English studies 12
- Reflect on how these songs contribute to making the community or natural world a better place and identify how the lyrics actions call others to action and can work to make positive change.
These songs contribute to making the community and natural world a better place by bringing local awareness to local issue’s, therefore aiding the prevention of reoccurring events within British Columbia, Canada, allowing us to in theory correct past mistakes.
2. How do these songs represent that something is unfair? What is that “something”? explain why?
The songs represent the “Whitest Lies” we are being fed by either word of mouth or the government about Indigenous people all together. That “something” that is unfair represents the issue of discrimination, and that indigenous people aren’t treated the same as white people or a different race.
3. What emotions do these songs generate for you? Compare your emotions between each song. Which one is more compelling? And why? For me, the first song “Wreck Beach/Totem Park, had more significance since it was written about Vancouver. It was more emotional due to the fact that I live in a city where so much negative Indigenous history had taken place mainly due to residential schools. However, the way the second song was presented was more powerful, since the “singer” was talking using emotion more than singing. They both had a similar meaning, but the first one is more compelling due to the relatable aspect.
3. What is important to each of the singers? What is the message they are trying to convey? Both singers are trying to advocate for indigenous people that aren’t with us now, not heard, or not able to stand up for themselves. The main message is colonization, especially in BC, and how it has effected Indigenous individual all over the world.
4. Using one of your similarities and differences (not the example one given), discuss in a short paragraph how music can convey different perspectives on the same cause?
One of my similarities was the link between alcoholism in both of the songs. They both capitalized on the stereotype that Indigenous people are all alcoholics. The same perspective was shared, but the biggest difference was during Wreck Beach, the lyric conveyed the “start” of an alcohol addiction, and Untold Stories’ lyric “riff raff” gave more of a casual vibe, like alcohol was something to be brushed off.
5. Using one of your similarities and differences (not the example one given), discuss in a short paragraph (6-10 sentences) how music can convey different perspectives on the same cause?
Between the two songs they produce a message through music to specific audiences or about specific audiences, this was shown in the sense both songs were talking about the unfairness produced towards First Nations due to stereotyping. this is conveyed in different way as one is told form an outside perspective of the mistreatment that they view through news and stories others have told, whereas the other is told from a first hand perspective or someone who actually experiences this mistreatment possibly on a daily basis. These songs portray the harmful impact of full assumption and grouping of other ethnicities just because we are not aware of their cultural differences or individual or collective trumas.
