See anthology p. 107-110 for a discussion of the concept of "Diaspora", choose either:
1. Choose a favorite theme from the album "The Living Road", and comment why you like it and how you find it related to the concept of "diaspora".
2. Comment on one (or more) passage(s) of the text "Edgar Allan Poe" by Rubén Dario (pp. 4-7) that may transmit an idea of the "North-American Diaspora".
1. After listening to the album “The Living Road”, a song that stood out to me was “Anywhere on this Road” due to the melody and, more so, the lyrics. In general, I think it can be considered a calm music, sung by a female voice with a foreign accent. However, the intensity and the rhythm of the background instrumental as well as the lyrics make us question this mood, since it appears to be a bit unsettling.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible to connect the lyrics to the idea of diaspora since it mentions the concept of movement “You´ve travelled this long, you just have to go on” to another country “I live in this country now… I speak this language, It´s not quite the same”. Additionally, we can identify a slave as the main character “I´m called by this name…” “Though you body is bending under the load, There is nowhere to stop…”. Therefore, it is worth noting the existing inequality towards this woman “If I can stand up to angels and men I´ll never get swallowed in darkness again” which shows a desire to reach emancipation.
I would like to begin by thanking the previous commenter for their insightful remarks.
ReplyDelete1. I enjoyed the song titled "Small Song" from the album "The Living Road" for its relaxed and simple tone, akin to a lullaby in the way it highlights Lhasa de Sela's voice. Furthermore, I find that it perfectly embodies Lhasa's significant North American influence. It allows her to portray her own personal journey and experiences through the lens of a cultural group, which I found to be a common theme in her songs. In "Small Song," this theme is immediately identifiable by the integration of elements from country/folk blues.
In my opinion, this song explores the concept of “diaspora” from two perspectives.
On the one hand, in the nineteenth century, the blues emerged in the southern United States, incorporating African traditional musical traditions. This was the outcome of a series of migratory flow movements. From Africa to North America, these travellers held on to their cultural heritage.
On the other hand, it tackles Lhasa’s multicultural upbringing. She was born in the United States and started out by performing Billie Holiday (a jazz/blues vocalist) covers to indifferent audiences. I believe that she was only able to create this song by clinging to this nationally significant musical genre during her many travels.
Any further insights or comments would be greatly appreciated.
The song I enjoyed the most was " abro la ventana " also " con toda palabra " and " Pa' llegar a tu lado " would occupate 2nd and 3rd place. In every song, the name of it, refers to movement, she talks about moving to places. " La frontera ", "... llegar a tu lado", " anywhere on this road ", " soon this place will be too small " ( the urgency in leaving, moving away, forced to go away ) Her accent is very nice to ear specially the spanish, ( having both mexican and american ) her ascendance explains why she sings in these idioms and her living in Quebec explains why sings also in french.
ReplyDeleteThe song that stood out the most to me was "La Frontera". In addition to its very melancholic and atmospheric melody, I think it relates right away to the concept of diaspora from the title: the frontier. Obviously, a key topic when talking about emmigration and diaspora. Two of the most prevalent feelings during the process of emmigration must be uncertainty and fear which are beautifully depicted in the lyrics: "Me arrastro bajo el cielo/ Y las nubes del invierno/ Es el viento que las manda/ Y no hay nadie que las pare". Traveling uncertain and unknown paths, being simply taken by the wind, crossing the border being totally unsure of what awaits on the other side. Also, the ending of this song ("Soy el punto negro que anda/
ReplyDeleteA las orillas de la suerte") shows us how emmigrants often have to rely solely on hope and luck when deciding to change their lives and go somewhere new, crossing their fingers for a better life.
After listening to various songs from the album “The Living Road” my favorite themes would be fear and liberty. I say this because when one listens to the songs, you can feel that fear of constant travelling and going to different places which are not home even the ones that speak your own language. This is reflected in the lines: "I've learned all my lessons...waiting for miracles and shaking with fear". This can clearly be related to the concept of diaspora since the people that experience this feel all kinds of emotions, especially fear as they fear for their home, their journey and their future.
ReplyDelete