J-Live "Satisfied
Posted Mar 30 2006
Satisfied Worksheet
Music Appreciation Class
Mr. Zarazua
Vocabulary (do this BEFORE we listen to the song)
1. Jalopy-a hooptie, rundown car, etc
2. Anthrax-something you definitely don’t want to catch, you can die from it
3. Scheme-a plan
Questions
Verse 1
1. Who’s the referee? Who or what is J referring too?
We talk about the “the game of life” and how we can use sports and other games as a metaphor for life. Other questions include who makes the rules, who enforces the rules, who benefits from the rules, and what is the “prize?”
2. How do you interpret the following line? Answer in at least three sentences.
“You better dance from your fighting stance or you’ll never have a fighting chance.”
What are ways that we can get the things we want and desire? How do we respond to conflict? Is brute force the only way or best way? What does the term “by any means necessary” mean?” How about the “pen is mightier than the sword?” What does it mean to “fight?”
3. Do you agree with the following line? Why or why not? Answer in at least three sentences.
“A fat wallet still never made a man free.”
What is the power of money? What’s the difference between wealth and income? How do we define “free?” In addition to other people, what else can enslave us? Material items? Emotions? Etc.
4. Do you agree with the following line? Why or why not? Answer in at least three sentences.
“They say to eat good yo/ you gotta swallow your pride/ But dead that game plan,/ I’m not satisfied.”
What does it mean to lead “the good life?” In other words, how do we define it? What do people lose in pursuit of it?
Verse 2
1. Who is the “ole Earth?”
This comes from terminology of the Five Percent Nation, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam. Both groups have a significant influence on hip hop music, language, and culture. The term is a reference to one’s mother.
2. Who is Bush?
Duh!
3. Do you agree with the following passage? Why or why not? Answer in at least three sentences.
“By the time Bush is done, you won't know what time it is/If it's war time or jail time, time for promises/And time to figure out where the enemy is/The same devils that you used to love to hate/ They got you so gassed and shook now, you scared to debate.”
What is J referring to when he says “war time or jail time?” Discuss some of the President’s domestic and foreign policies. Who are the “devils?” Why are people scared to debate (in the context of this song being written soon after September 11)?
4. What are these two lines referring to?
“Smuggled drugs for funds
And had fun lettin' off forty-one”
The CIA supposedly smuggling crack into south central Los Angeles to help fund the contras in Nicaragua and the shoot of Amadou Diallo by the NYPD. Other topics include U.S. foreign policy, liberal VS conservative media, police brutality, and dehumanization of “the other.”
5. What do you think of these lines? Do you agree? Disagree? Is J being overly sensitive?
“But now it's all about NYPD caps/And Pentagon bumper stickers/But yo, you still a n*gg*”/It ain't right them cops and them firemen died/The s**t is real tragic, but it damn sure ain't magic/It won't make the brutality disappear/It won't pull equality from behind your ear
What changed after September 11 and what didn’t?
6. What is this section talking about?
“It won't make a difference in a two-party country/If the president cheats, to win another four years/Now don't get me wrong, there's no place I'd rather be”
Talk about the last presidential election, including the other Bush men in politics, as well as the difference between the popular and electoral vote. Can a person be critical of their country and still be patriotic?
7. Who is Huey Freeman?
Uh, that guy from the Boondocks cartoon strip?
Verse 3
1. Who are the rich minorities?
Is he talking about Uncle Toms, Tio Tacos, etc? Or is he saying that Whites are in the minority when we look at things globally?
2. In response to this line, what do you stand for? How have you shown that?
“So where you stand, huh?/What do you stand for?/Sit your *ss down if you don't know the answer”
Discuss “a person who stand for nothing will fall for anything.”
3. “Get yours, what're you sweatin' the next man for?”
Well? What’s your answer?
4. In reference to this line, can you be an “activist” but still have fun?
“Get down, feel good to this, let it ride/But until we all free, I'll never be satisfied”
Who determines if you/we are political enough? Aware enough? Etc. Can we fight EVERY cause?
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