Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was the embodiment of what a composer can hope to become.
Copland was very much in touch not only with himself and his feelings, but with
the audience he intended to reach. Very few composers have a concrete idea of
what "types" of people they wish their music to reach. Copland was one of these
few. The "Common Man" was the central part of much of his volumes of music
strived to reach. Copland felt that, ". .everyone should have a chance to see
things through this music. Limiting who can understand it only limits your
usefulness" Throughout his 75+ years as a composer and conductor, he touched
the lives and hearts of as many people as he could.
Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1900 to fairly affluent
parents. Because of his family's financial status, he started formally training
as a teen, and moved to Paris where he became the first American student of
Nadia Boulanger. It was here that Copland developed much of his neo-classical
style. Although he enjoyed the precise structure that Boulanger had taught him,
Copland's heart was truly in creating music that people other than musicians
could appreciate. It was upon his return to America in 1924 that he decided that
he would write ". . .truly American music." He traveled throughout America,
getting a taste of what the "common man" was listening to. During these travels
he strayed into Mexico, and wrote the highly successful El Salon Mexico. A quote
from the fall of 1932 sums up his intentions in writing this piece: "Any
composer who goes outside his native land wants to return bearing musical
souvenirs." This is exactly what he did. The piece is a lively adaptation of
Frances Toor's Cancionero Mexicano, with a very loose tempo, and heavy use of
the horn section.
It was after the success of El Salon Mexico that Copland proceeded to
produce what is now considered the epitome of "American" music. He combined his
neo-classical schooling with jazz-like syncopation and a new, more "open" use of
old chordal progressions. He created Billy The Kid in 1938, producing the
first "Western" musical. The score achieved a remarkable balance between
outright humor and pathos, and oftentimes bordered on tragic. It was this base
understanding of humanity that made Copland's music what it is. Many texts also
refer to a certain built in sympathy that Copland may have had for the main
character, citing his homosexuality as a cause for his deep understanding of
what it is to be looked down upon by society.
national Bill of Rights. He was a planter from Virginia, had grown up rich on
In school, Camus was a bright and excellent student. He also actively participated in sports like football, swimming and boxing. His intelligence was recognized by his teacher, Louis Germain who was then willingly helped Camus to obtain a scholarship to further his studies. With the help of scholarship, Camus was able to complete school and attended the University of Algiers as a philosophy student. However in 1930, he deteriorated from the attack of tuberculosis and had to stop his study. After recovered, he began his study and by1936, he received his degrees of undergraduate and graduate
composer in particular that has come under condemnation from the purists is John Williams. He
The theme for Beowulf seems to portray a fight between good and evil which will cause problems within the society. The characters in Beowulf are Beowulf, Grendel, his Mother, and dragon . Beowulf tells a story of a epic hero who travels the sea to kill a savage monster named Grendel and his mother in order to help King Hrothgar and his people. The theme of this essay will depict different battles between Beowulf and the beasts in order to restore peace amongst the people.
As stated by Ulrich, Bathsheba was remembered in English and American sermons as “a virtuous housewife, a godly woman whose industrious labors gave mythical significance to the ordinary tasks assigned to her sex.” In the Proverbs, she is described as one who is willing to serve her family (Ulrich 14). Moreover, just with Ulrich’s initial description of this biblical woman in which she compares women of the 1650s-1750s to, readers are able to get a general understanding that a woman’s role in economic life was vital to the success of her
Grendel is a monster who is the descendent of Cain. He becomes a true monster when he was exiled for killing his own brother. “…he had dwelt for a time / in misery among the banished monsters, /….For the killing of Abel / the Eternal Lord had exacted a price” (Beowulf 104-108). The reason why he attacks people is because of the jealous feelings and his notion that he was not being treated fairly. The battle with Grendel took place at the mead hall. When Beowulf first arrives to help out the Danes, he has a boast and states how he is going to defeat Grendel. “…unarmed he shall face me / if face me he dares” (Beowulf 684-685). This shows how courageous and how he stays true to his own words. He fights Grendel in hand-to-hand combat and is able to defeat him, just like he said. Although Beowulf is able to defeat Grendel, he could not have done it without the assist from his men. “Time and again, / Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend / their lord’s life, laying about them / as best they could with their ancestral blades” (793-796). This is significant in that it shows the amount of respect people have for Beowulf. The fight with Grendel is significant in many ways. It symbolizes the trust and reliability that people can now have on Beowulf, seeing that he is able to defeat the demon that was wreaking havoc in their town. It also reveals to the reader and the Danes about Beowulf’s extraordinary strength-
Every parent gets nervous when it comes time to have the “talk” with their child. Some parents choose to just be upfront with their child, and others choose not to say anything at all but, sex education is a very important thing. Everyone should inform their children and not rely on others to do the job no matter what the situation may be.
The story of good vs. evil is one that dates back to the beginning of time itself. In the epic Beowulf this is no different; the forces of good and evil are in constant conflict with each other. Beowulf, the good hero, is “praised over and over again” for his glorious and continued victories over the forces of evil (Heaney: Celebration at Heorot: 131). On the other hand, the evil characters, such as Grendel and Grendel’s mother, are not only “malignant by nature”, but also constantly terrorize the citizens near them, defiantly rebelling against the forces of good. (Heaney: Heorot Is Attacked :131). Grendel is a demon, the descendant of the cursed Cain from Biblical times, is seen as the embodiment of evil, and none but Beowulf can overpower
It is not often that you the black culture come together on one cohesive agreement to work as a team. No one of the African culture acknowledges his or her own kind for any accomplishments but instead they are trying to discourage them. In addition, when times are hard for our race, we do not fight issues together instead we are fighting the battle alone. In America, people are having internal battles with themselves based on how they think others perceive them. The feeling of being wanted and accepted by one’s peers is a must in the ultimate well-being of a person. African Americans especially, are faced with certain questions within themselves when they are more than likely the minority in certain environments. For example, an African American student attending a predominately white college would ask themselves: “Why is everybody staring at me? Why am I so different from everybody else? Maybe if I changed my looks, I would fit in better?” This is a lack of self-consciousness and low self-esteem. In the book, W.E.B Du Bois in his book, The Souls of Black Folks, explained the reason behind this lack of self-confidence as a whole race. He stated that African Americans were “born with a veil, and gifted with second sight in the American world, a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.” But how is it expected to be respected by others, if we do not respect ourselves? In order to respect someone else you must first have respect for yourself. This is often looked over by many people but it is important that we help others out and especially those of our own kind. If not the world will continue to be the way that it is and none of our problems will get resolved. Instead we will continue have this society of everyone hating their own kind, and after a while those hatreds grow and fester and
Through Beowulf’s battles against those three evil monsters, Grendel, Gendel’s mother and the fierce dragon, exposes the major theme in the epic, “Good vs. Evil”. Beowulf, the epic hero remains loyal to his kingdom and his people. He performs God’s duty to eliminate all the evil forces in order to save God’s people. His victories on Grendel and his mother show the power of goodness prevails evil. Even though he sacrifices himself, the evil dragon is killed in the end. His heroic death is fulfilled with glory and praise. Work Cited Beowulf. Trans. by Burton
Rene Descartes, a Catholic, had the benefit of an extensive classical education, which influenced him to become a great philosopher. When he was eight years old, "he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou, where he remained for eight years" ("Descartes"). There, he received instruction in mathematics, scholastic philosophy, and classical studies. Although he was planning on having a military career in the Netherlands, "his attention had already been attracted to the problems of mathematics and philosophy to which he was to devote the rest of his life" ("Descartes").
Descartes left La Fleche in 1612. He spent the next 16 years traveling, contemplating, and corresponding. School had made Descartes understand how little he knew. The only subject which was satisfactory in his eyes was mathematics. This idea became the foundation for his way of thinking, and was to form the basis for all his works. He spent some time in Paris; apparently keeping very much to himself. He studied at the University of Poitiers. He received a law degree from Poitiers in 1616. Immediately following his studies ...
This provides a chance for adolescents to engage in interactive discussion with each other. Some of their peers may ask questions that others are afraid to ask or questions that may have not been brought to their attention. For example, inside a classroom many adolescents are taunted because they do not know a particular slang term for sex such as “smash” or “knocking boots.” Interactive discussions among their peers provide a sense of comfort and universality. Different misconceptions of sex are most likely to surface during these discussions, and teachers will have the opportunity to address and correct any false beliefs and misconceptions. All the students will be provided with the same basic information about sex, reproductive systems, and reproduction, which will eliminate myths and help the students effectively practice what they have learned. This leads to the next benefit of sex education in school which is promoting healthy
The need for sex education is very questionable in today’s society. An article by Pamela DeCarlo, from the Centre for AIDS Prevention Studies, discusses why sex education is needed in schools. She asks why education on this subject is needed and if will help or hurt today’s children. Her view of the issue is that kids do need to have education to help to protect them but that it isn’t enough to prevent them from receiving STD’s and becoming pregnant. “Knowledge alone is not enough to change behaviors.” DeCarlo also says that, “Programs that rely mainly on conveying information about sex or moral precepts-how...
Sex education in our schools has been a hot topic of debate for decades. The main point in question has been whether to utilize comprehensive sex education or abstinence-only curriculum to educate our youth. The popularity of abstinence-only curriculum over the last couple of decades has grown largely due to the United States government passing a law to give funding to states that teach the abstinence-only approach to sex education. But not teaching our children about sex and sexuality is not giving them the information they need to make well educated decisions. Sex education in our schools should teach more than just abstinence-only because these programs are not proven to prevent teens from having sex. Children need to be educated on how to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies and be given the knowledge to understand the changes to their bodies during puberty. According to the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), comprehensive sex education “should be appropriate to age, developmental level, and cultural background of students and respect the diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community” (SIECUS).