Choose any lyric from the texts on the course syllabus (Cole Porter, Paul Muldoon, John K. Samson, Patti Smith, Zora Neale Hurston) or from associated material (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan . . .), and offer a close reading of that lyric. OR Choose a brief excerpt from one of the prose texts (Roddy Doyle, Lavinia Greenlaw, Zora Neale Hurston) or a scene from an episode of Freaks and Geeks, and offer a close analysis of that excerpt, paying particular attention to the ways in which popular song is represented in your selection. You must have a clear, focused argument for your reading: what is the central point of your interpretation? How do you read this text or scene, and why is that reading significant? What idea(s) about song or its cultural value do you want to convey? Remember to examine directly the relationship(s) between form and meaning. How do the style and structure of the lyric or excerpt that you've chosen contribute to what it articulates? How do words and music (and image) interrelate? What is a key concept put at issue in this text or scene? How? Why? You may also wish to think about the various contexts for the song you're investigating: Who sings it? Who listens to it? How does its performance -- live or recorded -- affect what it comes to mean for people? What is the song used for, socially or culturally?
Your essay ahould be no more than 1500 words (four to five typed double-spaced pages). Please follow the current MLA style for format and documentation. If you choose to write on a lyric not from the course texts, please submit a copy of the lyrics with your paper.
Due in class on Friday, March 7, 2014.