Blog #2

                In our society today, politics play a particularly large role in the everyday life. Since so many new things related to politics happen every day, everyone follows political news. Many political ideas/issues have come up within the past few years. Everyone is interested. Even if you’re talking about the first African American president, the continuing war in Iraq, or the controversy about the death penalty. Politics grab the attention of people in not only our society, but societies all over the world.

An even bigger part of life in our society is music. Music brings people together, and influences lives. People can connect through music, or relate to artists through their music. Since emotions can so easily be conveyed through music, people correlate because of the music they listen to. Music not only influences who you relate to, but how you feel and even, sometimes, what you do. Music is extremely persuasive, and therefore can easily be tied into politics to make people of the world view things how artists want them to. It’s not all about persuasion though; sometimes artists just want to share their thoughts and feelings with the world.

Together, politics and pop music could take over the media in itself. Not many songs directly focused on politics are well written or catchy, but some artists pull the two ideas together very nicely to create something people will agree with. In 2003 The Black Eyes Peas wrote a song called, “Where is the love?” about the events on 9/11 and the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. In part of the song they say, “Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism, but we still got terrorists here livin' … But if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate, and to discriminate only generates hate”. The group wrote the song to show people that to live in a world of peace, without terrorist attacks, and hatred, you need to spread love. The song quickly became popular after it was released, and impacted the lives of people closely related to these things. So, obviously society agreed with these political ideas, or they would not have listened to it so much.

Some political propaganda is even displayed through music. In Russia, a man named Alexander Yelin wrote a song about Vladimir Putin. Yelin originally wrote the song because of a bet with his friends; however the song is widely known in Russia, and even sung at Putin’s political rallies. The song amplifies Putin’s masculinity, and makes him interesting to the young people of Russia.

Though popular music and politics seem very different, they can be one in the same. Many artists use politics as a template for their music, or use it to display their views of politics and authority in their lives and the world. Music can help persuade people’s political beliefs, while their political beliefs can influence what type of music they listen to. There is no doubt that politics can be related to pop music.

Blog #1

In a world where books are constantly being written, published, read, and critiqued throughout the world, writers must rely on readers for support. The readers of the world are the reason writers have their jobs, and can do what they love to do for a living. They control what’s popular, what works, and what will never even come close to being a best seller. Not only are there various genres of books to read from, but magazines, newspapers, journal articles, and blogs too.

As a reader, I usually go for fiction. I really like reading books like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, even though they don’t have much moral value or insight on the world. They don’t teach you anything really, but I find them interesting. I’m especially fond of books that are in a series. You can really get into what’s going on, and get a feel for the characters. The longer the books, the more in depth you can go.

Every now and again I’ll become interested in a non-fiction book, but not too often. Historical types of non-fiction books bore me. I just don’t feel any relation between myself and the book. I prefer books that I can connect to on a personal level. Or books that include some sort of great life tragedy. The book A Child Called It by David Pelzer is an example of a non-fiction book that kept my interest the whole time. Though the plot of the story, and the way the boy was treated by his mother was horrific, it captured my complete attention. It tugged at my emotions, and made me feel like I knew the boy. Books that get personal and appeal to the emotions are the best, because they make you feel strong connections to the characters, the author, and/or the book itself.

On a side note, I also enjoy reading magazines like Seventeen, People, and Teen Vogue. It’s nice to see that even people that seem to be so high and mighty go through everyday struggles in life. It’s also funny just to read about the silly, irrational things celebrities do from time to time. Magazines are nice to look at too, and can sometimes just help you unwind after a stressful day.

I think the most important thing about being a reader is learning new things, and expanding your mind. Most of the time reading is just a pass time, or a luxury, but it’s a great way to learn about cultures of the world, and life in general. After reading a book, the reader should be able to sit down and think, “Wow, I never thought of things that way.” Or something like insightful like that.

Likewise, reading is good for seeing the world through another’s eyes. Seeing a different perspective of opinions, beliefs, and cultures. Seeing life in a way you never even imagined before. In addition, being a good reader helps you to be a good writer. The more you read, the more styles of writing you see and can even possibly use to make your own writing better.

Reading is great and enjoyable, but I don’t think I’m the best at it. Sometimes, well actually a lot of the time, I read something and it’s as if it literally went in one ear and straight through the other. Some people can read something once and have a complete literary analysis formed in their head, and I just can’t do that. I’m not a perfect reader or analyzer of books, but I’m not horrible either. I just wish reading comprehension would be easier or come more naturally to me.