The song “Only a Pawn in Their Game” is about the huge controversy when Medgar Evers’ and two white volunteer teachers from the north were gone missing until officials found their bodies. This caught the attention of Bob Dylan and he ended up writing a song around 1963.
The overall purpose of this song was mainly to send out and deliver a strong message. This message is a strong political song that is talking about the controversy through the eyes of Bob Dylan. He feels like that the shooters were not all responsible for this killing. Bob Dylan makes it clear that America is in this position because the people in power are not doing much to help out the deadly segregation in the south. Meaning that society got white hating blacks. It’s the politicians that pretty much have a great impact on society and how it runs.
The song writing concept of this song is simplistic. I’m pretty sure Dylan purposely made it like that so people can receive the message without getting too distracted with the melody of the instruments. This song is written on just a guitar; no band. This is not a crazy party song where people can be in deeply in the song and dancing hard to it. There is no real chorus in the song but it consistently repeats “He’s only a pawn in their game”.
The argument of this song is that society in the south is educated to treat and behave a certain way to black people which is obviously for the negative. The only way to progress from the violence is to change the political system.
I believe this song is strong and its delivery is well contrasted. It does want it needed to do. I believe this song is successful.
Karlo Soldevilla's Blog
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Ethics of Living Jim Crow
In the essay “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”, Richard Wright illustrates the harsh conditions black people had to live under. Richard Wright starts off as a young black boy living the south under the hardship of a daily black person’s life. The system is basically biased against black people. The white man has the upper hand in all cases. Generally, it was the white public who made these rules in the streets about how black people need to respect them or else there will be consciences. Black people were not being paid equally as the whites. They usually were mistreated and harmed if they disrespected a white person even if the cause was minor such as forgetting to say “Sir” to a white man after every sentence. The black man had to deal with every misbehavior of the white man. For example, when a black male and black female were walking down the street, a white man disrespected the black woman by touching her improperly leaving the black man hopeless and defenseless about the situation. Even the law enforcement did not properly respond to a crime when it was committed by a white man harming a black person.
It is obvious that the white public had their way with the black people. The way they held on to this power was by publicly showing their power by beating up black people for minor reasons. They made sure that the black public was showing full respect towards the whites. The black public just had to deal with the rules if they wanted to stay alive and well.
Resistance had to be properly established if it is going to work. There has to be large community group meetings to lay out the problems on the table. They will eventually need to some how form a visible resistance to the abuse they were receiving from the whites. They can not be afraid to walk down the streets in big numbers. Slowly but surely, whites will get use to the fact that they are sharing the streets with the black people. If violence does break through, it will eventually be big enough to be heard by the media and the Supreme Court.
It is obvious that the white public had their way with the black people. The way they held on to this power was by publicly showing their power by beating up black people for minor reasons. They made sure that the black public was showing full respect towards the whites. The black public just had to deal with the rules if they wanted to stay alive and well.
Resistance had to be properly established if it is going to work. There has to be large community group meetings to lay out the problems on the table. They will eventually need to some how form a visible resistance to the abuse they were receiving from the whites. They can not be afraid to walk down the streets in big numbers. Slowly but surely, whites will get use to the fact that they are sharing the streets with the black people. If violence does break through, it will eventually be big enough to be heard by the media and the Supreme Court.
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