Folk music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Folk music - Essay Example Through such a level of analysis, it is the hope of this author that the true meanings and intent with which this piece of music attempted to engage the audience of the given time will be understood. Firstly, with regards to the time period in which this piece of music derived, one would be remiss not to note that the song rose to popularity during what many consider to be the very origin of what can be termed as the â€Å"hippy movement† (Lynn 34). As such, the hippy movement within the United States was born out of a rejection of many of the societal norms that have previously been exemplified within society. Moreover, the beginning of the Vietnam conflict had polarized many within American society with regards to the idea of further war and bloodshed after the first half of a century had been so dominated by some of the most severe bloodletting that had ever been witnessed by humanity (Sullivan 39). As a function of this, a great many songs of this era dealt with fundamental questions concerning the nature of humanity; i.e. peace, goodness, equality, kindness and other norms as means to undo the more negative attributes of hatred, aggression, anger, and war. What the artists are ultimately singing about concerns questions of where have the flowers gone; in other words, why has humanity ultimately chosen to turn away from the goodness and virtue that could otherwise solve so many of the problems that are faced on a daily basis within the context of our lives (Bond 8). Although not particularly a deep concept, such a question was appropriate for the times and for the society due to the fact that there seemed to be such a one-dimensional approach to issues relating to global affairs and international relations. Moreover, the tone of the song exhibits simplistic yet powerful modulations that evoke a childlike wonder and inquiry which only helps to cement the previous