Nicholas Kein Essays - Walmart, Human Behavior, No Frills, Trade

Nicholas Kein Composition 1 Wedemeyer June 24 th , 2018 A song is a powerful thing, when you really think about it. It can invoke such a broad range of emotion s , and can catch you off guard if you are not careful. When one track stops and another one starts, you are practically placing your emotions in the hands of the playlist. The song I have chosen to write about for this essay is "Prayer of the Refugee, By Rise Against". This song makes me feel anger, and rebellion. In "Prayer of the Refugee", Rise Against uses visual examples along with lyrical depictions of exclusion, and victimization to shed light on widespread societal ignorance and lack of change pertaining to government and corporate social policy practices , such as child labor, fair trade, and others . This song has strong tones of distrust and disgust toward establishments such as the government , while at the same time proclaiming a simpler, and less dependent life to be a better one. L arge corporations tend to have a large amount of influence on how new bills and laws are introduced and passed in government. It seems that in Modern America, the middle, or working class is dwindling. The rich continue to get richer. The working class continue to be downtrodden on, and the people of high income, and low moral standing continue to have the advantage in life over lower income and high moral standing. In this essay, I will argue these opinions , and show you how I believe these points are being made throughout the song, and what lessons you can take away from listening to it . Through the entire song, "Prayer of the Refugee" gives a look at what it is like to be one of the 99 percent. Althoug h the song lyrics do not identify a specific entity that they are being persecuted by, it is clear in the visual representations throughout the song, and research, that they are speaking of big box stores, such as Walmart. The song starts off from the perspective of a father with his son. The father explains that the life that they left used to be simpler and better than where they find themselves currently. "Before we packed our bags and left all this behind us in the dust we had a place that we cold call home and a life no one could touch". To me, this portrays that a family left they're home and moved for opportunity elsewhere, where hope of a better life was all that they had to go on. They're old home may not have been glamorous, but it was theirs and that counts for something. Another portion of the song provokes the correlation of falling into line and complying with authority, and being downtrodden by bureaucracy. "We are the angry and the desperate, the hungry and the cold, We are the ones who kept quiet, And always did what we were told". But these people seem to be fed up with how they are being treated. Life may be harder for them, but that has made them stronger and more cunning. "But we've been sweating while you slept so calm in the safety of your home, We've been pulling out the nails that hold up everything you own". In my opinion, this references people slowly waking up, after being hypnotized by the propaganda that is being spewed at them around every corner. The nails represent the foundation of the society of the one percent. The one percent may be living the good life, but that very lifestyle is what makes them become lazy and complacent if they are not careful. The third stanza in the song describes how people are finally waking up from being oppressed and exploited. " So open yo ur eyes child, lets be on our way, broken windows and ashes are guiding the say. To me, this also states that not repeating history and learning from our mistakes is very important for survival. The broken windows and ashes are the examples of what not to do, and the path not to follow for happiness or success. Following the connections between