Select a creative work—a novel, a film, a musical piece, a painting, or other work of art—that has influenced the way you view the world and the way you view yourself. Discuss the impact the work has had on you. (We are more interested in how the work has affected you rather than reading a detailed plot summary or a description of the work.)
"Fantasy is what they want, but reality is what they need." Nine out of tens times, if someone were to turn on a radio, they would hear a song whose lyrics identify something, or in some cases, a life they could only dream of living. The beat is enticing, and the lyrics may say something like, "…i've got so many houses, cars, and dollar bills." Of the many albums I have heard and liked, my favorite is Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 . I love this album because it breaks away from the fantasy world, while differentiating itself from the popular music that is presented in the media today.
Before discovering Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, I had many perceptions about some things in life, and life in general. One particular misconception that I had was that the life of a person in the media was the best life to live. I once thought that people like celebrities, politicians, and others in the lime light, live happy lifestyles because of the unlimited access that they have to the things they desire. However, after listening to the fourth track (“Interlude 1”) on the album, my views on the celebrity lifestyle changed. In “Interlude 1”, Lauryn Hill casually explains why the success she dreamed of was not essentially everything she dreamed it would be, as she states, “I, uh, came to terms with the fact that I’d created this public persona—this public illusion---and it held me hostage. It was like I couldn’t be a real person because I was too afraid of what my public would say and at that point I had to do some dying and say, ‘This is who I truly am.’” Hearing Ms. Hill, a celebrity who had it all, say these words brought me to the reality that the “celebrity world” is not all that it appears to be. Gaining a better understanding about the “rich lifestyle” helped me to apply and connect these lyrics to the way I view myself and others around me. Often times, I notice people appear to rank at a higher position, in comparison to myself. In other words, these people give the impression that they have everything that a person could want in life. However, after listening to Hill’s album, I learned that although people may seem to have everything, it does not validate their true lives. Even if a person has more materialistic belongings than others, their happiness is not guaranteed. In conclusion, Lauryn Hill’s MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 has engraved a new outlook on my views of the connection between my life and a life portrayed by the media. Lauryn Hill says, “[if you] repent and let your mind be re-taught, You'll find what you sought...was based on the deception you bought, a perception of naught.”
2007-01-11
16:03:06
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9 answers
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asked by
nyadastar
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