Aishwarya Week 6: The Beauty of Radios Unlocks the American Dream
Photo by RAC.
As I was riding in my car to my music class, I opened the car window to get some fresh air. As the car rushed through the breeze outside, my ears were brought to the sound of each car passing by. I get struck by the unique radio waves that blast from each speaker of every car with their windows rolled down; the combination of each car’s music creates a chorus of symphonic sounds that forms a story of America’s linguistic diversity.
Every car that passed by me with its window rolled down has a different kind of music playing on the radio. The beauty of each sound consisted of various lyrical notes that reflected a culture of languages and accents that make up the American experience. I heard in the first car, the exciting sounds of tango that echo the culture of Mexico in American communities; in the second car, a sound of country music that reflects the southern dialect; and in the third car, a sound that reflects the genre of hip-hop that is universally known in urban America.
Every car that passed by with a different song reflects cultural diversity in America. These sounds have distinct melodies that convey emotions tied to a certain religion. Uniquely, each sound reflects the origin of a certain immigrant family in the U.S. that has their journey to achieve their American dream. One of the dreams is to seek cultural and religious freedom to preserve their heritage while embracing the freedom of living in the United States. The beauty of playing music in the car expresses this freedom of being able to express one’s culture.
From driving across the freeway to ordering a venti iced coffee from Starbucks in a drive-through, people can express their culture from the languages that flow through the radio; this is one aspect of achieving the American dream. By playing songs in the car, families can unlock their dreams of being able to confidently represent their culture through playing music in their car anywhere they go in America.
Hi Aishwarya! Your discussion of the subtleties of expressing one’s American identity through even radio is fascinating. Your attention to detail has allowed you to glimpse the unique forms of expression in our daily lives. Specifically, you enumerate the various types of music that you have observed, further encapsulating the various cultures that prefer each musical connotation. Then, you tie in the collective aspect of American society within the context of individual diversity demonstrated through the freedom to play one’s own choice of music. This freedom stems from the democratization of American culture which continues to play a large role in our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteYou tie multiculturalism and musical expression together to create an effect of figurative thoughts. You present musical diversity as the literal symphony of the American Dream, which is meaningful to understanding the different paths that immigrant families have paved on their way to establishing a life in America. America has always been the ideal place of guaranteed freedoms and the destination for opportunities and climbing the social ladder. When you decrypt the American Dream as a composition of varying identities and social norms, I wonder how my musical tastes can be analyzed to reveal my American journey.
Hi Aishwarya! Your depiction of driving past cars and hearing the music from other cars was incredibly accurate, and I was genuinely able to hear the various genres of music you listed as you listed them. It's ironic that you were going to your music class at the same time all of this happened! Music is such an important part of ones culture, and is therefore incredibly important in America, considering that America is a country built on so many different races and ethnicities. I feel like you conveyed that message perfectly. The wide variety of music you mentioned and the tying back to the American dream both helped solidify that point. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! This was a very interesting blog to read. Your imagery of driving past cars and hearing the music from other cars made me feel like I was experiencing it with you as well. The example of the tango music, country music, and hip-hop in different cars demonstrates the greatness of cultural diversity in America. Music is not just a sound but also a way for immigrant families to maintain their cultural roots while living in the United States. Although the idea that playing music in the car is small, it represents a meaningful way for people to express their culture which is very heartwarming. Music is one of the biggest ways to connect to those like you. Overall, I think this was a very heartwarming and interesting blog, good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! Your description and imagery really set me into the vibes of the car ride. I was able to listen into every aspect and feel the warm tone of each genre hitting my ears. I myself have always been interested to learn about the history of radios and hoe it plays such a large impact on our lives. I feel like music has become another aspect of culture and identity where it used to be a source of communication. America has definitely been a source of many freedoms and guaranteed liberty with opportunities for expansion and development. You did a great job at explaining your inner thought process and showing the American dream in action.
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