The Power Of Music Essays - African-American Music, Music, Blues

The Power Of Music Music is the expression of emotion through the medium of sound. From the very first moment a human heard a songbird and endeavored to recreate that beauty, or beat on a hollow log and found the rhythm compelling, music has become the most powerful freedom given by God. Music, in itself, is a characteristic common and unique to all cultures throughout the world. Every culture in history includes music as an important part of everyday life. Music, as a part of culture, will most often have more roles to play than a source of auditory pleasure. According to anthropologist, Raymond Firth, They have work to do, to serve as funeral dirges, as accompaniments to dancing, or to serenade a lover.(p171) However, the musics form, style, texture, and system of harmony, is a s varied as the personalities found on any given New York City subway train. From simple folk songs, to religious chants; from Carnegie Hall, to the Red Light District in New Orleans; the range and diversity of human music is almost incomprehensible. It has been said that the best way to learn about a people, about its culture, is to observe and listen to its art and music. Music is the most powerful of all the arts because it stimulates, manipulates and dissipates our moods through the emotions. Music, in our culture, functions in many ways; it can make work more enjoyable, create a fraternity among men, encourage a spirit of worship, and be an expression of emotion. Music can make hard work seem easier, or rather, make it tolerable. In the days of slavery in the united states, the birth of the blues, singing while working in the fields was a good way to make the day go by. Singing about your sadness unburdens your soul.(King and Ritz,p110) This same tendency occurs today. Next time you drive past a house that is undergoing construction, or anywhere people are doing hard manual labor, stop and listen for music. Often there is a radio blasting some rhythmically driving Rock and Roll song. (Rock and Roll is a direct offspring of the blues) A friend of mine, who is a carpenter, explained to me this way; Youre just out there workin and gettin all sweaty, and listnin to the music, and pretty soon youre still workin but you dont know it cause your mind is somewhere else. Music can create a tight fraternity among groups of people. Music is often used in the military to organize and coordinate the movements of large groups of people. Short rhythmic melodies, called cadences, are sung by soldiers as they are marching in order to keep a common time and a constant beat. Music has even been used as a form of secret communication in small groups. B.B. King, a legendary blues singer, recalls stories passed down from his great-grandmother, who was a slave. They [the slaves] were also delivering messages in musical code. If the master was coming, you might sing a hidden warning to the other field hands...that was important to the women because the master could have anything he wanted. (King and Ritz,p110) A societies music is what holds it together as a group. According to Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard socio-biologist; Singing and dancing serve to draw groups together, direct the emotions of the people, and prepare them for joint action. (p564) In many tribal cultures, ritualistic singing and dancing precedes many important events, such as; the hunt, war, marriage, birth, and death. Many of the social events in our culture are accompanied by music also, such as dances and graduation ceremonies. Even when shopping at your local grocery store you can hear the soothing sounds of music. To observe the uncanny socially adhesive property of music, attend a modern rock concert. The transformation of thousands of individual personalities into one unified mob, bouncing in unison to the pounding rhythms and loud chords, is almost instantaneous. Arthur William Edgar OShaughnessy describes this power of music wonderfully in an excerpt from We Are the Music Makers. One man with a dream, at pleasure, so go forth and conquer a crown; and three with a new songs measure can trample a kingdom down.

Informative Essay Sample on World Trade Organization

Informative Essay Sample on World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization is founded on the principle of comparative advantage, well recognized by the Modern economists, that different countries enjoy absolute advantage in the production of different goods, since they are differently gifted by the nature: it may be expensive to produce certain goods and cheaper to import. A country may have greater comparative advantage in the production of certain goods over the others. This classical theory of economics took its practical shape in the manifesto of W.T.O which transcends all barriers imposed by the nations and emphasizes the functioning of free trade amongst the nations. Then why the feeling of unease and protests against the W.T.O which are not based on unfounded fears, but some facts of the underdeveloped nations manifest the circumstances apparent in the economic scene of their lives. The disagreements do not arise by the global trade but by the resultant affects of the globalization and the very rule of the body governing the W.T.O. if we understand the arguments of the both sides we can solve maladies believed to be caused by the W.T.O. W.T.O is very powerful; it can compel sovereign states to change their laws if it feels that laws are hindrance with the agreements made. It is by the rich for the rich. It does not give the proper weight to the problems of the developing world, in practice, if not in theory. It is indifferent to the negative fallout of free trade; its commercial interests take over every thing from child labor to workers rights, and environment to health. It lacks democratic accountability. Its trade disputes hearings are closed to public and the media, while free trade concept presupposes open debates and transparency. The W.T.O has clauses to protect the environment, but they do not contain minimum standard to protect the environment, labor rights, social programs and cultural diversity. what makes it so powerful is that it can intervene in the everyday administration, of any member country and force it to change its laws if the W.T.O feels that they are detrimental to free trade because the membe r countries have given both legislative and judiciary authority to W.T.O to challenge laws, policies and programs of countries which do not conform to its rules. The member countries are required to bring its laws in conformity with W.T.O’s laws. Some of the realistic concerns of the developing nations on crucial issues on subsidies granted by the USA and European Union on their agricultural farming are still unresolved. The developed countries comprehensive intensive negotiations carried out so far could not bear any result, which indicated that USA and Europe are unwilling to accept their stand or they have political compulsions barring them to reach any conclusion. Conversely the demand of poor countries to accept their mounting labor force as one of the products of export by the developed nations is also not heeded by the rich countries which transpires the view point to cause serious setback to weak economies, giving rise to an impression that every thing was falling in the laps of prosperous countries. So far as protection to local industries is concerned W.T.O has provided safeguards to grow , in case of surge of imports. The agreement on safeguards authorizes importing member countries to restrict imports for temporary period, if after investigations carried out by the competent authorities it is established that: Imports are taking in such increased quantities as to cause serious injury to domestic industry that produces like or directly competitive products and, The increased imports should be the result of unforeseen developments. It provides the impositions of quantitative restrictions on such imports and increase on import tariffs. The advent of China amongst the developing nations seems to baffle entire economic scenario, which caused to rethink the philosophy of comparative advantage for both developing and developed economies. The inflow of cheap products in the world markets has eroded the zeal of West and USA to finalize the outstanding issues, while the indigenous cottage and textile industries of the poor countries have almost been collapsed. What we believe that W.T.O must be a forum of ironing out economic inequalities and a source of fostering peace and harmony amongst the nations of the world. If you need a custom essay, research paper, dissertation, thesis, term paper on Economics, Business or other discipline feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.