Protest

An avenue of Empowerment
Protest
• Protest looks at the world as it is
• And sees the world as it should or could be
• It is about using words to take back what is yours – your
human rights
• Essential question…what is the relationship between literature
(poetry and lyrics), freedom of expression and protest?
Protest
What are protest songs?
*A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement
for social change.
*It may be any genre of music or any style of lyric.
Protest Songs
• Some issues & movements include:
• Women’s suffrage: (The movement to give women the
vote),
• the labour movement (for fair working pay and
conditions),
• the human rights movement, civil rights,
• the anti-war movement and 1960s counterculture, the
feminist movement, the sexual revolution,
• the gay rights movement, animal rights movement,
vegetarianism and veganism, and environmentalism.
• The indigenous land rights movement
Super Six Comprehension Strategy: Predict
Take notes about “By the Rivers of Babylon”

It’s a song
What does it
It’s about a mean?
place called
How was it used
Babylon and a
to protest?
river there.
Does it have any
It could have
significance
metaphoric
today?
meaning
Protest Songs
• Oppression -
• “By the Rivers of Babylon” by various artists
The lyrics are adapted A rastafarian song
The group Boney M
“Rivers of Babylon” Lyrics & Meaning
from the texts of
Psalms 19 and 137
covered the version you originally written and
recorded in 1970.
heard in 1978.
from the Bible.
•Boney M. – Rivers Of Babylon 
•By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye‐eah we
wept, when we remembered Zion.
• 
•By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down Ye‐eah we
wept, when we remembered zion.
• 
•When the wicked
•Carried us away in captivity Required from us a song
•Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land
Super Six Comprehension Strategy: Predict
Take notes about “By the Rivers of Babylon”

It’s a song
What does it It is a Rastafarian
It’s about a mean? song written and
place called recorded in 1970.
How was it used
Babylon and a
to protest?
river there.
Does it have any
It could have
significance
metaphoric
today?
meaning
 Traditional Rastafarian
Brent Dowe, the lead singer worship often included
of the Melodians, said that psalm singing and hymn
“Rivers of Babylon” Lyrics & Meaning
he had adapted Psalm 137 to
the reggae style because he
singing, and Rastas
typically modified the
wanted to increase the words to fit their own
•Boney
public's M. – Rivers
consciousness of the Of Babylon  spiritual conceptions;
Rastafarian
•By the movement and
rivers of babylon, there we
its calls for black liberation
sat down Ye‐Psalm
eah we 137 wept,
was among
their sacred chants.
andwhen we remembered zion.
social justice.
• 
•By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down Ye‐eah we wept,
when we remembered zion.
• 
•When the wicked
•Carried us away in captivity Required from us a song
•Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land
“Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M.
Lyrics and Meaning
•When the wicked
•Carried us away in captivity Requiring of us a song
•Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land
• Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart Be
acceptable in thy sight here tonight
• Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight
• By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down Ye ‐eah we wept, when we remembered zion.
• By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down Ye ‐eah we wept, when we remembered zion. 
•By the rivers of babylon (dark tears of babylon) There we sat down (you got to sing a song)
•Ye‐eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
•When we remember zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
• 
•By the rivers of babylon (rough bits of babylon) There we sat down (you hear the people cry) Ye ‐eah
we wept, (they need their god)
•When we remember zion. (ooh, have the power) Lyricsfreak.com © 2015
“Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M.
Lyrics and Meaning
•By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down Ye ‐eah we wept, when
we remembered zion.
• 
•By the rivers of babylon (dark tears of babylon) There we sat down
(you got to sing a song)
•Ye‐eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
•When we remember zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
• 
•By the rivers of babylon (rough bits of babylon) There we sat down
(you hear the people cry) Ye‐eah we wept, (they need their god)
•When we remember zion. (ooh, have the power)
Comprehension Strategy 2: Questioning
Task – Double Entry Journals

By the Rivers of Babylon - Meaning

From the text My thoughts and research

Babylon is an ancient city in

“By the rivers of Babylon” present-day Iraq (about 85
kilometres south of Baghdad)

Where is Babylon? Psalm 137 is about Jewish people

What historical
significance does it have?
What present-day
significance does it have?
in exile – kicked out of homeland
with the conquest of Babylonia.
In Rastafarian faith, “Babylon” is used
for any governmental system that is
either oppressive or unjust.
Therefore, “By the Rivers of Babylon”
refers to living in a repressive society
and the longing for freedom, just like
the Israelites in captivity.
Protest Songs – by 10 EN 5 2015
• What movements &/or songs can you think of that have to do with
current issues? Turn to a classmate and make a list of several songs
and the issues they address.
• “We are the world” by various = famine
• 30 Seconds to Mars “This is War” – effects of war
• Five Finger Death Punch “Bad Company” – Anti-war
• Michael Jackson “They Don’t Really Care About Us” – Social
alienation
• “Same Love” – Macklemore & Chris Taylor?
• The Script feat. Will.i.am - “Hall of Fame” – Female empowerment
Michael Jackson – “Heal the World” – world hunger
Protest Songs – 10 EN 5 2015
• Michael Jackson -“Black and White” –anti-racism

• Motionless in White “arehaoie reaov’op” – stereotypes and

acceptance
• Taylor Swift -“Mean” – cliques and social isolation
• Disturbed “Land of Confusion” – rebellion against
governmental greed
• Gloria Gaynor – “I will survive” – women’s liberation
 Predicting: Strategy 3
Prediction Bingo
Purpose:
•To connect a your prior knowledge to a topic or
concept
•To identify any gaps in your basic
understanding
•To engage you in future content and ideas

Description:
• This strategy may be used when approaching a
new text or extract (start or mid topic) or when
checking your own background knowledge.
Non-Fiction Text – Online Newsmagazine
Article
• From Crikey.com.au
• From an arts section of the magazine called ‘Daily Review’
• The article is entitled “Australia’s Top 10 (Political) Rock Songs” by
James Rose published Feb 20, 2014
• Brief synopsis – It features Australian in the 1970s and 1980s that
would become “Australian pub rock”
 Predicting: Strategy 3
Prediction Bingo Procedure
1. Draw a noughts & crosses grid like below:

2. Present the text to students, revealing only the title, image, graphic
or problem. Identify these parts to the class, read them aloud. Encourage
discussion of ‘What the text could be about’ for 2-5 mins.
3. Invite students to suggest what words they will expect to appear in
the text based on what they already know and the clues from the text.
These content words need to be written onto the grid (cannot include
words such as it, the, on etc).
4. 1st reading – The teacher is to read one to two paragraphs. Students
are to tick off bingo words as they appear. Discuss.
5. 2nd reading – re-read the text to students, this time explaining /
paraphrasing important points . Ask students to identify similar
terms.
Prediction Bingo: Draw a noughts
and crosses grid like below
Australia’s Political Songs
• "Australia's Top 10 (Political) Rock Songs by James Rose
• Predict – (Super Six Comprehension Strategy)
• Activity: Prediction Bingo
Prediction Bingo: Draw a noughts
and crosses grid like below
Protest Songs: The Civil Rights
Movement
• The movement in the United States from around 1954-1968
whose goal was to end racial segregation, discrimination and
establish the civil rights of individual African-American
citizens.
Protest Songs: The Civil Rights
Movement This song is a haunting
critique of lynching and race
• “Strange Fruit” performed by Billie Holliday terrorism.
• Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, “strange fruit” is
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. a metaphor for
what?
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Imagery is used to
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, create a picture.
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. What pictures are
described here?
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, The lyrics contrast the
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, physical and natural beauty of
Here is a strange and bitter crop. the south with the ominous
and ugly and evil lynching of
a black person.
Protest Songs: The Civil Rights
Movement Make two columns, one
entitled physical beauty and
• “Strange Fruit” performed by Billie Holliday the other entitled “ugly
• Southern trees bear strange fruit, human act”
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Place the green
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. words under the
“physical beauty”
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, column
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Place the red
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. words under the
“ugly human act”
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, column
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, Now you decide
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, which column to
Here is a strange and bitter crop. place the
underlined words
under.
Protest Songs: The Civil Rights
Movement Make two columns, one
entitled physical beauty and
• “Strange Fruit” performed by Billie Holliday the other entitled “ugly
• Southern trees bear strange fruit, human act”
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Place the green
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. words under the
“physical beauty”
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, column
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Place the red
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. words under the
“ugly human act”
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, column
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, Now you decide
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, which column to
Here is a strange and bitter crop. place the
underlined words
under.
Protest Songs
• Now create a few sentences describing the meaning of the
lyrics of the song.
• You can use the sentence starters below if they help.
• The song “___________ ___________” performed by Billie
Holliday protests the ____________ of ____________. The
song uses __________ to create pictures in the listener’s mind.
For example, the words
“____________________________________” are used to
create a beautiful image of ______________. However,
“_____________________________” is used to create a
horrible picture of an awful human act.
Protest Songs
• Protest songs are
• frequently situational
• associated with a social movement (through context).
Protest Songs
• Or they may be abstract, expressing, in more general terms,
opposition to injustice and support for peace, or free thought.
 Protest Songs: 2Pac – “Changes 1998”
http://rapgenius.com/2pac-changes-lyrics
I see no
changes, wake
up in the
morning and I
ask myself: /“Is
life worth
living? Should I
blast myself?”/
I’m tired of
being poor and,
even worse, I’m
black/My
stomach hurts
so I’m looking
for a purse to
snatch/
Protest Songs
• Types
• The sociologist R. Serge Denisoff subdivided protest songs as
either "magnetic" or "rhetorical".
• "Magnetic" protest songs were aimed at attracting people to the
movement and promoting group solidarity and commitment, as
for example, "Eyes on the Prize" and "We Shall Overcome".
• "Rhetorical" protest songs are often characterized by
individual indignation and offer a straightforward political
message designed to change political opinion. Examples
include Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" (which contains the
lines "I hope that you die / And your death'll come soon") and
"What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye.
Protest Songs
• By type
• Denisoff ‘s system, however, paid little attention to the song
tunes of protest music.
• some of the most effective protest songs gain power through
their appropriation of tunes that are bearers of strong cultural
traditions.
Protest Songs
• By location
• Algerian Raï protest music
• Rai (Arabic:‫ي‬S‫) رأ‬, which is the Arabic word for "opinion“), is a form of folk music,
originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French,
African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s and has been
primarily evolved by women in the culture. Rai has been forbidden music in
Algeria, to the point of one popular singer being assassinated. Although since the
1980s it has enjoyed some considerable success.
• The song "Parisien Du Nord" by Cheb Mami is a recent example of how the genre
has been used as form of protest, as the song was written as a protest against the
racial tensions that sparked the 2005 French riots.
Protest Songs
• By location
• Algerian Raï protest music
• According to Memi: It is a song against racism, so I wanted to sing it with a North
African who was born in France
• Because of that and because of his talent, I chose K-Mel. In the song, we say, 'In
your eyes, I feel like foreigner.' It's like the kids who were born in France but they
have Arab faces. They are French, and they should be considered French. http://
lyricstranslate.com/en/parisien-du-nord-parisian-north.html (translation)
Protest Songs
• By location
• Australia
• Indigenous issues feature prominently in politically inspired Australian
music and include the topics of land rights and aboriginal deaths in custody.
One of the most prominent Australian bands to confront these issues is
Yothu Yindi. Other Australian bands to have confronted indigenous issues
include Tiddas, Kev Carmody, Archie Roach, Christine Anu, The Herd,
Neil Murray, Blue King Brown, the John Butler Trio, Midnight Oil,
Warumpi Band, Powderfinger and Xavier Rudd.
• In addition to Indigenous issues, many Australian protest singers have sung
about the futility of war. Notable anti-war songs include "And The Band
Played Waltzing Matilda" (1972) by Eric Bogle, and "A Walk in the Light
Green" (1983) by Redgum, most often remembered by its chorus "I was
only nineteen".
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• Early British protest songs
• English folk songs from the late medieval and early modern period reflect the social upheavals
of their day. Ballads celebrating social bandits like Robin Hood, from the 14th century
onwards, can be seen as a desire for social justice
• The era of civil and religious wars of the 17th century in Britain gave rise to the radical
communist millenarian Levellers and Diggers' movements and their associated ballads and
hymns, as, for example, "The Diggers' Song“ with the incendiary verse:
• But the Gentry must come down/and the poor shall wear the crown/Stand up now, Diggers all!
• From roughly the same period, however, songs protesting wars and the human suffering they
inflict abound. For example, "The Maunding Souldier" or "The Fruits of Warre is Beggery",
framed as a begging appeal from a crippled soldier of the Thirty Years War.[12]
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• Early British protest songs
• The advent of industrialisation in the 18th and early 19th centuries was accompanied by
protest movements and a corresponding increase in the number of topical social protest songs
and ballads. An important example is 'The Triumph of General Ludd,'
• As labour became more organised songs were used as anthems and propaganda, for miners
with songs like "The Black Leg Miner", and for factory workers with songs like "The Factory
Bell".
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• 20th century
• The modern British protest movement started in 1958 to protest Britain's participation in the
arms race and recent testing of the H-bomb. The protest "fired up young musicians to write
campaigning new songs to argue the case against the bomb and whip up support along the way.
• A song composed for the march: "The H-Bomb's Thunder", set the words of a poem by novelist
John Brunner to the tune of "Miner's Lifeguard":
• Men and women, stand together/Do not heed the men of war/Make your minds up now or
never/Ban the bomb for evermore."
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• 20th century
• Folk singer Ewan MacColl had penned "The Ballad of Ho Chi Minh", (1953) and "The Ballad
of Stalin" (1954), commemorating the death of that leader.
• MacColl declared that:
• “Young people are finding out for themselves that folk songs are tailor-made for expressing
their thoughts and comments on contemporary topics, dreams, and worries,”
• In 1965, folk-rock singer Donovan's"Universal Soldier" was a hit on the charts. His anti-
Vietnam War song, "The War Drags On" appeared that same year. The romantic lyrics of pop
songs in the 1950s gave way to words of protest.
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• 20th century
• As their fame and prestige increased in the late 1960s, The Beatles—and John Lennon in
particular—added their voices to the Anti-war.
• In 1969, when Lennon and Yoko Ono were married, they staged a week-long "bed-in for
peace" in the Amsterdam Hilton, attracting worldwide media coverage. At the second "Bed-in"
in Montreal, in June 1969, they recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in their hotel room. The song
was sung by over half a million demonstrators in Washington, D.C. at the second Vietnam
Moratorium Day, on 15 October 1969. In 1972 Lennon's his most controversial protest song LP
was Some Time In New York City.
Protest Songs
• By location
• Britain and Ireland
• 20th century
• Lennon also performed at the "Free John Sinclair" benefit concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on
December 10, 1971. on behalf of the imprisoned antiwar activist and poet who was serving ten
years in state prison for selling two joints of marijuana to an undercover cop. On this occasion
Lennon and Ono appeared on stage with among others singers Phil Ochs and Stevie Wonder,
plus antiwar activists Jerry Rubin and Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers party. Lennon's song
"John Sinclair" (which can be heard on his Some Time In New York City album), calls on the
authorities to "Let him be, set him free, let him be like you and me". The benefit was attended
by some 20,000 people, and three days later the State of Michigan released Sinclair from
prison.
Chuck D
As leader and cofounder of the legendary rap group Public
Enemy, Chuck D redefined rap music and hip-hop culture with
the release of PE's explosive debut album, YO BUM RUSH
THE SHOW, in 1987. The group's subsequent seven albums
were released over the next 13 years, all meeting with critical
acclaim from publications as disparate as TIME and THE
SOURCE and garnering worldwide sales in the millions. At the
close of 1999, THE NEW YORK TIMES included Public
Enemy music on their list of the "25 Most Significant Albums of
the Last Century," and in 2005, the Library of Congress included
FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET in their list of 50 recordings
worth preserving in the National Recording Registry
• 2 — Poets: The unacknowledged legislators of the world
• English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in his manifesto
In Defence of Poetry, described poets as ‘the unacknowledged
legislators of the world’. For Shelley there was an inextricable
link between poetry, political views and social action and he
wanted to challenge the legislation of his time through his
poetry.
Introduction
• “Rap is nothing new…Rap’s forebears stretch back through
disco, street funk, radio DJs, Bo Diddley, the bebop singers,
Cab Calloway, Pigmeat Markam, the tap dancers and comics,
Gil Scott-Heron, Muhammed Ali, a Capella, and doo-wop
groups, ring games, skip-rope rhymes, prison and army songs,
toasts, signifying and the dozens, all the way to the griots of
Nigeria and the Gambia (Toop, 1991, p. 19)
Introduction
• “Rap is nothing new…Rap’s forebears stretch back through
disco, street funk, radio DJs, Bo Diddley, the bebop singers,
Cab Calloway, Pigmeat Markam, the tap dancers and comics,
Gil Scott-Heron, Muhammed Ali, a Capella, and doo-wop
groups, ring games, skip-rope rhymes, prison and army songs,
toasts, signifying and the dozens, all the way to the griots of
Nigeria and the Gambia (Toop, 1991, p. 19)
• “Contemporary rap music is the postmodern incarnation of a
traditional African-American musical and rhetorical style. The
cultural focus on improvisation, rhyming and performance…”