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Counting Crows
Nirvana
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Narrative Songs About Domestic Violence
We have listened to "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and "Luka" by Suzanne Vega. Both of these songs are about domestic violence. Write a 1-2 paragraph analysis of these songs. You may choose to discuss the meaning of each song, the message, or the writer's purpose, or you may compare and contrast the two songs. Be insightful!
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I think the meaning of the song "face down" by Red Jumpsuit apparatus is that a guy who beats up a girl only does it to make his ego feel better. He only does it to make him feel like more of a man. He thinks that she needs him but in reality he really needs her, but when he relizes that shes not going to be there because of all the abuse she took from him.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of theh song "Luka" by Suzanne Vega is that you need help if you are getting abused. Shes trying to say that if someone asks you if everything is okay when its not its ok to tell them what is happening. It doesnt hurt you even more if anything it will help you and stop you from being abused.
Tyana J
Domestic Violence is a very serious issue in any society. The song "Luca" by Suzanne Vega is about an abused girl who makes excuses for her significant other being abusive. She says things like “I think it’s ‘cos I’m clumsy” and “Walked into the door again.” This is typical of abuse victims of any kind; they make excuses and blame themselves because they can not understand why something so horrible would happen to them for no reason. The song “Face Down” by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is about a man who is in love with a girl but she is trapped in an abusive relationship. He asks the man “Do you feel like a man?” Men or women who are abusive are often called cowards and this is very true. They feel they need to bring someone down and make them scared of them because they are not confidant enough in themselves that they will want to stay with them if they do not. Also it makes them feel better to make someone feel bad and have control over them. I believe that usually people who write about something like domestic violence have either experienced it themselves of witnessed first hand. They can also just want to write about something that they find is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed.
ReplyDelete"Face Down" Everytime the guy looks at the girl, it makes him want to hit her. He keeps hitting her but she still stays around. She loves him so much that she is willing to let him hit her. She thinks that the only reason that he hits her is that she is was being wrong. In the lyrics, it asks if the boy really feels like a man when he hits her? Does he feel like a man when she falls to the ground? Does he think that pushing the girl around makes him feel big?
ReplyDelete"Luka"
It is about a girl named Luka who lives on the second floor. A person may have seen her before. If a person every hears a loud sound then it is not what it seems like. It is only because she is clumsy and she falls a lot. She doesn't want anyone to know what is really going on.
"Face Down" and "Luka" both deal with domestic abuse geared towards women. in both songs the women of interst try to hide what is happening in their lives as a way to possibly pretend like it never happened to them in the first place. In "Face Down" it talks about her always putting on make up and she says that it will never happen again but it does just as the versus repeat themselves, and in "Luka" she says not to ask what is happening so she can avoid the truth and not have to admit it to herself. the songs both have different endings in "Luka" the girl continues to accept the abuse but in "Face Down" she says that shes finally had enough. this is important to shaw what happens because so many women do accept their abusive huasbands and pretend like it never happens for so long until it is too late for anyone to do anything and all they have to do is say that that's enough and get away from him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the three songs we listened to all have different stories, but are trying to send across the same message. In "Face Down" it seems as if there is a friend of an abused girlfriend that narrates. It goes back and forth from talking to her, to her abusive boyfriend, to the audience. The general message is basically does it make you feel like a man hitting and girl and that one day the girl will wake up and realize she deserves better and will leave you. In "Luka" it is entirely narrated from an abused girlfriend and she is talking to her neighbors that you can assume lives in the apartments underneath hers with her boyfriend. The general message is that she will deny it if you ever ask her about it and she blames herself. She also makes excuses and justifications for it.
ReplyDeleteThese two songs discuss the same topic, but have very different styles. "Face Down" is told from a third-person omniscient narrator and "Luka" lends a voice to the woman being abused. The former follows a somewhat standard song pattern, with verses, a chorus, and a bridge, while the latter does not separate verses and does not have the exact same chorus the whole way through. The unorthodox style of “Luka” fits well and allows the listener to identify with the speaker. The music choice also differs. In “Face Down,” the music and singer are angry, but “Luka” has a calm and mellow sound. Both songs convey the cruelty of domestic violence and highlight some unfortunately well-known characteristics of such a situation: "cover up with make up in the mirror" (RJA) and "I'm clumsy....Walked into the door again/If you ask, that's what I'll say" (Vega). Each song lends a different perspective to a horrible scenario.
ReplyDeleteDomestic violence is a bigger problem then people think. in both of these songs the singer sounds depressed and angry. This shows that they are affected very much by the violence. In "Face Down" the singer is asking the abuser if he feels tough because he hits someone and in "Luka" the singer seems aggitated and ashamed. "Face Down" shows the hurt demestic violence can cause to someone and how it makes them feel trapped. "Luka" shows the person becoming lonely and feeling helpless. Both songs send a negative message about domestic violence and show that it is a very serious issue in our world today.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the song Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and the song Luka by Suzanne Vega are similar in their subjects, they are also very different in the way they portray the characters. Luka is a more mellow song with the speaker being less strong-willed as the speaker in Face Down. This could be due to the character's position in the song. Luka is a woman being abused whereas the speaker of Face Down is someone who is in love with the woman being abused. He expresses more anger throughout the song because he is seperated from the situation. He does not make excuses for the man whom is abusing.The speaker in Face Down accuses and passionately mocks the abuser. Although Luka wants a better fate for herself, she comes off as accepting the abuse. She does not really fight against it. The woman abused in Face Down is different than the woman in Luka because she has more fight. She is in denial about it recurring but then she says she has had enough. It is up to the audience to decide whether she actually ended it or not. This actually might make Luka the stronger one though because Luka is realistic and acknowledges what is going on, she just does not fight against it.
ReplyDeleteIn today's world, domestic violence happens on a regualar basis. It is a huge problem, that no one should have to face. In "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the song is describing a women being physically abused by her spouse. This song sends a pacticular strong messege for people that suffer from domestic violence that they can stand up for themselves and say, "I finally had enough!" In "Luca" by Suzanne Vega, this song is describing a women who lives on the second floor of an apartment and is describing all the sounds the person below hears. She says excuses for her wounds like, "Walked into the door again." This song sends the message that if you are suffering from domestic violence, get out of the relationship and save your life before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteBoth "Luka" and "Facedown" addressed the issue of domestic violence. "Facedown" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus mainly focused around a man who is abusing his girlfriend/friend. The main element of the song to me is the vocals. The singer at some points screams to enhance the theme of the song, and to further express the anger and rage involved in domestic violence. Ironically, at the end of the song the one being abused has had enough and puts an end to the pain. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus did a great job explaining the growing concern of domestic violence in "Facedown"
ReplyDelete"Luka", by Suzanne Vega, is also about a girl who is experiencing domestic violence. The song sends a powerful message of how she wants to tell someone of the abuse, but is too scared. The following lyric is good evidence for how Luca is afraid of what will happen if she tells someone. "If you ask, that's what I'll say, Walked into the door again." Also, "Luka" also tries to explain how domestic violence could be closer to home than you think. The lyric, "I live upstairs from you", expresses the widespread violence that is occuring today. Both songs are great examples of domestic violence, and help to spread the word of the growing concern of domestic violence
With face down to me it is telling a story of domestic violence. In the song it illustrates how a girl is in a bad relationship and she trys to advoid what happened to her and say it didnt happen. In the lyrics "cover up with makeup in the mirror..." its explaining how she has been beaten and she is trying to hide what her boyfriend has done to her. Also in the song they basically call out the guy who is doing this to his girlfriend by saying "do you feel like a man when you push her around?" They are trying to prove a point by saying that does it make you feel better/bigger because you can beat up someone and hurt them.
ReplyDeleteWith Luka its illustrating for us how a fight can happen and what goes on during them. "If you heard something late last night, some kind of trouble some kind of fight..." This is telling us that what bad relationships can lead to. It discribes that somethines other people know that people are being hurt and can either step in and say something or sit back and do nothing. The girl that gets hurt in this song makes excuses on what her cuts bruises are from. She says that shes clumsy and she blames them on stuff like that. Also the song states that the other people that know Luka and know whats going on should stay out of her life because its hers not theirs. With domestic violence some people are brave enough to come forward and present the issue and let themselves be heard about it and get help. While others sadly are to afraid and continue to be hurt by others. Thats what believe about domestic violence.
All the songs we listened to are about domestic violence. Each song has a powerful message that the singer is trying to convey, but each song says it differently. "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is talking to the girl who is being abused and then switches and talks to the person abusing her. The song "Luka" is talking to a neighbor, but not admitting what is really happening to her. She makes excuses as to what really happened. She almost blames it on herself for what is truly happening.
ReplyDelete"Facedown" and "Luca" both have to do with domestic violence towards women. In Facedown it's about a girl who is beaten up by a man and the only reason he does it is to make himself feel more powerful. In Luca it's about a girl who is trying to avoid the fact that it is happening and blames herself for it happening. Both artists probably thought to write these songs because it's a big issue that needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteDomestic Violence is a very serious issue. Both songs, “Face Down” and “Luka”, deal with domestic violence. “Face Down” is different from the other song because the narrator is not the one being abused or the abuser. Instead, he is a friend of the one that is being abused. This is a different perspective from the song “Luka” because the narrator is the one that is being abused. Also, the tones are very different. The tone in “Luka” is unaffected because it sounds like she has dealt with this abuse for a long time. “Face Down’s” tone is very different because the narrator sounds extremely angry that someone could hurt his friend like this.
ReplyDeleteEven though these songs are very different, they both portray a very strong message. “Luka” sounds like she deals with the abuse on a nightly basis. Also, she blames herself for the abuse, “I think it’s ‘cos I’m clumsy… I try not to talk too loud”. No matter what she does, she gets abused anyways but she does not see that. Instead, she never blames her attacker and makes excuses for all of the bruises that her attacker leaves. “Face Down” is from an outside perspective. The narrator can see all of the pain that his friend is going through and does not get what kind of a man could put his hands on a woman. He is sick of seeing all of the abuse that his friend is being put through and he tells the abuser that there are going to be consequences for his actions. Also, he warns the abuser that if he does not change his actions, she will eventually leave him. Both of these songs help the listeners to connect with either the victim or the friend of the victim, and you are able to tell the difference between them.
The songs “Face Down” by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and “Luka” by Suzanne Vega both talk about domestic violence. Throughout the song “Face Down” the person is talking to someone who is abusive to their girlfriend. He constantly is asking the person why he pushes her around and letting him know that the consequences of his actions will have an affect on him in the near future. When he says, “A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect” he is saying that if he keeps on pushing her around he might loose her and she leave because of, “a new life she has found”. I also believe that the person talking is falling or has fallen in love with this person and the new life she found is with him because he would not hurt her like the person is now.
ReplyDeleteIn “Luka” the person is talking to her neighbor about all of the commotion that happens in her apartment upstairs from the person. She tells of the abuse that happens by saying, “They only hit until you cry”. Also she says to the person that she had the bruises because she, “walked into the door again”. This is just her cover up story for the abuse that is taking place. But at the end she tells the person that she is talking to not to ask how she is and not to ask her what the commotion is because she won’t tell. She is embarrassed because of the violence and does not want to admit to being hurt. She just wants to be alone. These songs are about domestic violence.
In class, we have listened to two songs: "Face Down" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and "Luka" by Suzanne Vega. Both of these songs deal with the issue of domestic violence, but in two different ways.
ReplyDelete"Face Down" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus tells the story of a girl in an abusive relationship. The speaker is trying to tell the girl's abusive boyfriend to let her be and leave her alone. He questions the abuser, asking him things like, "Do you feel like a man when you push her around?" and "Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?" The speaker repeats these questions all throughout the song in its chorus, and warns him that "one day this world's going to end" and "as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found". The speaker is telling the abuser that one day she will get the courage to leave, and he will be left alone. In the end, the girl finally gets up the courage to say, "I've finally had enough".
The song "Luka" by Suzanne Vega also deals with a girl in an abusive relationship. However, this song is told from the perspective of a girl named Luka. Luka is the victim of an abusive boyfriend, but she does not hold any hope, like the girl in "Face Down". She simply takes the beatings, and says, "Just don't argue anymore". Luka thinks that it is her fault she is beaten, and questions if it is because of the fact she is clumsy, loud, or maybe even crazy. She doesn't tell anybody her problems, she says, "it's not your business anyway". She makes up excuses for her bruises and scars, telling anyone who asks that she "walked into the door again". Luka avoids questioning, telling the listener, "Just don't ask me anymore" and "Just don't ask me what it was". Luka's hope has been broken by the constant beating she has taken from her boyfriend, and she has lost the will to fight.
Domestic violence is an issue that can affect many people, and yet they don't wish to talk about it. Songs are a powerful way to express this.
"Face Down" and "Luca" are both very powerful songs that concern the issue of domestic violence in relationships. In Face Down I think the writers purpose was to inform people about what can really be going on in relationships that we don't know about because the victims often deny it. "Cover up with makeup in the mirror" is an example of how the girlfriend is trying to hide her abuse from the world because she thinks that maybe it won't happen again, or maybe she is just to scared or embarrassed to tell anyone. Embarrassment sounds awful but it may be the truth, a girl may feel like she has no control over this or that she is letting it happen and she does not to admit it to anyone. Another message I think the writers put in this song is in the form of a warning. "Every action in the world will bare a consequence" This is a clear warning that eventually somehow this man will get what he pays for. I think these are two really strong messages that both act as warning for the abuser to stop before things go to far.
ReplyDeleteIn the song Luca I think the main message is that often victims of domestic violence will deny it until the bitter end. This is really sad because I don't think they realize that people are willing to help them. " I guess I'd like to be alone" This shows that the Luca would rather be left alone to face the abuse instead of tell anyone. It is really unfortunate that some girls are willing to take whatever comes at them because they are scared to let anyone else know. I think the writer is trying to make people understand that victims of violence will sometimes do whatever it takes to be left alone but they shouldn't because there are people out their willing to help them.
It is unfortunate that this is a common issue in our society. Statistically, many abusers are police officers, but I digress. These songs both discuss the sensitive issue of abuse, yet they have different approaches to the topic. “Luca” shows us it from the perspective of the victim and how they teach themselves to be ok with it. And they find reasons to justify their spouse’s actions. Whereas “Face Down” shows how people can react to finding out about this kind of situation. Both songs have the ability to tug on ones heart strings. Because it can been seen a lot and it is such a depressing thing to hear about. Sadly if a victim does come forward, some times it comes down to a he said she said battle
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