Journal Article Analysis

The article addresses questions that arise in every person’s mind at some point or another. “What do I want out of life?” goes through everyone’s minds. Starting around a young person’s freshman year of high school, they are bombarded with questions from everybody asking what they want to do in life. The writer of this article talks about two people, one dealing with homosexual issues and another dealing with the loss of his wife. The main topic of the article is how you will respond when life doesn’t go according to plan.

            This topic is very applicable to everyone. Like I said, everyone is expected to have a plan in mind for how things should go in their life. Rarely do things turn out that way though. I have always believed in the saying, “it’s not how you act, but how you react that matters most.” People should be prepared for things not to go the way they are planned out. It will never be a bad idea to have one, two, or even three back up plans so you will know how to react when something changes. The writer raises the question of how difficult it is to face the reality that your whole life could change and how you will overcome it.

            I agree with the author’s main points that you should be prepared for anything that the future holds. I also love the point that the write makes about listening to the experiences of the older generations. Today’s generation has gotten away from that. Most kids look at older people as irrelevant wisdom, but they are in fact, the exact opposite. The writer points out that by listening to these people, you can get a better understanding and idea for alternate life changing possibilities to help you be more prepared.

            This article has very important life qualities in it. I think people know that life usually won’t end up the way they thought, but that’s as far as their thinking goes about it. We should all look into the possible alterations that could come up in life, so we can be prepared and make the right decisions when you get to that point.

Brienza, C. (2013). Remembering the future. Cartooning Alternative Life Courses in Up and Future Lovers, 46(2), 299-314.

Written Analysis #5

Almost every theory applied to my popular culture topic in some way. The theories that applied to my topic the most were stereotypes and rituals. Country music is filled with stereotypes from non country lovers and filled with rituals from past country artists. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these theories and learning about how they applied to country music since I have been a country music fan all of my life. It was very interesting looking into the history of country music when studying up on the rituals. I loved learning about the Grand Ole Opry and former country stars from when my grandparents listened.

            I also loved listening to the stereotypes that people put on country music stars. Some of them are really true, but most were simply because of certain songs that people sing. Another topic that was very educational was how much country music bridges the gap between the older generation and today’s generation. The current and former stars do a great job of still incorporating each other into things going on in country music today. That is something that I found to be rare when compared to other genres of music.  

Written Analysis #4

            When I think of the term “formula” as it relates to my popular culture topic of country music today, I think of what country stars lives were like before they became the stars. Most of the country stars have similar backgrounds. A big stereotype that most country artists have is that they have a past of drinking and cheating. I won’t lie and say that it is a complete fallacy, but most of them do not come with that attachment.

            The formula that most country stars have today is that they came from very small towns. Artists like Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood came from very small cities in Texas and Oklahoma, respectively. Another part of the country star formula is that they have a history of singing in their family. Most country stars will talk about growing up with singing parents and grandparents. Most of them start singing in public around the age of five. I’m not sure why this usually is the case for country artists, but history has shown that it is true. Surprisingly, another piece of the country star formula is that they usually have a religious connection. Most stars grew up singing in church as a very small child.

Written Analysis 3

As with rituals in country music, heroes are where the rituals started. Country music has a deep connection with heroes. The reason that every young country star wants to play at places like the Grand Ole Opry and the Bluebird Cafe is because of the country heroes that have played there before. Heroes are referred to in many songs from newer country stars because they grew up listening to those famous country artists. Today’s country stars like Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley have songs that refer to some of country’s biggest heroes and legends.

            Country music is filled with people who paved the way for today’s country that we know today. Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette are only a few to name. It is a very elite group. Something that I find very inspiring to see is that the heroes never really retire completely from the whole country music scene. Even after their singing days, they stay involved with today’s stars and many of them mentor the new up comers of country music. That is a very rare quality to find in today’s society. Many of them are best friends with today’s stars. Country legends are living heroes in the country world.

Written Analysis 2

     Country music today has many different rituals. I recently went on a trip to Nashville and learned a lot about new artists and some rituals that they do or try to do in their careers. There are many, small, local bars that a lot of famous country stars still go to today because they got their big start by playing there. The Bluebird Cafe is one of these bars that have young and upcoming country stars play there on the weekends to try to get exposure to record labels. The biggest and most common ritual in country music is the goal of playing one day at the Grand Ole Opry. Every young country star dreams of one day playing there because of the great history there. Only the elite artists of country music earn the right to stand up on that stage and play their songs.

            There is also a very big stereotype in country music today. The stereotype of country

 music stars and people who listen to country music is that you have to wear a cowboy hat,have 

a southern draw to your voice, and always wear cowboy boots. Sometimes these stereotypes 

are true, but in most cases now, it is not. Country music has really expanded its fan base. It is 

no longer all about being a cowboy with a sad love song. Some new artists that go against this 

stereotype include Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Brantley Gilbert. The newer artists in country 

music have succeeded in expanding the group of people who listen to country music.