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how disabled individuals are viewed by society.
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As an American musical icon, Ray Charles has revolutionized the genre of soul music with his distinct rhythm and song arrangements that fuse gospel and jazz music. Although most listeners are familiar with his disability, they may not realize how influential music has been in Charles’ life. At an early age, after contracting glaucoma, Charles’ life changed because he became blind. He suddenly coped with this reality by expressing his life experiences through music (Rolling Stone). Charles explains that “Music really and truly is my bloodstream, you know, my breathing, my respiratory system…” (Leung, 2014) Despite his sudden life change, Charles soon learned how to play several instruments and produced compositions in braille (Rolling Stone). He then began recording his first single and immediately became a musical sensation not only for his revolutionary music but also for his classic black sunglass look. In some ways, Ray Charles has expressed his disability identity through music. Ray Charles’ experience raises important questions about the potential impact that music can have on society’s perception of disability. Can artists capture insight of their personal experiences with disability? Can they communicate their insight to listeners and encourage them develop a variety of interpretations? In particular, will listeners with disabilities express their interpretations by developing unique and empowering identities? By encouraging the development of unique identities, can artists provide different perspectives of disability to a wider audience in an accessible and understandable medium like music? In my paper, I argue that artists capture important insight in their personal experiences through music. In particular, I assert tha... ... middle of paper ... ... 2002. Mackin, Molly. "Sean Forbes Not Hard to Hear." Ability Magazine. http://abilitymagazine.com/Sean-Forbes.html. Rap Genius. "Streets Is Watching Lyrics." Rap Genius. http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-streets-is-watching-lyrics. ———. "Young Gifted and Black Lyrics." Rap Genius. http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-young-gifted-and-black-lyrics. Rolling Stone. "Ray Charles Biography." Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/ray-charles/biography. Shakespeare, Tom. "Labels and Badges the Politics of Disability Identity." In Disability Rights and Wrongs, 68-82. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006. PDF. Travis, Raphael, and Scott W. Bowman. "Ethnic identity, self-esteem and variability in perceptions of rap music's empowering and risky influences."Journal Of Youth Studies 15, no. 4 (June 2012): 455-478. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed May 7, 2014).
In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.
In the 1930s many black musicians where coming out of the south. One especially who would soon top the charts and hit fame and fortune starting in his young years, Ray Charles. After conquering poverty, blindness and many other things, success was possible. In his young age he had a few losses in his family and near after came down with a disease which was causing him to go blind. He later came over the blindness and was able to learn and compose music with the help of his skills in mathematics. After enduring a harsh childhood and blindness, Ray Charles was able to over come his handicap and follow his dream in music.
Music is an art that has been in this world for tens of thousands of years and has proven
This tone is also used to establish an appeal to pathos which he hopes to convince the audience of the fact that handicapped people are still people and not less than anyone else. A very prominent example of Peace’s emotion is displayed when he says, “Like many disabled people, I embrace an identity that is tied to my body. I have been made to feel different, inferior, since I began using a wheelchair thirty years ago and by claiming that I am disabled and proud, I am empowered,” (para. 15). This declaration demonstrates to his audience that Peace is honored by who he is and what disabled people can do and that he is tired of being oppressed by the media. Peace also makes this claim to support his thesis in the first paragraph that states, “The negative portrayal of disabled people is not only oppressive but also confirms that nondisabled people set the terms of the debate about the meaning of disability,” (para. 1). This is Peace’s central argument for the whole article and explains his frustration with society’s generalization of handicapped people and the preconceived limitations set on them. Peace’s appeal to pathos and tone throughout are extremely effective in displaying to his audience (society) that those who have disabilities are fed up with the limits that have been placed in the
In this reading, the author discusses their opinion on Deaf Art. During their own experience, they explain the expression and point of view of Deaf artists. As seen in their work, these artists gather their point of views: positive and negative. The author also discusses two of the Deaf artists that have influenced themselves the most. One of these artists is Chuck Baird and the other is Betty G. Miller. Seen on the website, the two pieces created by these artists seem to have significant meanings behind them. Furthermore into the author’s view of Deaf Art, he/she shares the value of Deaf art to this community. Because Sign Language is a visual way of communication, it makes sense that the community creates expressive art without words. This can also be seen in Deaf theater, storytelling, performances, etc. Not only does this art effect the Hearing world, but also strongly impacts the Deaf community.
I chose the music video, Watch These Hands by Sean Forbes. I had acquired the permission to use this music video for this paper. Being a Deaf person may give him a disadvantage to the hearing world. However, in Watch These Hands Sean refused to let the disadvantage to stop him from making music. Instead, he worked really hard to bring Deaf and Hearing world together to blend into one big song to accomplish his dream to become a famous musician.
Although Linton describes instances in which she attempts to distance herself from the passivity her condition seems to require by demanding her newly disabled body be taken seriously (especially by an “unassuming” salesman trying to take advantage of fitting her for a prosthesis), it is not until one hundred pages in that readers might begin to get the feeling Linton is finally approaching the real crux of her story. This is not to say that the text before this point is trite or inconsequential; on the contrary, as after her hospital stay she writes about exposing herself to a new world where she is a curious entity, moving to California to attend college only to find they have already discovered “the disability movement” and she does not quite fit into their image of it just yet, and situating the disabled body against “normative” notions such as travel, dance, sex, intimacy, and celebrity. It is precisely in this section’s substantiality that Linton is at last able to reach a crucial narrative point, revealing a poignant and pivotal moment in her life’s bumpy journey.
Ray C Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an African-American singer and musician known as Ray Charles. He was ingenious in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by mixing soul and gospel, and blues into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped segregation integrate country, jazz, and pop music during the 1960s with his mixing success on ABC Records, most recognized with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first huge African-American songwriters to be given artistic control by many mainstream record companies. Frank Sinatra called Ray “the only true genius in show business,” although Charles played this notion. The influences upon his music were mainly soul, jazz, rhythm and country artists of the day such as Art Tatum, Louis Jordan, and Louis Armstrong.
In her essay “On Being a Cripple,” Mairs describes her path of acceptance of her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis by declaring that she is a “cripple” in alternative to the more broadly acceptable terms: disabled or handicapped. Her essay is written with humor, satire, an open heart, and open eyes. Mair’s purpose is to describe her acceptances of her condition by using rhetorical elements and appeals, such as ethos and pathos, in order to allure her audience.
Since the 1980s Hip Hop has a positive impact on black Americans when trying to empower the citizens of this country. Since blacks have tense to this country many have been looked down on, so many artist just want them to know that Africans Americans are more than what many other ethnicities say that they are. Therefore, the hip hop cultures and movements of the 1980s through the 2000s had a positive impact on contemporary young Africans Americans identities. This is due to, Hip Hop artists wanting to share their stories and insights on the issues that affect society. In addition, the rap artists and their lyrics serve as musical depiction of their culture’s rich history. Furthermore, Hip hop artist want African Americans to know that there
Judith Butler’s essay “Performative Acts and Gender Construction: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory” explains and explores the performativity of gender, and problematizes Simone de Beauvoir’s understanding of “What is a Woman?” Riva Leher, artist and author, reflects on the intersections between sex and disability in a personal essay, “Golem Girl Gets Lucky.” Both texts aid us in exploring how we must examine disability as a feminist issue, since oppressive forces faced by women are part of the same social construction as the forces which oppressed disabled people.
Ray Charles is the definition of a SelfMade American. Throughout his life, Charles tackled numerous obstacles proving to the nation that anyone can come from anywhere and with a great deal of work, accomplish any and all tasks that one might dream of. Born in Albany, Georgia in the 30’s at the bottom of the social pyramid, Charles suffered tremendous losses at a very young age. He grew up very poor, alone, and without support. Even worse, Charles went blind at the tender age of 7, adding a seemingly endless string of difficulties to his life. Furthermore, Ray struggled with acquiring an education, fighting a drug habit, and most importantly, the pursuit of happiness. Through all of the fires of this problematic upbringing, a diamond was forged. Ray Charles combined a solid work ethic, a can do attitude, and a little bit of
McWhorter, John. “Rap Music Harms the Black Community.”Popular Culture. Ed. John Woodward. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 53-59.
All music is very powerful. It can change the way you think, the way you act, or even who you are as a whole. Throughout modern time, different genres were popular among adolescents. For example, disco music in the 1970’s, or grunge music in the 1990’s. However, no matter the difference in people, music brings one another together; for better or for worse. As trends move forward, people tend to follow their favourite and most popular artists, thus leaving these music stars a heavy bearing as a role model towards teenagers of each generation. In today’s era, rap music is highly popular and listened to by most youth, making these rappers a strong role model in teens’ lives. Therefore, today’s youth is influenced by the personae of rappers, the
Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a role in the separation of social and economical identities in within cultures.