Values 2

Throughout all of the stories, songs, and ballads we have read there has been a constant theme of perseverance and the idea of getting through all of the hard times that the individual is going through. In all of the pieces we have read, the people have been placed in a hard situation. The man in “The Message” lived in an environment that was full of bad influences, violence and drugs. The slaves in the all of the work songs were all being treated unjustly. Shine was told to stay in the bowels of the ship while it was going down in order to try and keep it afloat. All of these characters are placed in awful situations, but for the most part, they all have the mindset of believing that things can get better, and they won’t stop until that is done. If that isn’t the case, then they at least have the mindset of deciding not to take stuff from anyone. In “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round,” the theme of not letting anyone tell them what was going to happen was very evident. This theme showed up in Shine and John Henry as well. Shine kept telling his captain that he needed to get out of the boat, but the captain never listened. Once Shine took matters into his own hands, he escaped the boat, while everyone else died. This gives the impression that being a strong independent person is what will save you in life. In John Henry, he wasn’t going to let his white boss beat him. He worked as hard as he could so he could get ahead. These themes are seen throughout many different pieces we have read, but hope is another value. The story of Ezekial saw the Wheel gave the slaves hope while they were working. It told them that everything was in God’s hands and that everything was going to be alright. This theme was also seen in some of the songs for social change. Just saying the phrase “We shall over come” over and over again like in the song “We Shall Overcome,” hope is spread. These themes have been evident in all of he pieces we have read so far.

John Henry and The Message/N.Y State of Mind

“John Henry” and “The Message”or “New York State of Mind” are not about the same things, but they all three share a similar concept and have similar values. In the ballad “John Henry,” John Henry appears to be a younger man, who is living his life everyday within the difficult conditions that come with steel driving. He has to work everyday doing extremely dangerous work, and everyone expects this of him. At one point in the ballad, it says “Shaker you better pray; For if I ever miss this piece of steel, Tomorrow’ll be your burial day.” This just represents how dangerous the conditions John Henry had to face everyday were. If he made on false move, he was at risk of killing himself and anyone else that was close to his work area. John Henry spent everyday doing what he could to survive the day, and working hard because that is what he was told must be done since he was a little boy. The writers of “The Message” and New York State of Mind” could have taken many values from this song. While “John Henry” didn’t involve excessive drug use, violence, city life, or guns, it was still about the hardships John Henry had to face on a daily bases. Everyday John Henry had to go to work and lift that heavy hammer, and constantly hit that piece of steel, because if he made one mistake he would damage himself and others. That is like the men represented in the other songs as well. They had to go through their lives doing things that were a struggle for them, but they continued to do them everyday because they knew they were, for the most part, the right things to do even if it meant being a struggle. The authors could take the value of realizing that you are in a difficult situation, but still working through it and trying not to snap.