Structure

Post Written By: Chris Stein

     There are many structure forms in literature, the most common being exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This is similar to a musical structure for songs which tends to be verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus in most forms of music produced in America. 

     An exposition sets the scene, introduces the characters - especially the main character- and gives background. Rising action builds tension within the reader, and leads to the peak action known as the climax. The climax of a story is the point of greatest tension and often times a turning point - an epic battle scene, a face-off between two superheros or the point where the protagonist ultimately accomplishes or doesn't accomplish their goal. Following the climax is falling action, where a multitude of events can occur, all with less tension or importance than the climax. To tie up all loose ends and leave the reader in a state of satisfaction, the story concludes with a resolution. This structure is common and perhaps overused in commercial fiction, making most of its books predictable and, in the mind of most scholars, completely useless in the realm of literature (ex. Steven King novels). Although, plots can deviate from this traditional structure in experimantal literature such as stream of consciousness. 

     In a similar way, music has structure and form among its many defining elements. Most music follows a general pattern of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus with minor deviations to make the song more pleasing or displeasing to the ear. This is called the ABC pattern. 

     Structures within art forms such as literary fiction and music help define and unify the work. Sometimes rigid, overused structures make the work predictable and easily forgettable which is why, over the years, authors and artists alike have broken the tradition and branched out in form and structure to make a more memorable and interesting work. As an audience, we live for the deviation. Occasionally we enjoy traditional literature and music, but just as nobody wants to read the same book over and over for the rest of their life, no one would want to listen to the same song over and over on repeat, and therefore structure and form must deviate in order to keep interest and gain or maintain reputation.

Quotations

Post Written By: Chris Stein

     Quotations have a place our lives more than just in literature we read for fun or for class. Quotes can also be found in music whether they are a "quote" of the melody, such as a remade song or a remix, or actual words taken from another song. Regardless of whether we find these quotes in literature or in music there are complications to both applications. In literature, the author must make an intuitive decision on the type of integration used in these quotes. In music, the producer must make sure they stay within the "fair use" policy if they don't want to run into copyright infringement and other legal issues. Plagiarism is also a relatively big issue within the world of music. Producers copy other songs and claim to take credit for the brilliance of the original artist. This is made blatantly obvious through songs that sound almost identical. For example, in 1963, Brian Wilson composed a song for the Beach Boys called "Surfin' U.S.A." claiming it to be an original work when in fact, five years earlier in 1958, a song called "Sweet Little Sixteen" was written and performed by African American singer/songwriter Chuck Berry. The two songs are identical.

     Besides people stealing melodies from previous artists and composers, quotes in music can also be found in the form of lyrics. For example, in Giacomo Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" he quotes the United States National Anthem in the very beginning. Quotations can be used in almost any media, from operas to hip-top to classic literature. Regardless of the application, when used correctly, quotations add diversity and support to a work. If a quote is powerful, moving and thought provoking, it will often catch the eye of an artist or writer looking to add depth to their otherwise dull work. Quotations are an extremely useful tool that are used by authors and artists alike.




More examples of songs that sound the same:

The Police- "Message In A Bottle"          vs.          Rihanna- "Love Without Tragedy"

Steely Dan- "Reelin' In The Years"          vs.          The Strokes- "Gratification"

Symbolism

Post Written by Chris Stein

     There are many obscurities in Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants, but there is also symbolism and an underlying theme. Given the overly vague nature of the story, the reader could interpret this story in many different ways, possibly even missing the theme completely. This reenactment is almost as awkward as me trying to read it and decipher the true meaning. Only watch if you're willing to waste 9:46 of your life on assessing the awkwardness of both my struggle and a rather comedic attempt to recreate the world's most vague story.

     What makes the short story so difficult is that Hemingway never explicitly mentions abortion. This quality employed by Hemingway creates more thought provoking literature as well as a challenge to correctly interpret the author's true thoughts. In a similar way, music and songs that don't explicitly state their meaning or purpose often elude the typical listener in understanding, but if you slow down and purposefully analyze a song to come up with the sometimes hidden theme, you will have a better appreciation for not only the song but the artist as well. The song "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls is a perfect example of this. Many of us probably enjoy music from the Goo Goo Dolls, but have we ever once stopped to think about the lyrics? "Slide" is a song about a pregnant teenage girl living in a strict Catholic environment who, along with her boyfriend, debate on whether or not to keep the child or have an abortion. Probably the most obvious link to abortion is found in the verse "don't you love the life you killed." Never in the song does lead singer John Rzeznik say the word abortion, upon further analysis of the song, it becomes clear that the main theme, laced into a Billboard ranked #9 song for 20 years, is the theme of abortion.

Two more songs that you may or may not know are about abortion: