Thursday, October 22, 2009
Songs of the War
I decided to explore music about the war, and one song that struck me in particular was a song in which the soldiers pleaded that they wanted to go home. I found this very interesting, because most of the volunteers went there on their own free will. Likewise, I don't think that the people who went voluntarily to Spain understood what they were getting themselves into; they were blindly going there without any knowledge. It makes me wonder that if they had previously known of their conditions and what was going to happen if they would have even gone in the first place. Also, if they had known how the war was going to turn out, would they have even made the long trek in which a lot of them lost their loves and were disconnected with their families?
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Alexa,
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying your blog! Have you thought of looking at some of the poetry written by the American volunteers? It is often full of emotion and gives some real insight into their thoughts and feelings. I am currently doing some work on the poetry of Hilliard E. Bernstein, a Richmond, Virginia volunteer. Five of his self-published books of poetry are in the ALBA archive (three of these can also be found in the Library of Virginia). I would also suggest looking at Barney Baley's Hand Grenades.
Chris B.
Nice post. There was a wide range of songs, from heroic anthems urging the volunteers to be brave, to these funny little "bitching songs" in which they gave outlet to the fears and frustration. You'll see more about both of these songs in The Good Fight next week.
ReplyDeleteThe question of whether or not they knew what they were getting into is a good one, and can be explored in the letters they sent back.
Thanks Chris I will keep that in mind for my next visit to the archives!
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