For most song writers this might be a strange topic for a song or for an album, but Springsteen tends to write lyrics that are about real life in America....about the working man...about the struggles that people go through in their everyday lives.
Your group's task is to analyze the music of the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. His WEBSITE has a comprehensive list of all of his albums, songs, and lyrics. You must find between 7 and 10 Springsteen songs that tell the story of the American dream.....(either the realized or unrealized dream)
You should not use the full lyrics from all the songs you choose, but you must choose 7-10 pieces (one piece from each song you choose) that you can put together to tell the story from beginning to end... where the dream begins, what man experiences in life, and what those experiences do to his dreams. You are actually DEVELOPING A PLOT that builds as you add one more element........ You should:
1. Create the setting
2. and introduce the character(s)
3. Then you will create actions/conflicts/situations for the character to experience
4. as you build up the rising action to the climax (highpoint) of the story
5....which leads to the falling action
6. ....and finally the denouement (resolution)... The Denouement is derived from the term in French and Latin for "untying the knot".... It may not be an ending that your character wanted, but it is a resolution from the events/struggles.
(Note: There is a "search the lyrics" feature that will help you find key words or phrases to get started.)
After you put these together to tell your story, you will tell it to the class as an electronic story book.....(using PPT or another format). Each piece (from each song) should have its own slide. AS you present it to us, one person will read the text as it cycles through the slideshow but with no commentary or explanation.....just the lyrics as they tell the story.
