Notion "Seats and forms of power"

Marie-Emilie Karchut Tle S
Oral anglais pour le bac
Professeur : Mme Josset

Notion n°1 : Seats and forms of Power

Intro : First of all, I’m going to develop the notion seats and forms of power.
We can define the notion by power is the ability to influence people’s behaviour. In fact sears and forms of power is related to all forms of power like dictatorships, culture etc, to all forms of counter power for example demonstrations or revolution but also to forms of submission. We don’t have necesseraly the power. In this case, we can be submissive, or we can rebel. In brief power implies counter power.
Songs are a good means to deliver a message. Especially the protest song’s who is a song associated to a movement for social changes. They’re connected to current events. Indeed many committed singers want to make people react about what’s going on in the world and raised their voices to denounce the « established society ».
The largest protest song’s movement was in sixty’s and seventy’s. We can wonder whether if their protest song’s are still a counterpower nowadays ?

Dvlp : We going to talk about the protest song’s in sixty’s and seventy’s to arrive out our time.
The Vietnam war was a dominant musical theme in this time. Anti-War songs were much in evidence at the Woodstock festival in nine-teen sixty nine. This musical festival represents the hyppie culture in those days. Hippies are young people making parties of movement of counterculture of sixty’s  and seventy’s, they rejected the way of life of their parents and the consumer society. They had a marginal life style, communal or nomadic. They refused violence and supported freedom especially sexual freedom. They had a stong relationship with nature and art especially music that allows them to express themselves. Hippies movement concerns a large part of youth born of the baby-boom in all occidental countries. This movement have for originsvietnam war and nuclear. Moreover protest song movement was John Lennon, has founded the beattles, he wrote « give peace a chance »is an Anthem to peace it quickly became the Anthem of the Anti Vietnam war. Bob Marley is also a commited singer especially with his song « get up stand up » in witch he urges people to rise up against opressions.

The second document is on the same subject. Indeed is a protest song against Vietnam War. Bob Dylan wrote « Masters of war » is a counter power against the dirigent. This song is a warning. They won’t let things happen a powerful protest against the governement and the military. Dylan wants skook the nation thanks to the lyrics where he doesn’t mince his words. We can relate it to previous wars and conflicts and to later wars. Overall this song creates emotion or negative view on wars.

Another song explains also the theme of Vietnam War, written by the group Guns N’Roses this is « civil war ». the lyrics take a clear and strong stance against any kind of war. Writing this song echoed the atrocity generated by all civil wars. It is no longer possible to ignore the horrors committed against the human race. For the authors it is time that the men in power around the world acknowledge the facts.

Moreover we then studied another counter power : a Putin protest. The Pussy Riot is a group of Russian feminist formed in ywo thousand and eleven. This group organizes not allow artistic performances to promote the rights of women in Russia. In two thousand and twelve, they make a show in Moscow cathedral for opposing the compaign of Vladimir Putin. They are sentenced to two years of jail for insulting and disrespectful behaviour.

Ccl : Therefore, we can see that the art and more particularly the music plays a very important role to express their opinions.
But nowadays there are a new ways, the fifty power, the power of internet  and social networks. This becomes even easier to deliver one’s message by recording a song or a speech. To conclude, I think music is still a good means to deliver a message because as everyone listens thanks to radio or internet like youtube but the news protest songs are about anti-same sex mariage laws, economic system, global warming and still war in world.

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