English 21 Professor Sabiez September 29th 2013
The song I have chosen for my essay is Anthem part 2 sung by blink 182 and written by Mark Hoppus I like this song and it lets us know about youth today we can learn a lot from what the writer is telling us in a short song written so simply I like how the writer gives us a message about youth and life in today’s society.
Honestly, this song can work on a couple different levels, commenting on teens in general the older generations always saying shit about the youth (and vice versa) but they don’t want to take responsibility for the fact that they are the ones we learned it from. It’s about respect they meaning older people are always saying “respect your elders!”, but do they respect the younger generation? No. if people are going to act like we are dumbass kids, then hell we’re going to act like they are decrepit old farts!
Talking about the world’s problems it’s talking about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket and nobody will do anything to stop it sure they work out little problems, but nobody is willing to do anything drastic because that effects their own pockets corporate leaders It’s saying fuck kids can’t vote but kids are the ones dealing with the effects of these problems the most.
These older people are handling problems like they did in the past but that no longer works. Kids grow up a lot quicker than people think and some responsibility should be shifted to them, the writer is sending a strong message about how teens are effected in the world. Now I will talk about how stupid the rules and stereotypes surrounding teens (especially minors) there are so many, pretty much unnecessary laws. You can’t buy a rated R movie ticket till your 17, and you can’t even go with a friend and have them buy one. Why? It’s not like you don’t see worse on the news every morning.
There are ridicules curfew rules that you can’t be out after 10:00 pm (I got picked up twice by the cops at night when I was a teenager) and so many more. This is honestly just stupid. The speaker seems to think that 16 is an unsafe age to be because that’s the prime age when teenagers go through a lot of problems (family issues, parents, school and there piers)
If these other generations don’t like the things kids do then let the kids do the things they like!
Tom the writer seems to think the world is falling to pieces and the earth is dying there are a lot of things that would indicate that the world is falling apart (wars, bombs, terrorists etc.) this song was written after the 911 attacks on the United States that is one way we can tell the world is falling apart.
Next (earth is dying) the writer also wants to talk about the earth and the effects that people have on it, nature is our treasure help us save it, It’s our duty to save the environment. People have the power to change our environment but we choose not to we are constantly polluting the earth. Tom wants people to get more environmentally active so that we can make a difference in the world in order to save mother earth.
Tom then asks Jesus for help I see that Tom is religious so I say to you, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that however believes in him should not parish but have eternal life.
I’m the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except thru me. He incorporates religion in this song; he knows that he can’t do it alone so he has to ask God for help because faith without works is dead, not only does tom need help but everyone needs help (we need guidance) he is referring to himself and other people.
Tom now says that we have been misled, so don’t be misled by what you see around you, or be influenced by what you see. We live in a world witch is a playground of