The iPod and the Monster: Revisited (Blog Post about Plato)

Original Post:

I ended up changing my song for the paper as I feel the beginning of this song represents my essay better than my original song. The opening line, "he who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man" better represents the idea of music as weapon and Plato's idea of music providing valor to soldiers.

Updated Post:

One of the most interesting idea’s that we have discussed throughout the course of Rhetoric 109 was the idea that music is able to influence the soul of the listener. For example,  provide valor to soldiers and instill good morals upon a society's citizens. The original song I used in my first blog post, titled “The Ipod and the Monster”, was Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold. I felt that the song's opening lyrics, “he who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man” is a perfect example of music creating mindset, but in this case more of a disconnect, between the listener of the music and the reality that is going on around him. I was apart of the group responsible for discussing the chapter on music torture. And I still do agree that music influences the character of the listener.

Theorists such as Levitin have provided us with the theories that link music consumption to specific developments in the lives of its listeners. For example certain types of music according to Levitin establish and maintain cultural norms, rules, and ideas for the young listener. Adorno takes this further by discussing the need for active listening versus passive listening. Adorno believes in the link between music and upbringing, and the importance of music as a tool for human progress. And just like Plato, Adorno sees the potential of avant garde music as a tool for societal strengthening. Adorno would argue that pop music weakens social value, for this reason Adorno is very similar to Plato, where it is important to censor and curate music that would benefit society, rather than potentially damage it.

There is no doubt that music has the ability to influence the listener, but in my opinion, after the many theorists we have studied throughout the semester, I personally believe that progress in not synonymous with betterment. Just as was the case with soldiers performing torture on captives, music also has the potential ability to degrade. Making one forget their individual set of morals and rules. And for that reason it is important to pursue music but also be more critical of it.