Lets try something new here - I don't think very many people will have something to say on Tuesday about the song. If this post gets even one comment by the next class, I'll consider it a success - you've got the cloak of anonymity here, we hardly know the names of those that sit next to us! No shame!
Ea is a political "uprising" song, asking the people to rise up and fight for their rights - which certainly happened with the number of protests in recent years. "Uprise" itself is an interesting term, mostly because those in the class from Hawaii have always heard the term uprise due to the prevalence of Reggae/Island music. The fact that Pidgin does not strictly apply "Standard English" grammar is a point of thought too, why would it seem out of place when people don't understand what's wrong?
As to other underlined phrases, we've got "are you feeling this?" and "trippin'". Lets start with "are you feeling this?": At first glance it appears to be a simple call out to see if the audience is following, but it also serves as a call to see if they feel the plight of their ancestors before them. Driving nice big trucks, sipping from green bottles with nary a thought to what happened in the past can be turned around with a few simple lines about homeless being driven from the beaches, with Hawaiian Homelands being restricted to those of 50% quantum or more, with the future attempts of others "gonna try and cross that line." The people are asked to become "Warriors! Stepping through the mist", a complete turn around from the lives they led before hearing this song.
Agree? Disagree? I'll return to post more later.
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I like your analysis of "uprise" and Sudden Rush using it as the method to tell the people to stand up for what's right and to fight for what they believe in. When I read "are you feeling this?", I thought of it as Sudden Rush asking the people if they agree with and/or feel what is being said in the song. Your point of the people driving trucks and sitting around drinking beer is a good one too. Ignorance is bliss, and people can have the tendency to fall into a "convenient" lifestyle and forget about the struggles of the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of the phrase "are you feeling this?". To me, it is also used to check if the audience is understanding and feeling what native Hawaiians have felt with their monarchy was overthrown. Hawaiians have since then been oppressed by the US government. It was worse in the beginning when Hawaiian could not be taught or spoken. Hula could not be performed. Sudden Rush's song, EA, supported a Hawaiian uprise out of oppression. For those who didn't know what EA meant, having listened to this song imbedded the meaning to your memory.
ReplyDeleteI found the song EA by Sudden Rush very simple but yet very meaningful. I agree with what you had to say in your blog. You really thought about the analytical aspect of this song and brought up great meanings to the key words. When I was listening to the song and heard the phrase, "are you feeling this?" I kind of got this feeling. I believe this phrase is in the song to connect with the listeners and make them reflect on their thoughts and ideas. The term uprise has many meanings. I agreed with your meaning behind it in the sense of standing up for what you believe in and not giving up.
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