Americana Artist Statement
The piece of music Swing Low Sweet Chariot written in 1840, the lyrical poem The Raven written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845, and The Birds of America created by Audubon from 1827 to 1838 all represent the good and evil parts of America. Swing Low Sweet Chariot has gained much recognition from being one of the most treasured and widely recognized spiritual piece. It was sung the most by slaves and really showed people what slaves felt when they had their chance for freedom. The lyrics use biblical imagery and follow a deep, slow melody. The first stanza sets the main image for the song of a chariot descending from the sky. The chariot almost represents the freedom or the reward for the longing of freedom the people …show more content…
In the artwork The Birds Driving America, the chariot represents America and its people. The raven, representing the darker thoughts and ideas of America, and the cardinal, representing the brighter and more benefitting ideas of America, are controlling the actions of the American people. However, even though one side is better, both birds fly in the same direction leading to the same decision no matter what. An example of this during Jackson’s presidency is the removal of the Natives to different areas. The brighter side was the farmers would have more land to plant crops. On the other hand, the dark side was the trail of tears, the painful walk killing many of the Natives moving to new lands. What do the wings on the chariot represent? Having wings makes the chariot equal to the good and bad sides of America. With them, the chariot has the power to fly with the birds making it equal but yet superior to the birds. This means the people/chariot have the power to make their own decisions changing the direction the country is going to. An example of this would be the American people voting for a new president. This completely changes the course and actions of the country. Because of the power of the wings, the decision will never end up the same
The piece of music Swing Low Sweet Chariot written in 1840, the lyrical poem The Raven written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845, and The Birds of America created by Audubon from 1827 to 1838 all represent the good and evil parts of America. Swing Low Sweet Chariot has gained much recognition from being one of the most treasured and widely recognized spiritual piece. It was sung the most by slaves and really showed people what slaves felt when they had their chance for freedom. The lyrics use biblical imagery and follow a deep, slow melody. The first stanza sets the main image for the song of a chariot descending from the sky. The chariot almost represents the freedom or the reward for the longing of freedom the people …show more content…
In the artwork The Birds Driving America, the chariot represents America and its people. The raven, representing the darker thoughts and ideas of America, and the cardinal, representing the brighter and more benefitting ideas of America, are controlling the actions of the American people. However, even though one side is better, both birds fly in the same direction leading to the same decision no matter what. An example of this during Jackson’s presidency is the removal of the Natives to different areas. The brighter side was the farmers would have more land to plant crops. On the other hand, the dark side was the trail of tears, the painful walk killing many of the Natives moving to new lands. What do the wings on the chariot represent? Having wings makes the chariot equal to the good and bad sides of America. With them, the chariot has the power to fly with the birds making it equal but yet superior to the birds. This means the people/chariot have the power to make their own decisions changing the direction the country is going to. An example of this would be the American people voting for a new president. This completely changes the course and actions of the country. Because of the power of the wings, the decision will never end up the same