Unified by Song: Expository Essay
Unified by Song: Music’s Impact on Society
She pulled her headphones from her ears, faintly hearing a ruckus outside. Investigating, she poked her head out the window and practically fell out in awe and laughter at the sight before her. Standing there with the grandest goofy grin, blasting her favorite song from an old boombox, and offering a bouquet of roses, her boyfriend stood proudly and shouted over the beat and melody “Happy Anniversary!” Whether an over-sized boombox rested on our shoulders, a concert hosted by a well-known band in a stadium,or handheld MP3 player or phone playing a tune through our headphones, music, in all its forms and deliverances, plays an important role in culture today by creating unity between otherwise unlike people and enabling a form of self-expression.
Whether two polar opposite coworkers or battling societies in a similar culture, music unifies those groups participating through the allowance for diversity. To illustrate, two completely unlike groups at school, the nerds and the jocks, can’t go two days without having some sort of confrontation between each other, whether about the importance of sports, the need to study and make good grades, or how either group manages to survive in society with the qualities either lacks. Even with their differences, they find themselves at the same concerts and music stores, and conversations are struck in their coincidental encounters. They may be sworn enemies, but their appreciation and ability to talk about similar music unifies them in being able to open up. Although no two songs are exactly alike and genres continue to grow apart, tolerance for similar taste has grown. Music doesn’t take into consideration whether two groups are in tune with each other when it touches the hearts of those who love it but drives the melodious sound of unification through conversation.
Furthermore, music impacts culture and society by allowing people a form of self expression. For example, the recitation of sonnets of love, which grew into songs about love, express an abstract emotion deeply and make the reader feel the power of the words written. Similarly, songs preaching love and care are written and recorded often in today’s society, the lyrics expressing the pain of heartbreak, the need for a partner, or the indescribable feeling of falling in love. Just as the sonnets were appreciated in their time for the way they expressed emotions and made connections, the lyrics of these love songs, as well as most any other, are written and heard in a way that people can relate to and use as a mechanism to express who they are or what they feel because they have a memory or strong belief behind the words sung. They end up developing and impacting culture by expressing the feelings they possess when the meaning they see behind the lyrics is “sung” for others to hear.
Whether a romantic gesture to solidify a relationship, a common appreciation for similar music, or expressing ourselves on an emotional level by song, music impacts the culture and society of today much as the sonnets affected those of an earlier time.
