teenage years. It affected me in a time of my life where I was very impressionable and responsive to the world and because of that I am eternally appreciative for it. Also I would like to note another concept that Southgate mentioned that struck a chord within me,“We don’t know these guys⎯we just feel as if we do…” I find myself constantly doing this with my role models, and I personally do not think this is terrible thing. I idolize people such as Lin, John Green, Jennifer Lawrence, and various other writers/people of influence. I have never been introduced to any of this people before (I have seen John Green in person though and I almost fainted, that’s another story for another time though) or even spoken a world with them, but that does not matter. They have influenced me in so many ways, and we need to have these unrealistic role models in our brains to grow and develop in the arts or any other area of life. Overall I have had an amazing relationship with the arts and the people who create art my entire life, and I would not be the same person today sitting in my messy room, typing this blog without it.
ReplyDeleteNote: I am on medication for my Wisdom Teeth, so if this response does not make any sense, that is why. Please feel free to discuss this blog post with me in person, as I still have a lot more to say that I could not type. - Quinn
ReplyDeleteI knew the day would come. I figured it would occur later in the year, but alas, the day has come where I have an opposing view on the topic of a blog post. I have read Southgate’s response on Lin Manuel-Miranda’s work, and I have to say that her idea of “love” is skewed, or at least does not relate to how I view art.
For a discussion based on a life-changing piece of art, Southgate focuses heavily on the outward effects of the Hamilton, rather than the internal changes that the piece has caused her. The biggest issue that I had with Southgate’s writing is that she excluded details that would have made her piece more interesting. She writes, “I came out of the theater uplifted, thrilled, dazzled, grateful, soul-shifted.” Instead of elaborating on these feelings and specifying on what made her feel this way, Southgate writes of how much the ticket cost and with whom she attended the show. Southgate has misinterpreted what the “love” of art is, and while this may seem like a rant moving forward, she focuses on all the things that do not make art unique to one person.
There was one particular phrase that immediately dismissed me any of Southgate’s opinions on the matter of art and the way it makes an individual feel. She writes, “At first I was devoted to the show itself, not so much to Lin (that’s what his friends call him).” On the surface, this seems like a normal sentence, but broken apart there are many absurdities in it. Firstly, the word “devoted” is too strong for how a piece of art should be perceived. Art should open the gates to new experiences. Art should be able to change your mood when looked upon. Art should not be followed with integrity as strong as a religion. I am beginning to grow angry just thinking about this, but art, to me, is not something that you must work towards understanding. You should not need to research a specific piece to understand it, you should not need to engulf your life completely to feel the artist’s true intentions, and you, by no means, should need to know how the artist’s friends refer to their name. The fact that Lin Manuel-Miranda’s friends refer to him as “Lin” does not impact the way that I view his work. By saying things like this, Southgate has made me think that she wishes to shape her life in the same way that Miranda does; attempting to find every minuscule detail of Miranda's life that she can so that, ultimately, she can feel like she is there with him. What Southgate believes is "love" is actually an obsession. She recants about her experience with the piece: “obsessive posting and reposting of articles and videos on Facebook. Then I started watching YouTube—getting interested in Miranda’s pretty black hair, being impressed by his freestyling skills.” Southgate has now transcended past the way a song made her feel and is now letting it consume her life. She is living her life through someone else’s, allowing Hamilton to weave itself into every wound that that it can. At first, it was as if she had just bought a brand new kitten. It was cute and cuddly and everyone adored the cat. Now, she has twenty five cats and has become the crazy cat lady. I can only imagine how this has affected the people that are in Southgate’s life.
You can see Southgate has an obsessive personality immediately when she writes of Mikhail Baryshnikov, the Latvian ballet dancer that Southgate let consume during her teenage years. She mimicked him, wanted to be everything that he was, wanted to be with him, even though none of this was rational. For years she was stuck in an illusion of Baryshnikov's influence. This type of addictive personality is not how you should view art.
DeleteThe normal process of understanding art, specifically a song, goes through my mind like so: “I hear this piece, and I know immediately that I enjoy it. I am not sure exactly why I enjoy it, but that is the reason why I must listen to it again. I want to dive into the rhythms, feel the beat in my blood, listen to all of the different parts that make up this beautiful composition. I must find out why I enjoy this piece for myself, not for anyone else.”
Art is not meant to transcend past itself. I should not need to leave the piece in order to understand its true reasoning. I do not need to know the artist’s nickname, the name of the band, or even the name of the song. I understand everything that there is to know about the piece by simply listening, and I react to it accordingly. Art does not consume my life, but, in reality, it is there to relieve the imperfections in my life. I use art as a tool to take me away from the world, to allow me to think in ways that I have never thought before. But, again, that is where art stops for me. Art is an internal expression, and never will I try to intrude on the way it makes others feel. I share music, hoping that it will resonate with someone else so that they can craft their own opinions.
I’m not sure if any of that was coherent whatsoever, but maybe I can explain it more if I show you a song that I hold deeply.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSB74LZDNr0
This song was suggested to me on a forum titled ”What is the Most Beautiful Song that you have ever heard?” I listened to it and immediately felt something in my ears that I had never felt before. The intricate melodies, the flowing rhythms, the intense harmonies. All of them work in unison to create a piece that is enough to make you cry. This song is there to uplift you when you are sad, it is there to brighten your day even when the sun is shining, it is there to comfort you. I sing along to it, I play it on my guitar, I love every minute of it. While you could say that this art piece has “consumed” my life, there is a difference between the way that Southgate views art and the way that I do. This song has never gone past being a song for me. I have never felt acclimated to know the strands of the web of the artists’ past, or where he grew up, how he lives, or what his beliefs are. This song is important to me, but at the end of the day, it is just a song. It fills a void for a brisk four minutes and thirty-five seconds. My mood may change after I listen to it, but it ends at that. This piece is internal to me, and every outward thing that goes along with it is irrelevant to me.
Swann's Way, by Marcel Proust, is a work which, as I near the conclusion and prepare to order the second volume of A la recherche du temps perdu, is a work I admire profoundly.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Southgate, I can not admit to any shared ethnicity between the late Monsieur Proust and myself However, two men of absolutely different backgrounds can find much more in common than two alike. To be exact, what it is that strikes me so about what little entrance I've attained to the literary achievement of Proust is his Asiatic realization that past, future, and present are indistinguishable altogether to the perception of man. Proust, perhaps unlike any other, delved into recreating the psychological reality that Carl Th. Dreyer had stressed his aim to achieve in cinema in so many of his writings. Proust, along with Keats and so few others, simply believed in the power of letters and words to invent, to distort, to reveal. Proust was a true fantast: he found his fantasy in the thoughts and whims and memories of his narrator. He did not neglect the strangeness of reality as it is seen through another's eyes, as so many self-proclaimed realists make the mistake of doing.
Personally, as a young man of African-American descent, I do not feel as confused as Southgate seems to see most of the colored multitude, when it comes to culture and race. I do not feel a need for an artist to teach me how to take pride in my mulatto blood. What I desire in art is a feeling that could never be attained from our humdrum routines. Art, like faith, is bridged to the unconscious. Artaud understood this, and I believe this is what is implied when he speaks of the Double in his writings on the Theatre. While such momentary influences as politics and other timely concerns are to be seen in many great works-Dante's Divine Comedy being an example-I, overall, desire much more in art. The epochal, if you'll forgive the While I do enjoy a finely made work of art by a black artist, I do not particularly take inspiration from his being black, or casting black people. The casting of black and multi-racial players for Hamilton is essential to that work, for it is a part of the musical, just as the style of music employed in Hamilton is much a part of black culture- rap, dixieland, blues,gospel,etc. I believe it is important- the ethnic flavor of a work, as well as the political suggestions- and yet I feel that this writer, Southgate, seems to become much too polemical for my taste after the first half of the article. Polemical, and full of the most typical liberal drivel. Bill Cosby?! The essay begins with the effect Hamilton had on its writer, yet...Bill Cosby. A fine touch! I care not for this Southgate's politics. To have spoken of art in an article about a work of art is a finer deed committed, than to have moralized over the nefarious deeds of Donald Trump and Fox News. When will the madness of this damned and accursed election end? When will Cosby's shadow recede from our American consciousness? I'll end this digression, but how can I be faulted if Southgate digresses to speak of her political views. Why can't I introduce some whimsy, some of my own takes on the world into this discussion. I am writing of the effect Proust has had on me, aren't I. So why not digress upon those fantasies of childhood, those vivid dreams and those vivid loves which have haunted me since a babe feeding upon maternal fountains? What of the bright eyed girl upon the grave I played near as a child, until I ceased, and, realizing the fragility of human life, left it as far behind as was possible. Leaving Medina, druidic, dying, with faint traces of it's tarnished grandeur evident in it's graffiti.
Alas, I was too little to have written about it. Yet how magnificently does Proust retrieve his time, and even more pleasant is the quest for his lost time.
I think this is what I find most pleasant about Proust. No matter how I write about Proust, or she about Hamilton, one-dimensional results are inevitable.
Epochal-Poor word choice.
DeleteFor some reason, I thought it implied eternity.