Broadside Ballads and Pete Seeger

First, to find out what a broadside ballad is we must split the word into two and find out what both words mean.  We take the word “ballad” and find out is definition. A ballad is any light, simple song, a simple narrative poem of folk origin composed in short stanzas an adapted for singing. Second, a “broadside” is a single light piece of cheep paper with print only on one side. When you bring the two words back together you get “broadside ballot” which is a song that is ephemeral and has multiple verses usually with one melody. Broadside ballads are songs which are made to help common or regular people say opinions about some injustices that they think me be happening. People choose to put these words into a song so the people who listen to the song can be moved emotionally not only by listening to the melody but also when listening to the words of the song which tell the story or there problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucczIg98Gw

As we get older in life we also become more educated. With age comes experience and wisdom; so, as we grow up we get to choose our own paths in life and make our own decisions.  I wanted to relate those facts with the song that I chose, which is sang by Pete Seeger and it is called “What did you learn in school” In this song Pete Seeger is talking about how everything we are taught in school isn’t true. He’s telling us about the biased information which we are taught. This information could be considered propaganda for us to believe the ideas that THEY believe. Pete Seeger is an American folk singer that became a activist in the 1960’s on the ideas of international disarmament, civil right and environment causes.

           

I think this song says something which I believe one hundred percent. I do believe we are taught what people think we should know instead of what’s real in the world.  I believe you shouldn’t believe everything you are taught or told because you should experience yourself and create you own opinion on the idea or experience because a lot of the information that is given to us is biased to certain degree. As we get older the more we grow and in the process of growing we should be able to make our own decisions on the information that is given to us and actually question it before we totally absorb and believe it.