Kind Magic

Did you hold the door open for anyone today?
 Did you let anyone step in front of you on your way into school, the cafeteria, a classroom?
Lend anyone a pencil, pick up a fallen book or paper?
For most of you, the answer is probably yes, you did in fact do one or more of those things. All of you are well-mannered, considerate and generally just a nice bunch of kids. So, for today, or the next 7 days as it were, let's take that one step further. This will require a bit of imagination, introspection and innovation, so again, don't sit down to this blog on Sunday night at 11pm and think you can do a respectable job on it.

Ok, so imagine, one morning, after a kindly old wizard--who bears a striking resemblance to Albus Dumbledore--visits you in your dreams, you awaken with the power to give one person anything in the entire universe. What would it be and why?

Now, that question, while startling limited in word content, is not as simple or straighforward as it seems.
I am not actually asking you to go ask someone what wish he or she would like to have granted (which seems like the obvious assumption given that I started off talking about wizards and magic); Instead, I am asking you what YOU want to give someone if you had the power to give them anything, and I am asking you to explain that choice.  Additionally, because there is always an "additionally," I would also like to know what advice you would give this person after you have bestowed this "gift" upon him or her.

Lyrical Philosophies and Identity

Your identity is unique to you.  The way you view life, love, people, the world--all of that make up your personal philosophy and that's what contributes to your personal identity.

Philosophies about life and love and happiness and adventures are as vast and varied as we are as individuals.  Figuring them out, deciding how you want to look at the world, and how you want the world to look at you, is an integral part of the search for identity. 

 Googling quotes about those things may provide a glimpse into something worth exploring, so start there if you wish, but remember--we are, for better or worse, a gang of intellectuals.  And to that end, we shall explore to depths a quick glance at quotes would never allow.

Many of you use music as a gateway. To sanity, to serenity, to solace and/or to solitude. Music, to many of you, is an escape from the harsh realities of teenage life. 
So, now it is also going to be a tool in which you come to a greater understanding of how you see the world, and how you see yourself. I'm trying to ruin music for you--quite the opposite, actually.  I am kind of hoping you'll get a clearer understanding of why you like music that you do.

Think about all the music you love to listen to. Specifically, think about the lyrics to songs you love. Now, I want you to pick one or two songs that adequately encapsulate how you feel about life, your life. Of course, like a quote, nothing can COMPLETELY "sum up" your entire life--I understand that. But many songs, either through explicit or implied messages in lyrics, can at least provide a concrete example of either what you want out of life, what you want out love and how you want to be perceived, taken, understood etc.

So, your task this week is to tell us about a song, copy a few of the refrains/chorus/passages, and explicate their meaning(s) to you.  
First, try to look at the song objectively--from a purely lang-intellectual standpoint.  That is, identify metaphors or imagery, hone in on concrete and abstract language, and try to analyze how the songwriter put together the lines to tell a story.  
Why does one lyric come first? Why is that the chorus? Etc.

Then talk about what the song means to you, specifically. Try to pick ones that have some depth and that will provide a deeper understanding of your innate beliefs.