Sound of Music

"Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: we are the same."

-John Denver

Music has the ability to unite people and cultures of diverse qualities. It is a way to value our cultural heritage as well as other past and present cultures. In a way, music also has the ability to bring together groups of people with different life situations, all with the commonality of enjoying or creating music. Emotionally, music can be relatable and has the capability to transcend a number of emotions experienced by the listener.

Access to music has become so easy nowadays. People can hear a new song on the radio, take out their cell phone and purchase the song in a matter of minutes. Rather than listening to the true meaning of the song, people have just purchased the song for its nice catchy refrain.

I wonder if songs are able to influence people’s thinking even if they aren’t really listening. The artist puts in lyrics for a reason. Music is meant to move people. It has the ability to bring nations together and mend relationships. What’s the point of listening to a song if we don’t know what it is actually trying to convey?

I feel as though the younger generation does not appreciate good music for what it really is. But maybe that's just me...

Technology Domination!

Do you constantly check your phone to see if you've received a text or missed a phone call? Are you jumbled in a mess of notifications from your iPhone, Facebook account and email? People are wired to technology now more than ever, it is evident in our daily lives and people are talking about it.

Most of the blog posts I’ve read pertaining to this topic use a demeaning tone and evoke emotion to persuade readers to rethink the way technology is used. In Hunter Costley’s ‘Is Technology Taking Over?’ he appeals to the readers through logos and the use of statistical records. “An article by the New York Times in 2010 cited that over half of American teenagers ranging from ages 12-17, sent at least 50 text messages a day and over one third sent 100 text messages a day..” he says, adding to his idea that people are changing the way that they learn, speak and interact.

In a similar blog post, Sam Bowden, another fellow blogger, appeals to his audience through diction and clever word choice. “Smart phones are getting smarter and smarter while people get lazier and lazier.” Through the use of personal anecdotes and witty expressions, Bowden is able to get his point across using the Aristotelian appeal of ethos. Just remember, he says, “technology can’t solve everything.”

Technology may be changing, but should we be changing with it?

Lost in Conversation

I believe language can be classified as one of the keystones of culture in the world today. All cultures have a certain spoken language which they can attest to being called their own. For several, language is not just the manifestation of culture but also a part of culture.

It is very common to see migrants from various parts of the world come to the US and bring their first language along with them. Growing up, I had the privilege of learning not only English but also the South-Indian language of Malayalam. Although I’m not as fluent as I was, Malayalam is what I use to communicate to my older family members back home. In a way, I feel as though it is a preservation of our Indian heritage. 

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart”.

-Nelson Mandela

The world has become a ‘melting pot’ of cultures and linguistic distinctions are what seem to differentiate various cultures. According to the Economist, the nation of Papua New Guinea, is linguistically diverse in 830 spoken languages! Isn’t that crazy?! It’s amazing how diverse spoken language can be considering words can only be formed using something as small as a tongue.