Music as an Indicative of the History of Puerto Rico :: Culture cultural History Puerto Rican Essays

Music as an Indicative of the History of Puerto Rico During Dr. Lise Waxer’s October 29th lecture she characterized "music" as being indicative of the history of a people, a way of establishing social relations, and being a forum for dialogue. However, upon a critical analysis of the claims within her lecture and the issues discussed within Ruth Glasser’s My Music is My Flag, I believe that modern studies of Puerto Rican popular culture reveal more about the present state of Puerto Rican identity than the historical subjects themselves. It is clear that above all else Puerto Rican musical history, from its evolution on the island and in the diaspora, was created and conditioned by the US colonial system. Therefore, any attempt to elevate its significance may be more of a classed-based attempt to elevate their social position within the context of colonized historical reality. Before embarking upon this analysis it is important to note that Ruth Glasser is not Puerto Rican. Although she is "a nice Jewish girl" studying the history of Puerto Rican music, the fact that she is not Puerto Rican does not exclude her from misinterpreting the significance of her findings (xv). From the onset of her analysis she presents herself in opposition to "the traditional historian’s" assumptions about Puerto Rican history. She claims that "many popular and scholarly assessments suggest that Puerto Rican musicians have left their own ostensibly meager musical resources behind and [have]‘merely’ adopted Cuban sounds" (3). This opinion, she claims, characterizes Puerto Rican musical culture as being "imported," meaning that it has no self-sustaining historical traditions of its own. Such a claim would also challenge Lise Waxer’s claims which characterize Puerto Rican music as a manifestation of Puerto Rican national history. Glasser in turn proceeds within her study to describe the numerous historical traditions of Puerto Rican music. Most prominent among these traditions is the fact that many of the early bands under early US colonial rule began as military bands during the First World War. Indeed, the US army band soldiers were examples of the first musical experience during the Puerto Rican Diaspora because their travels to Europe allowed some musician form "a particularly prominent part of the United States Army’s most famous musical ensembles. [For example] the 369th Infantry "Hellfighters" Band" (54). As professional musician these people benefitted greatly by gaining access to more traditional forms of musical skills.

Gatorade †Every Game Needs a Hero Essay

The commercial is about the new Gatorade commercial entitled Every Game Needs a hero. The commercial uses stop motion to feature an ongoing game. With its monochromatic form, the only thing that can be viewed in full color is the Gatorade item that can be found on the side where the water jug must be put in.   The commercial uses the song O-fortuna by Therion, which is a very famous song used as soundtrack in a lot of suspense, actions, and adventure movies. Several sports were featured like baseball, basketball, football and tennis. Finally, the commercial made its subjects moved by exemplifying the climax of the game, hand in hand with inspirational short phrases. Moreover, a grand finale is set by showing the Gatorade logo in the end. By watching the commercial, it is indeed clear that the commercial is a type of brand Advertising. In this case, Gatorade has promoted its brand by using famous sports personalities to persuade people to buy its product. Gatorade is an energy drink suited to fight dehydration. Every athlete exerts their full force when playing a game and because of that, they partially or fully lose the water levels in their body causing them to dehydrate. With Gatorade’s goal, to re-hydrate, replenish and refuel, it is certainly effective to use some sports personalities to endorse its product. In their website, they are fully promoting that Gatorade is faster to absorb that water in rehydrating an active person’s body. The commercial, in my opinion as the bystander, is very easy to like. When I first watched it, it is undeniably eye-catching. The commercial implies a lot of curiosity in which a viewer will not hesitate to watch it until the end. The special effects used in this commercial, although not new, were very effective. The opening scene was stunning especially when everyone can relate to the visuals presented on the first frames of the commercial. When it comes to the music used, I personally like it, not to mention I am a big fan of the band Therion, but also because it is very familiar to everybody’s ear. The music used as part of the effects of every game was very effective. On the other hand, there are still some aspects in the commercial in which I, as the viewer will be able to dislike. If I didn’t see the Gatorade jug on a part of the commercial and instead, jumped on the middle or latter part of it, I would never have thought that it’s from Gatorade. The stop motion thing is good but was poorly edited or visually criticized. Also, the Gatorade thing in this commercial was poorly emphasized as well as the message is quite vague. The theme every game needs a hero is quite fuzzy as delivered in the commercial. It comes in a way in which leaving me, as a viewer confused by finding out who the hero was, is it Gatorade or the sports personalities? I may even think that the hero is me. By interpreting all the thoughts gathered in watching this Gatorade commercial, I have come to a wrap-up thought that Gatorade is just simply emphasizing that everyone can become like any other sports personalities just by putting Gatorade beside them. The commercial put a lot of energy in me, in which I would not hesitate to watch it over and over again.   It affects most to those who really love sports. In contrast, it may minimally affect those who have no heart for any sport activities. However, the commercial is stunning especially is viewed first time. All in all, I could say that the commercial is exceptionally effective.

Luxury vehicle Essay

1. Cadillac introduced it’s new luxury SUV that is called the Escalade, and they had no idea in what direction it would lead to. To their surprise, it becomes a instant classic and the most popular truck on the market. They weren’t set out to target a specific customer base, they just wanted to keep up with the SUV craze. They saw other companies putting out similar vehicles, so they wanted to dip into that market. Once it released, it seemed to become a staple in the hip hop community, sports world, and for regular customers looking for a luxury SUV. It became most prominent however in the hip hop and sports cultures. You see tons of athletes arriving to the games in their escalades, and a lot of hip hop artists have them featured in their music videos. For some reason, it just excelled in the market, and there is really no particular reason for it. It could be because of how unique it looks, the luxurious features, or just off the time it was released. The music and sports industry started to boom so there was a lot of money to be spent and the Escalade was the newest and hottest item on the street. 2. The Escalade became so popular I believe for the power it represents. I feel that if you own a Escalade, you have a sense of power in a way. Whether it shows that you have money, a sense of style, or anything else, it just brings off a certain type of vibe. It shows some type of boldness as well, because you think of personality when you think of an Escalade. When you look at one, you notice first how the shiny grill stands out and just how luxurious the car is. I think in a way Cadillac has extended its appeal because now a lot of the Cadillacs feature the shiny grill. You also see its influence on other vehicles, because a lot of competitors base their models off of it and try to make some similarities. 3. Other companies have a lot to learn from the Escalade. If they do it right, maybe they can become the leader in luxury SUVs. It’s all about whom you have to endorse your product and how you market it out to the public. Cadillac know it has many endorsers that are famous and widely known throughout the world. When you have people of that magnitude openly using your products, you gain a tremendous amount of recognition. Also, before you come up with a new concept or design, you should allow potential customers to see the product to see if it would be something they would like. If you market your product correctly, there is a good chance that it will be successful just like the Cadillac Escalade. Case Study Cadillac is one of the most popular vehicle brands in the United States to this date. As Americans, we tend to treat it differently because it is the luxury brand of our Country. Since it is an American made car, we take a sense of pride in it, and owning one is something special. In 1998 there started to be a craze for mid size SUVs, and just like every other vehicle company, Cadillac had some thoughts in mind. They released their brand new line of the Cadillac Escalade, a large luxurious SUV. When they originally released it, they felt that their market would be traditional customers, but boy, where they wrong. In fact, it was the complete opposite. The Escalade seemed to become nationally recognized when it was constantly featured in hip hop videos, commercials, and the sports industry. While Cadillac didn’t intend to get into those specific markets, I’m sure they aren’t complaining because of how much recognition it gave them. However, it does seem to brush off a certain bad image when you see it featured in some of those ways. When you see a Escalade in a hip hop video that has drugs, half naked women, and curse words, it may rub some of your other customers off. It can be seen as a gang car, and you certainly don’t want to be driving one of those in certain areas. A regular family can be in the market for a SUV, but they may get a negative vibe from the Escalade because it may come off as being too â€Å"hood† or â€Å"ghetto† for them. I’m not too sure how a car can gain that characteristic, but I understand by it being featured and abused in certain ways, it can portray a negative image. Cadillac can feature their products in certain ways, and be able to be seen as a positive vehicle that is made for everybody. They can limit their exposure in hip hop videos if they feel that is necessary. When you see certain commercials you notice that the brand symbol is blurred out. If Cadillac saw this as a dilemma, they can gain access to have their emblems blurred out in rap videos that feature bad behavior. They can still gain national recognition by more of a formal type of commercial. This way, you do not offend any particular race, and show that the vehicle is suitable for people of all ages, color, and race. Cadillac has become on of the mot powerful and influential car brand, that I feel they don’t need to do too much to market themselves. They already have a tremendously large market.