Good Reads – Page 10 – Literary Arts Blogspace

“Gambling Addiction” by Leanna Firestone: A Lovesick Literary Analysis :)

So, if you’re aware of my existence as a literary artist at all, you’re aware of the love story genre and my dedication to it. From, quite literally, the first piece my fellow literaries heard from me to the very last piece we workshopped together our junior year, as well as the first one we shared senior year, I’ve been writing and presenting romance. The genre has been running through my very veins since I developed my appreciation for literature. From the two year period in my life where I could not be found on the material plane without a Twilight book on my person, to the extended and still active period where my reading life is consumed by mlm romances, I’ve been reading love stories since I discovered I could read things without a teacher telling me to.

Naturally, romance can be found in other aspects of my life. Movies and T.V. shows are an obvious answer, but the topic of love has also made its way into my music taste, particularly heavily, at that. As of late, I’ve been fixated on the musical musings of a gal by the name of Leanna Firestone. You may have heard of her, you may not; it doesn’t matter. By the end of this blog, you’ll know her pretty well. 🙂

Leanna is known for love oriented songs, self or romantic, and you may have heard some of her more popular pieces (we’ll get to those later, don’t worry). One you may not have heard, however, is my personal favorite “Gambling Addiction”.

For word count’s sake, I’ll only analyze some of my favorite lines. Starting off with one of the opening lines:

“I’ve got a gambling addiction

But I don’t raise, I don’t call I go all in, all of the time

On people who don’t feel the same”

Frankly, I think these words are metaphorical genius. Not only do they perfectly encompass the feeling of putting your faith in someone you shouldn’t, they showcase the sensation that follows falling for someone who isn’t there to catch you. The familiar sting of impacting a bottom you were never meant to see after leaping into a situation that was definitely not a safe jump is a common theme in Leanna’s music, and for good reason. She captures it like no one else; case in point, these lines.

“So, I keep losing to the house

I’ll never learn my lesson

Losing to the house, because it’s just a guessing game

I haven’t figured out how to play in moderation.”

These lines move on to focus particularly on the “All in all of the time” aspect of the previous lines. “losing to the house” refers to failed attempts at love and relationships. Leanna clearly states that love is a guessing game, and that she can’t figure out how to “play in moderation”. The sentiment of only being able to go all in with someone is a familiar sensation to anyone who grew up in an environment where love was absent or even unhealthy. Such an upbringing affects someone, usually manifesting in relationships. Inability to love in moderation is the unfortunate reality for many people, many of whom are Leanna fans.

Finally:

“But with all of my loses someday

I’m probably gonna win, right?”

It’s important to note that most of Leanna’s songs (the ones I like, anyway) end on an optimistic note, or at least have a sweetness to balance the bitter. “Gambling addiction” Is no exception. The song is ultimately about unpacking the inability to love in moderation, and acknowledging that all of the “losses” are cause to believe in victory. What was the popular phrase? If at first you don’t succeed…? Sounds about right.

And that does it for the review on “Gambling Addiction” by Leanna Firestone! I am so happy to start sharing these songs, as well as my thoughts on them. I’ve been an avid Leanna fan for a long time, and I hope that these blogs will convince you to be, too! Until next time!

Sincerely, a fellow “gambling” addict.

-Elliot <3

Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種) And What It Means To Be Human Part 1

TW// Mentions of Violence, Cannibalism, Self-harm, and Death (among other things)

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE TOKYO GHOUL MANGA, I SUGGEST YOU DO SO BEFORE FURTHER READING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種) is a manga written and illustrated by Sui Ishida and published by Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump between September 2011 and September 2014. It told the story of an 18 year old university student named Ken Kaneki and the struggles he faced when he became a ghoul (a human-like creature that only gains nutrients from eating humans) after a terrible accident during his date with a girl named Rize (Ree-zey) Kamishiro, who was a ghoul herself. He was transformed into a ghoul when his organs were replaced with some of Rize’s during a surgery by Akihiro Kanou. Kaneki monologues that “I’m not the protagonist of a novel or anything. I’m just a college student who likes to read, like you could find anywhere. But… if, for argument’s sake, you were to write a story with me in the lead role, it would certainly be… a tragedy” (Tokyo Ghoul Ch. 1 Vol. 1).

Tokyo ghoul discusses what it means to be human through Kaneki’s psyche, which alters constantly throughout the series. One major moment in the first volume, specifically in chapter 3, depicts Kaneki walking outside in the city. He notices all of the people around him, and starving, slowly goes from thinking of them as “man”, “woman”, or “child” to simply “meat”. To prevent these thoughts, he bites his own finger, and rushes off to a nearby restroom. In this restroom, he sees his singular red eye for the first time, and in a mixture of fear and rage, punches the mirror. He gets a cut on the back of his hand, but it heals almost immediately. He heads home, and lays in bed thinking about his favorite novel “The Black Goat’s Egg”. He comes to the conclusion that he is like a “ghoul’s egg” and, to try to prove to himself that he really is a ghoul, takes out a large knife and attempts to stab his stomach. This fails, and the knife instead breaks apart, leaving Kaneki crying on the floor as he ponders what he should do about this situation.

This is the beginning of Kaneki’s struggle with his identity, and the question of what makes one human. He had previously run into Touka Kirishima, a girl, who happened to be a ghoul, that worked at the café he frequented: Anteiku. He goes to the café, hoping that she would provide help for him. He begs Touka for help, but she responds with a firm “No”. She then goes on to ask what being human is like, expressing a jealousy for the way they can live so peacefully in comparison to ghouls. Kaneki is at a loss for words and does not respond to the barrage of questions.

Tokyo Ghoul has established it’s theme of “what it means to be human”, the baseline that will be explored throughout the series. I am excited to delve deeper into this theme, and the overall story. It’s one of my personal favorite written works. This serves as a baseline introduction to the series and it’s themes, we’ll be focusing a bit more on the theme next time.

That’s all for now. I can’t wait to write the next part of this series!

Midnight Mass: Motherhood and Monologue

Midnight Mass is a Netflix original miniseries about the going ons of the small island town of Crockett Island that slowly changes under supernatural effects. The show itself is a horror piece, using religious imagery of the catholic variety and eventually vampiric lore to arouse unease within the audience. While I find it to be expertly crafted, I want to pay heed as well to the development of the theme of selfishness within the text of the show. I analyzed the use of religion for selfish or personal means and the consequence of doing so as a major theme within the miniseries. In this blog, I intend to describe just how these themes are expressed, focusing on characters used as vehicles for them.

CW: child abuse, religious abuse, islamophobia, murder, self harm, and suicide

Bev Keane(played by Samantha Sloyan) is a parishioner of St. Patrick’s church who is held in high esteem by some characters in the shows large cast, while reviled by many others. Keane is presented as an astutely religious woman from the very beginning, quoting bible verses and correcting the new priest, father Paul Hill(Hamish Linklater), on wearing the incorrect color robes. Sloyan’s character is written to feel overbearing, judgmental, and deeply unlikeable. She complements Erin Greene’s(Kate Siegal) abusive mother in a way to put Erin down, and makes comments on the Muslim faith of the town sheriff(Rahul Kholi), contributing the audience’s dislike of the character. But while she may have expressed her religion despicably, this does not alone show a selfish viewpoint, more simply an elitist one. The perception of the Bev Keane as a simple elitist slips, however, as we learn of her role in the recent events of the town. See, when Crockett island fell victim to an oil spill a year before the start of the series, Keane encouraged the residents to simply take a small settlement from the company responsible. Calling the settlement money a ‘gift from god’, she leveraged many to donate some of it back to the church, which some characters suspect to essentially have gone into her pockets, as the priest at the time had gone senile. Using the money from the donations, the church would erect a rec center, but it is implied the donation money would have covered much more than just the costs of the center. Keane seems to utilize religion as a mask to deflect criticism, and as a means to maintain influence and acquire wealth, making her an insidiously selfish character. When the supernatural events rise within the town, however, her true nature is fully revealed.

Reverend Paul Hill, the new Priest of St. Patrick’s, is similarly influenced by a form of selfishness, causing him to ultimately share the blame of the fate of Crockett island. Hill comes to the church intended as a temporary replacement to their aging original Priest, Monsignor Pruitt, who he tells them to be recovering from a sickness on the mainland. In truth, the young Hill is the same person as the elderly Pruitt, revitalized and given youth from drinking blood given to him by a winged vampiric creature(Quinton Boisclair) he encountered on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Hill has brought the creature with him to the island, and has been mixing it’s blood with the eucharist of the church, resulting in the healing of many of the town’s ailments. When a girl previously confined to a wheelchair miraculously stands during mass, a religious revitalization spreads across town. While in his sermons, he speaks of the resurrection of the church, we find in the final episode what he is truly motivated by. After it is revealed that drinking enough of the blood and dying will result in immortality, a thirst for blood, and an intolerance to sunlight, Hill and Keane reveal to the entire church what they have been doing, offering the church members to die and become creatures of the night. It takes a moment for most of the members to accept, all(except for several main characters) do, and they go out and feed on the town. Linklater’s character, who is recovering from a wound suffered earlier, sits with the newly regenerated Mildred Gunning(played by Alex Essoe). Mildred had formerly suffered with severe dementia in her old age, being taken care of by her daughter(Annabeth Gish), but is now young and fully cognizant as a result of having drank the blood of the creature. They lament the happenings, revealing that they were former lovers, and the Hill was the father of Gunning’s daughter. He reveals to her that all of this, despite his feverous sermons, was so he’d never have to see her or their daughter grow old, so he could save them from that. In the end, he was acting selfishly.

The disastrous actions of Hill and Keane fed on, or turned, with the exception of a few main characters. Bev decides to take the role of a leader of them all, seizing her opportunity for power, and leads her flock to burn all the trees and buildings of the island, leaving only the church and rec center to provide cover at sunrise for those she decides to let in. Erin, the sheriff, -people who throughout the show were wronged by Keane- and Hill’s very own daughter, work together to destroy the church and it’s rec center, leaving no cover for those turned by the blood. When the sun finally upon the island, none survive. Hill’s selfish actions exploiting faith lead to the even more selfish Keane to exploit it, resulting in the death of hundreds.

The Warriors

The Warriors is a novel written by Sol Yurick in 1965, that was later adapted into the 1979 film with the same title. The Warriors is one of my favorite movies ever so once I found out that it was a novel as well I had to read it, because if the movie is great then the book has to be 10x better. The setting takes place in New York, and is centered around a gang that goes by the name The Warriors. We follow them as they make their way through New York to meet at some kind of assembly held by the leader of the strongest gang in New York whose name is Cyrus. The purpose of this meeting is to get all the gangs to work as one to take over the city and overthrow the police, and everything goes as planned until it takes a drastic turn. The leader of the top gang is shot and killed, and the police also appear so this sends everybody into a panic. The leader was shot by the leader of another gang whose name is Luther. Luther then decides to throw the blame onto the warriors and everybody believes him. So now here the warriors are far away from their base, and they have to make it back home all while avoiding not only police, but other rival gangs along the way.

The go through an array of obstacles the end up picking off certain members of their gang, leaving them with a smaller group than how they started. They make their way through several areas that belong to rival gangs who are trying to kill them because they think that they shot Cyrus. Their own leader ends up being killed by Cyrus’s gang, so a member that goes by the name Swan takes over. Along the way Swan meets a girl who lived with another gang. Her name is Mercy, and they form a bond that is toxic, but still romantic. Mercy ends up leaving with the warriors after she instigated a fight between them and her previous gang. Through out the night they have to survive many fights and battles with gang members and the police as well. We truly see the dynamic of the group and what roles they each play as the story progresses. Eventually they do make it make to Coney Island, where Luther and his gang is there waiting to kill them, but it does not go according to his plan. Cyrus’s gang received information on who actually killed him, and pays their respects to the warriors and end up killing Cyrus. From there the warriors are free from running and have nothing to worry about. They lost three members in total and ended up gaining one more.

I’m not able to do full justice by just describing how this story went, but it is truly one of the best things that I have both read and watched. It was incredibly enjoyable and I loved how well the novel was paced. There was a single moment where I felt it was rushed or drug out too long. It’s an amazing film and an occult classic, so I encourage everyone to at least watch the movie if reading is not your favorite thing!

A Literary Student Analyzes Slipknot Pt. 1

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog space! I haven’t seen you all in a few months, so I figured we should start this year with something to get us in the Locklyn’s Blogs mood, you know what I mean? So, without further ado, I will analyze and connect the dots between some of my favorite slipknot songs in the story’s chronological order! You’ll soon see why this story is one of my favorites.

Killpop: 5th track from “The Gray Chapter”

In an interview, Corey Taylor, the singer from slipknot, revealed that Killpop was about the music industry. While that explanation seems fitting, I decided to dig a little deeper and figure out what else this song could be connected to. So, in the song, the lyrics read:

“Maybe I should let her go

But only when she loves me

How can I just let her go?

Not until she loves me.”

This song is from the perspective of a man who eventually comes into contact with a woman whom he quickly becomes obsessed with, but the more he seems to get to know her, the more he realizes that she is also self-destructive. Though after being with him for a little while she begins trying to heal and get better so she can leave him, but he has other ideas. He becomes so obsessed with her that he cannot stand the idea of her leaving him. So he kills her using lyrics a bit too… aggressive for this blog.

Vermillion: Track 8 from “The Subliminal Verses”

“She is everything and more

The solemn hypnotic

My Dahlia bathed in possession

She is home to me

I get nervous, perverse, when I see her, it’s worse.”

This says a lot about the man’s mentality after the murder. He is still obsessed with her, and from those lines, it feels a lot like the man is seeing visions of the woman. The Dahlia line could also reference the black dahlia case, which was a real-life case about a woman who was also murdered. The second half of that line about possession shows that by killing her, she will always be his. This song is also sang in a very aggressive manner, which gives off major frustration and rage vibes. He is so stressed about the visions and generally goes even more crazy over the fact that he killed her.

“She isn’t real

I can’t make her real

She isn’t real

I can’t make her real”

These lines reoccur a few times throughout the song. This is the man angrily beating himself up over the murder and then the visions that stem from that. He knows the visions he sees aren’t her, and he is frustrated that he can’t bring her back. He can’t touch or kiss her again because she’s no longer real. He is beginning to feel the guilt.

Thank you all for reading this month! I hope you enjoyed it and will come back to read the next part in the following weeks!

i’ve seen “elvis” (2022) four times…and i’m not done yet.

hello again! it’s good to be back. now, if you’ve been anywhere within a ten mile radius of me in the past two months, you know that my life-long elvis obsession has flared up and is in full swing!

i’ve been a diehard elvis fan since i was about three years old. i’d walk around the house, singing “Blue Christmas”, lips curled and voice bellowing. i ate my breakfast on a plate with his face on it and drank my pepsi from a mug with his face on it (still do, sometimes, tbh). i guess growing up in mississippi, especially so close to tupelo, there’s just something that makes you feel close to him. or, that’s the case for me, anyway. i’ve always loved his music, and it’s what inspired me to sing and learn guitar in the first place. i remember being a little girl, imagining myself playing the “Heartbreak Hotel” solo on a red electric in front of the whole town. now, i play it on a red electric in my bedroom at home. like most things that interest me, i could go on about E for hours on end. believe me. or ask anyone who has been around me lately. his music, talent, heart, and spirit just speak to me in a way that no other artist ever has or will. so, when i heard that there would be a movie about him, i was nervous to say the least.

i was terrified that it would be cheesy, exploitative, or just horrendously casted. but, wow, i truly couldn’t have been more wrong. finding out that baz luhrmann was directing was super exciting because i think he’s one of the most talented directors of the past half century. however, he is known for his…less than orthodox approaches to his films.

i won’t lie, initially, when i found out that austin butler would be playing elvis, i nearly lost all hope for the film. it just didn’t seem quite right to me that the cute blond guy from zoey 101 would be the king. right up until the movie came out, i had strong doubts. i saw pictures of him in costume, and i just couldn’t see it. i thought miles teller would have been the better choice. now, while i greatly admire teller, i can confidently say that no one could have played that role as well as austin butler.

when my friends asked me to see the film with them, i was hesitant. i just didn’t want to partake in anything dishonoring E’s legacy. but, with some convincing, i sat on the end of the fourth row with a small coke and a cinnamon pretzel and watched, in my opinion, the greatest biopic of all time. though austin doesn’t look much like elvis in a traditional sense, he just seems to completely transform on screen. you can just feel how hard he worked, the research he did, and the respect he has for the man he embodied. his performance was truly a masterclass in capturing the spirit of another human in film. if austin doesn’t get an oscar for this movie, i will be personally calling the academy and berating them for their foolishness. olivia dejonge’s performance as priscilla is also incredible, and she does steal the show during her screen time with her eerily cilla-like cleverness, wit, and compassion. she and austin have perfect chemistry that is showcased brilliantly in every scene of theirs together. (MILD SPOILER) a scene that comes to mind (probably because i have it memorized) is the scene in which she leaves elvis. you can physically feel their hearts breaking, and it’s just breathtaking.

on the other hand…tom hanks. i never thought i’d say this about him, but his performance just wasn’t giving what it needed to give. the hokey accent was extremely distracting and not very true to character. the colonel was notoriously unlikable, and if it was hanks’ goal to showcase that, he executed it perfectly. for me, it was one of the only flaws of the film. however, i don’t think that it ruins the film in any way. austin plays off of hanks’ off-putting colonel perfectly, which softens the blow of seeing tom hanks in a rare role that he cannot play well.

the soundtrack is an entire story in itself. it takes some of the best elvis songs and revamps them, sometimes in an awesome way and sometimes…not. i love the remastered songs that make the audio better or expand the instrumentals, but there were some unnecessary touches here and there. i’ve gotta say, watching elvis walk through memphis with doja cat playing in the background was laughable and a tad jarring–neither in a good way. i do love some of the rap on the soundtrack, i just think it should’ve been blended a little better or just been bonus tracks rather than being featured in the film because it can really take the viewer out of the 50s vibe and remind them of where we are now. and isn’t that why we go to the theatre–to escape where we are now? again, could just be me. the covers in the film are so incredible, and the actors who play b.b. king, big mama thornton, little richard, and sister rosetta tharpe deserve all the accolades in the world for their acting and musical performances–just as the musicians themselves deserve full credit for the way that they revolutionized music and created rock n roll. special mention to shonka dukureh for her magical performance as big mama. may she rest in peace. yola, who is one of my favorite musicians and easily one of the best singer-songwriters of this generation also steals the show with her portrayal of sister rosetta, particularly her performance of “hound dog”. some truly amazing artists (stevie nicks for example) are featured on the soundtrack, and i highly recommend checking you out!

one of the things that blew me away most about the film is that austin butler did most of the singing himself. i nearly didn’t believe it when i found out that he wasn’t lip-syncing because he just does such an amazing job. it’s yet another testament to his dedication to this role. i read that austin was extremely afraid to fill such big shoes and wasn’t entirely sure if he could do it until he found out about elvis losing his mother. elvis and austin both had their mothers pass away when they were 23, which made austin feel closer to him, and from there, he transformed for two years into mr. presley. for his audition, austin was supposed to simply sing “love me tender” but instead opted to play piano and sing “unchained melody”–a hugely emotional ballad, especially for elvis fans because it was the last song he performed live. it was a bold, meaningful choice that paid off in the end.

after seeing this movie for the first time, it was basically all i could think or talk about. i couldn’t wait to see it again. it almost felt like a beautiful dream that i just wasn’t ready to wake up from. i saw it again, and again, and again, and it just seems to get better every time. i had never seen a movie that made me cry, laugh, dance, smile, and feel so close to music until i saw this. so, as the title suggests–i’m not done. if you made it this far, first of all, God bless you, you’re quite a trooper. and secondly, if you have even a remote interest in seeing this film, please, please do yourself the honor of seeing it. and if you’re reading this as an msa student or family member who has yet to see the movie or is ready for another go–by all means, contact me immediately. i would climb a mountain if it meant seeing this again, and the moment i have enough time, i will be sprinting to the nearest theatre.

thank you for reading, and hopefully, i’ll see you next time! ’til then, TCB!

mini playlist (five of emma’s favorite elvis songs):

are you lonesome tonight?

moody blue

she’s not you

one night

kentucky rain

Elvis Box Office Prediction: Aims for $35 Million Opening Weekend - The Filmik

senior move-out and “see you later”s

msa is not an experience for the faint of heart. it has been everything that alumni said it would be and more, and i’m forever grateful for the advice that was given to me as an incoming junior. i liken msa relations to a mentorship: there were many students who helped me along the way, including some who wouldn’t even be here for either of my two years. it’s a special place, and i’m grateful for every second of it. because even if it wasn’t great, it taught me something: about the world, about myself, about other people, about human connection, about compassion. msa is about learning, and none of the important lessons are actually taught in the curriculum; they’re formed within the community.

my heartfelt advice to anyone reading this who is thinking about or currently attending msa is this:

everyone will tell you that these will be the best and worst two years of your life, and you won’t believe a second of it. soak in every drop of knowledge and experience that you get here. push through it. it is so difficult at times, but getting to the end is the most rewarding feeling ever. because you can overcome adversity, you can make it through challenging times, and you can stick it through if your passion and ambition will let you.

the biggest words i can tell you to learn right now are “appreciation” and “compassion.” the hardest part about msa is not the actual difficulty of the times, it’s coming to terms with the fact that even the “bad” moments are serving you in some way.

this journey is worth it. it will bring you lifelong friends, a family (even if it’s a small one), and an experience that you will be proud of yourself for the rest of your life. it’s a wonderful place with wonderful people. no matter how far along i am in the rest of my endeavors after this, i’ll always be here if you want to reach out. my snapchat is sarakhebert, instagram is sara_k_hebert. i’m here for you if you need anything.

until next time, i love and appreciate you all.

track 5 storytelling

who is surprised that i’m writing another taylor swift blog? hopefully no one. today i’ll be talking about not only the track 5 songs from every album, but how they intertwine with each other. these songs are known for being her most personal and intimate, and it’s very clear why.

cold as you – debut
debut doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves, and this song is living proof. at just 16 years old, she was writing about things like love, regret, and having the strength to do the right thing and feel good about it. there’s a line in the chorus that says, “you came along with a great little story about a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.” this line really encompasses her naivety in thinking things would go in her way, yet they never seem to. she directs it to someone in particular, using second person point-of-view a lot to focus her energy. she understands that even though she was the one being left, it wasn’t her fault, and something better will come of it.

white horse – fearless (taylor’s version)
this fifth track focuses more on the ideas of moving on and growing up than its predecessor, but it has a lot of the same “notes” in terms of content. her fear (and reality) of abandonment appears again, and it focuses much more on the ideas of recovering from that and knowing that it will hurt her in the end. still, she shows her strength and will to say “no” whenever someone (who doesn’t deserve it) asks her for a second chance. it’s very much a track of coming to terms with who you want to be and where you want to go in life, and i think everyone who has been let down can relate to this in some way.

dear john – speak now
after my infamous blog about john mayer, my thoughts on this are… pretty clear. however, lyrically, this is still a masterpiece. they encompass everything wrong with an “unnamed man” in regards to how he interacts with someone romantically. in an interesting turn of events, she is the one to walk away and realize that this “unnamed man” is not deserving of her time, even though she’s still heartbroken. it shows the real, complex feelings of a breakup with someone so much older who has more power, both in the industry and the world. it also relates to her song “ours” from the same album. “ours” has the lyrics, “seems like there’s always someone who disapproves; they’ll judge it like they know about me and you,” but “dear john” follows up with, “i’ll look back and regret i ignored when they said ‘run as fast as you can.'”

all too well – red (taylor’s version)
widely speculated to be about jake gyllenhaal, “all too well” is about reminiscing an old relationship and remembering every single detail, even when you don’t want to. the track is 5 minutes, cut down from the original 10, which was released as a vault track on taylor’s version. it feels very bittersweet, thinking about the past and realizing that you’re not living it anymore. it features lyrics like “i forget about you long enough to forget why i needed to,” but it also turns around and recognizes that the blame mostly falls on the other “unnamed” person who decided to pursue a relationship that he knew wouldn’t work out to begin with.

all you had to do was stay – 1989
nobody would expect this to be a track 5, for being so upbeat in the introduction of her first true pop album. however, this is where the overall track 5 storytelling comes through. she talks about how “it could have been easy, all you had to do was stay,” which relates to the abandonment themes seen in the previous tracks. however, the actual music suggests a more nuanced thought process of moving on and getting ahead of the game. it reminds me a lot of the song “clean” on the same album.

delicate – reputation
the first lyrics make the most sense when talking about vulnerability and abandoment, the themes we’ve been referencing to all this time, “my reputation’s never been worse, so you must like me for me.” it’s a very romantic song, talking about the beginning of a relationship and being under the scrutiny of the public eye at the same time. however, it’s the turn that the other tracks have speculated up to now. it’s vulnerable in that she’s coming to terms with a type of relationship she’s never had before, where she’s valued based on herself as a person, not the status she can give. it’s new for her, and it’s a lovely change of pace for her lyricism.

the archer – lover
the most jarring lyrics from this track are, “who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay?” because up until “delicate,” the most common thematics revolved around the pain felt by people leaving. now, she’s asking why people would stay? overall, the song is a lot about moving on, introspection, and analyzing what makes people who they are, especially with references to her own body image issues in a few of the verses. these are real issues that real women face, and it’s a wonderful follow-up to “the man” as track 4, which is all about what society expects from women.

my tears ricochet – folklore
again with understanding complex relationships, this song is widely speculated to be about a relationship gone awry. it details betrayal, choice, and regret. the toughest lyrics are in the bridge. in my opinion, it definitely has a connection with “right where you left me” from the evermore album, especially with the inclusion of different regret elements. in the bridge, she talks about how this situation is still affecting her feelings, still influencing her decisions, still getting under her skin. to regard this song as “just another taylor swift song about a boy,” would be so disgraceful in neglecting the very real feelings that so many people struggle with on a daily basis.

tolerate it – evermore
the most recent (new) track 5 has two different accepted interpretations. the first is the theory that, like the other track 5s, surprise surprise, it’s about a relationship. the second is that it’s about a child whose parent or parents don’t appreciate all of the efforts that the child goes through to maintain their relationship. regardless of what kind of relationship the song describes, it closes out her current track 5 discography with the worthiness aspect of “i know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it.”

overall, taylor’s music is about so many more things than just her “boy problems.” everything she writes about connects to the inner psyche, feelings of worth, value, vulnerability, and transparency. her music connects to multiple generations of people who feel like their dreams and desires should be put on the back burner. fifth tracks are the through-line of her entire discography, and they make the most sense to people who have been in her shoes before.

now, for those of you who say i am slowly turning you into a swiftie, hopefully this convinces you fully.

Thomas Rhett + How Country Music May Be Returning to Its Roots

A notoriously problematic genre, country music has slowly shifted from its post-9/11 patriotic simplicity, and it’s slowly dipping into complex ideas that most people dare not tackle within their sector. Luke Bryan’s 2017 song “Most People Are Good” recently made its rounds on Tik Tok. People from all walks of life appreciated his remark of “I believe you love who you love, ain’t nothing you should ever be ashamed of,” and praised him for making a statement contrary to what many other country artists believe or address. A lesser-known song came out recently from Thomas Rhett, Russell Dickerson, and Tyler Hubbard: “Death Row“

Interviews have told the story, but essentially, these three men went to a Tennessee prison to sing to death row inmates. The song that came from it can bring anyone to chills.

“I could feel myself trembling when I shook one of their hands. I thought that he would be a monster; turns out, he’s a whole lot like I am.”

This verse opens up the whole song, referencing their hesitance of going in to begin with. In an interview, Rhett mentioned how he was prejudging these inmates based on their circumstances and just how quickly he was humbled by the experience. It re-centers the thought process of understanding that fundamentally, even those who have made detrimental mistakes are worthy of forgiveness.

“I learned a lot about living from them boys down on death row.”

There are a lot of things that can teach a person about how to live their life to the fullest, but this line elaborates on the irony that few people would think death row inmates to be the people who teach about it. There’s a lot of emotion packed into this, which is likely why it’s a part of the chorus. It’s reiterated over and over again, and while this may center Rhett and his friends in the conversation about capital punishment, I do believe it’s a wonderful artistic choice. The majority of people, especially the demographic that tends to listen to country music, find it hard to sympathize, but by focusing on how it changed the artists’ perspectives, listeners are more inclined to see how these issues affect them.

“Then it hit me we’re all human, ain’t always proud of what we’ve done. Everybody’s days are numbered, only difference is they all know which one.”

There are so many things packed into this line as well, and listening to it for the first time, it introduces just how concrete the death penalty is. For years, inmates are locked into a cell, not seeing the world around them at all, dreading the day that they’ve been assigned. It makes the listener think about what they would do if they knew when they would die. Referencing back to other lines, it’s just another reinforcement of understanding that time is precious and forgiveness is so, so necessary.

“One of them sang ‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound’ with one hand raised and one foot chained to the ground. He sang it like he knew he’d just been found, that next week, they laid him six feet down.”

The most impactful part of this lyric is the quickness of it. Again, centering the listener and the artists, one can’t help but to think about how they could be engaging in a meaningful conversation with someone, then that someone is suddenly gone. Even though there’s an element of faith and gospel, the most jarring aspect is realizing how precious time is, especially in the context of having a life-changing experience, then meeting the end of that life.

“I can’t say that he’s in heaven, who am I to judge his soul? But Jesus don’t play favorites, ain’t a name that He don’t know.”

Arguably the most impactful message, I think that this line reconnects to Christianity (as a religion) in an unexpected way. It serves as a humble reminder that it is not up to humanity to place judgement and expectations onto someone we haven’t lived as. It connects back to the line where they sing Amazing Grace, because that’s really what all of this is about: grace, forgiveness, and perspective.

Throughout the expansion of country music as a genre, many things have been lost in translation. The first songs of country music were all about progress – making good change in the community, encouraging equality, and understanding the value in shared humanity. Because this type of message has been lost over the years, most of my generation associates country music with lyrics about alcohol, the objectification of women, and the well-known Chicks scandal that sent their careers into a downward spiral.

After 9/11, an outpouring of support for America engulfed the entire country music genre, with artists like Toby Keith and Aaron Tippin coming out with very popular songs showcasing their patriotism. Ironically, these songs were appealed to the very same demographic and people who had been in full support of anti-war, pro-peace, and rebellion against the government.

In my opinion, I definitely think that post-9/11 country music was more influential to its listeners political affiliation than vice versa. The people are going to vote for the things they hear, and what they were hearing was an outrageous outpouring of pro-Republic rhetoric.

However, modern country is slowly stepping out into the light, speaking out against racism, homophobia, and most recently, the government’s ability to take someone’s life (especially a criminal).

Florida Plan To Save Manatees With 25 Tons of Lettuce

Manatees as of recent years have been starving because of pollution of their habitat killing their main food source, seagrass. While conservation efforts are underway to try to replace the lost vegetation, a plan was made to feed the manatees with donated lettuce. The effort raised 25 tons of lettuce to feed the starving manatees, attracting around 300-350 per day. “We’re making a difference,” Ron Mezich of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated. Normally it is not advised to feed manatees as it leads them to associate humans with food, but people can donate money to the effort to help feed them.

Economically, manatee attract a large tourism industry. Swimming with them is a popular thing to do in Florida. People come from all over the world to indulge in this activity. Preserving these animals helps keep this industry afloat. Fixing our mistakes to maintain ecosystems helps many animals, which in turn helps humans. Taking care of our Earth will help preserve us and a healthy economy.

Personally, I think it is wonderful that we are trying to fix our mistakes. Manatees are wonderful creatures and deserve to live long and happy lives. It is our pollution that kills their food source, so it is only right to try to restore it and find a temporary solution. I have got the privilege to swim with one of these magnificent creatures; it was a truly magical experience. The manatee has been taken off the endangered species list, however they are very much still at risk. Hopefully these efforts help them to continue to thrive and grow in numbers.

With so much news centered around death and tragedy, sometimes it’s nice to just see some people doing what they can to help. These gentle giants are a natural beauty and should be protected at all costs. I highly recommend going on a manatee swimming tour with a guide, you must follow a few rules for the safety of the animals; but it is still very much a magical moment. Manatees are very curious creatures, and it isn’t strange to have one come right up to you if you are still and patient. They use the whiskers on their face to sense things since their eyesight it poor, so sometimes they even gently bump you with their face kind of like a cat.

We really should all try a little harder to reduce our wastes and pollutants, its very important that when you go swimming in natural waters that you use sunscreen that will not harm the ecosystems there, as some types use harsh chemicals that can make the plants and animals sick. Another thing is supporting climate positive companies; all companies have a grade on climate, if it is a poor grade you might reconsider buying products from that company. With a little bit of research it is easy to find good companies to support when making your shopping choices. Another great thing to do is buy second hand. Thrift shops and yard sales are a great place to find really cute clothes that just aren’t needed anymore. In fact, the jeans I am wearing right now are second hand, someone was giving them away, and I think they’re adorable.

Well loves, I can’t make life decisions for you, but I do my very best to make it easier. I know a lot of places in rural Mississippi have little to no options available for recycling; that’s why I have worked so hard to get a can recycling program at school. I also keep them in my room, so if you have cans, don’t throw them away, throw them at me- ok, just gently, and maybe a heads up first.

With love and Manatee Kisses, Lillian

Works Cited

“A Florida Plan to Save Manatees Is Working — Thanks to 25 Tons of Lettuce.” NBC News, 16 Feb. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/florida-plan-manatees-working-

thanks-25-tons-lettuce-rcna16539.