COVER:
ASSIGNMENT 2
TITLE: ETUDE
OF EVOLUTION
i
Table of Contents
Introduction: Page 1
Story 1 – Incipit: Page 2
Artefact & Caption 1 – Tremor: Page 3
Story 2 – Development: Page 4
Artefact & Caption 2 – Album 2: Page 5
Story 3 – Coda: Page 6
Artefact & Caption 3 – Encore: Page 7
Index: Page 8
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Introduction
I am a twenty-year-old Jewish man from Long Island. I grew up modern
orthodox, so most things were not as heavily restricted as people may think, but
certain things were certainly looked down upon. Things like listening to rap music,
watching R-rated movies, and participating in non-Jewish theological study were far
from encouraged, but as we grew up we were exposed to it in a jarring manner and
different people handled it differently. I watched some people go against everything
they once thought they believed, some who destroyed their lives, and even some who
rejected it all entirely and left to live a secluded, hermit-like lifestyle.
In this collection, I present to you, the reader, a sort of timeline across which both my
musical and writing tastes evolve alongside one another. I like to think of it as a
playlist of songs detailing my journey through my writing education from elementary
school until the present day, but in written form. My hope is that the stories in this
collection get you humming to yourself or breaking out into song entirely as you too
reflect on your music taste and how it has influenced other aspects of your life as it
did mine. The composition of my Spotify playlists to the composition of my most
compelling essays is much closer than you may expect.
1
Story 1 – Incipit
When I was ten years old, I started going to sleepaway camp in the summer. It
was my first time being away from home and familiar experiences, thus I found
myself being influenced by things that were fresh and new to me. This included
music. Music has always had a big impact on how I felt and acted. To this day, I
cannot function without some form of music in my head. When I do not have access
to music, I will hum or sing to myself to stay sane.
At camp, the music that was played was Electronic Dance Music (EDM) or
Big House. This was music with few words, intended for a mosh pit style of dancing.
It was a chaotic, fun, lively party vibe. I loved the feeling this music gave me when I
was in camp, and it stuck with me even back in school. This music became the
primary style I would listen to throughout elementary school. The issue was that this
music was not conducive to study or focused writing. I did not love writing at the
time and my style reflected it. My essays were disorganized if I could even write
them at all. I remember in sixth grade, I somehow passed without submitting four of
my essays.
2
This is an image of the cover of the track Tremor by Martin Garrix. Martin
Garrix was one of the most relevant artists in the genre at the time, and this
particular track was one of the most popular big house tracks ever. This track was the
first thing I heard when I first came to sleepaway camp. It remains an incredibly
nostalgic sound to me, as it reminds me of the good times I had there. It was my
anthem for the next four years or so. I can still hum the music note for note to this
day.
3
Story 2 - Development
Moving forward from elementary school, my music taste evolved along with
my general interests. At this time, I became absorbed in discovering where I came
from and where my family came from. I had always known my parent were Israeli,
but I had never known my grandparents and great-grandparents had come from
Europe, Central Asia, and South America. This realization awakened a desire in me to
learn about the countries my family came from, as well as those around them. Before
I knew it, I had become a full-blown geography nerd who could name every country,
where they were located, the shape of their borders, et cetera.
During this time, I was also listening to foreign music, mostly Israeli, but I
dabbled in other cultures. A huge difference I noticed in the way songs from the
region are written when compared to popular American music is that their music is
much more poetic in nature. It is carefully written like a stroke of paint is drawn on a
canvas, rather than following a repetitive, mind-numbing formula. This, along with
the insane amount of essay writing I had done in my high school career, had
improved my ability to write compelling works significantly. It was the first time I
had received such positive feedback from my teachers.
4
This is an image of the album Album 2 by Eden Hason. It includes some of the
artist’s most popular songs, including At Hasera Li and Shki’ot Adumot, both of
which I listen to rather frequently. Eden Hason is one of the most popular artists in
my family’s home country of Israel and is well known even among American Israelis
and Jews who may not listen to Israeli music so frequently. I even attended a concert
of his in New York City not too long ago with my mother. It was a wonderful
experience. As the title suggests, Album 2 is his second album, followed by Album 3.
5
Story 3 - Coda
Finally, we have come to the last couple of years. During my time
abroad after high school, I still primarily listened to Israeli music. However, when I
was abroad, I started going to the gym. I was blessed to have people in my apartment
who were avid weightlifters and strongly encouraged me to join them. The gym had
not only made me stronger, but also helped me to recognize the strength I already
had. At my strongest, I was able to bench press eighty kilograms, outpacing one of the
guys who brought me into the gym in the first place. In the gym, we primarily
listened to rap or hip-hop music, as it would get us in the mood for lifting heavy
weight. In a way, I think the music made us stronger. Not necessarily in the sense that
it made us physically stronger, but it certainly made us feel more confident, bordering
on arrogance. We felt like we could take on anything.
I still listen to rap and hip-hop today, even though my gym activity has
decreased significantly. It helps me to feel confident and energized. The lyrical
mastery some artists have, such as Eminem or 50 Cent, has also contributed to my
ability to write compelling work. It has taught me to weave subjects together like a
“flow.”
6
This is an image of the album Encore by Eminem. It includes iconic songs
from the artist such as Never Enough and Mockingbird that I listen to frequently.
Eminem is a star, often included in conversations debating who is the greatest rapper
of all time. I would argue a strong case for it, given his sales, monthly listener count,
and impact on rap culture as a whole. Encore is his fifth album and was intended to
be his last. It was released in 2004 and would not be followed up until Relapse in
2009. It was met with mixed reviews from both critics and Eminem himself.
7
Index
Music:
Album 2: 5
Album: 5, 7
Coda: 6
Development: 4
Encore: 7
Incipit: 2
Artist:
50 Cent: 6
Eden Hason: 5
Eminem: 6, 7
Martin Garrix: 3
Genre:
Big House: 2
Electronic Dance Music (EDM): 2
Hip-hop: 6
Israeli: 4-6
Rap: 6, 7
Places
Abroad: 6
Central Asia: 4
Elementary School: 1-2, 4
Europe: 4
Gym: 6
High School: 4, 6
Israel: See Israeli
South America: 4
