American Pie :: essays research papers

"American Pie" by Don McLean, is a very interesting song. After listening to the lyrics and the song itself, there is a meaning to this song. Each line of the lyrics has a special meaning to what Don McLean wanted to say, but in his own special way. If one was to look at each lyrics one by one, they will be able to find out the big picture of the whole song. It tells a story of Mclean's favorite performers, Buddy HOlly. American Pie was rumoured to be the name of the plane that BUddy Holly died in. In the begining of the song, he starts out saying, "A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music made me smile. ANd i knew if I had a chance, that i could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while." THis line is talking about how when he was a child he listened to great performers of his time and how he could do the same and make other teenagers happy with his song and make them want to dance and be merry. "But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver, bad news on the doorstep. I couldnt take one more step, I can't remember if I cried when i read about his widowed bride. But something touched me deep inside, the day the music died." This line is the day back in February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash. As a child, McLean was a paper boy and the news papers that were being passed that day was spreading "bad" news to everyones' doorstep and Buddy Holly's wife was pregnent when he died and later she had a miscarage. That date, was also refered to the "day music died." "Bye bye Miss American Pie, I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, SIgning This'll be the day that i die. THis'll be the day that i die." This is the chorus line. Miss American Pie was someone McLean had dated as a teenager. It was rumoured he was dating a Miss American candidate at the time. It is also refering to saying good by to the plane that had all three performers. The levee refers to a Movie called MIssissippi Burning, which was about three college students registering to vote as black voters, but were killded and dragged to a levee.

Bridewealth and the American Culture

Bridewealth and the American Culture Family and personal assets affect the choices we make in picking the right mate in Western Culture. The ways we view these issues influences are dating practices, and marriage choices. Evolutionary theory predicts certain mannerism that should influence dating. Most of the time evolutionary theory is reflected in mating practices. Mating choices are also affected cross-culturally in other ways like with the Kipsigis and bridewealth. Choices we make for dating and marriage prospects rate differently according to sex and culture. The evolutionary theory predicts that women will value financial prospects higher than men do (Boyd, 2006, 461). Because women have a larger parental investment in a child, they want to be with a mate who will be able to take care of them. In David Buss' research he found that knowing a persons culture rather than gender will indicate preferences except for good financial prospects(Boyd, 2006, 465). For men in Western Culture good financial prospects are lower on their list and good looks is higher. This may be because women who are more attractive to them give the signal that they are less likely to have diseases, and possible based on their body type may be more fertile. Men and women also differ in the preference for the age of their partners. Men tend to date younger women while women date older men. This relates to the evolutionary theory because men’s fertility only slightly decreases with age, while women fertility ends as they reach menopause. It would make sense in evolutionary terms for men to choose women who have the ability to have children and are therefore younger. In actual practice men do choose women that are younger but not all of them are able to have children. â€Å"Older men may desire younger women, but they may also want to find someone who shares their tastes in music, has similar goals in life, and so on† (Boyd, 2006, 462). They may also settle with knowing that they may only be able to date women who are closer to their own age. In Kipsigis culture bridewealth is practiced. Bridewealth is payment giving to the father of the bride from the groom’s father. The payment, tendered in livestock and cash, compensates the bride’s family for the loss of her labor and gives the groom rights to her labor and the children she bears during her marriages† (Boyd, 2006, 468). It is almost like an investment. The more a woman is â€Å"worth† the higher the bridewealth. A woman is also expected to return to her family during the harvest and a higher bridewealth may be paid if the families are too far apart. Higher br idewealth is also paid for women who have had their first menstruation. This also fits in with evolutionary theory that women have a set timeline for having children. As a woman is younger they may be fit to have more children. A plumper woman will fetch a higher the bridewealth as well. Thinness in animals reflects less of ability for children and these views are reflected in the Kipsigis people when they choose women who have more body. In Western culture bridewealth is not common. Typically the bride’s family is expected to pay for much of the wedding reflecting more of a dowry. In both cultures typically the more desirable the woman’s assets are, the better choices of bridewealth or financial prospects. Mating choices and preferences can very from culture to culture. There is one thing that all cultures have in common which is that females prefer a partner with better financial ability. Evolutionary theory favors mating choices that will produce the most amount of fertility. For the Kipsigis this is seen in the healthier plump women and young women who have the ability to have more children. In Western society men rate attractiveness higher than women and often choose younger women as well even if it doesn’t increase fertility. Our mating choices are based on our gender and culture. References Boyd, Robert, & Silk, Joan B. (2006). How Humans Evolved (4th ed. ). New York: W W Norton & Company.

Preveting Teen Suicide - 823 Words

Imagine a girl, 12 years old in her room. She is standing on a chair . She has a rope around her neck which is tied to the ceiling fan. On the count of three she pushes the chair off her feet and then suddenly everything goes black. Suicide is the third cause of death in teens. It takes about 35,000 lives each year, almost 11 million people have tried to take their lives. Suicide can be triggered by many things, this action has many effects but can be solved with some simple steps. Suicide can be triggered by many actions. To start off with , suicide can be caused by many different feelings. Feelings of guilt, shame, anger, rejection or loss can cause suicide. According to D’Arcy Lyness from KidsHealth.org, rejection, hurting, or loss are some emotions out of many which causes suicide Guilt is also a factor which causes this act.(kidshealth.org â€Å"Suicide† By D’Arcy Lyness) Basically, if a person experiences these feelings than they want to escape these hor rible emotions than they pick the route of suicide to evade these feelings. Furthermore, suicide can be provoked by drug or substance abuse. The article â€Å"Suicide† from Kids Health Organization says that â€Å"Teens with alcohol and drug problems are also more at risk for suicidal thinking and behavior.†(kidshealth.org â€Å"Suicide† By D’Arcy Lyness) If a person does drugs or drinks alchocol then they will be more likely to be less happy. Once they take drugs their happy place changes to a new higher level.