I am also not sure about the title. I had other ideas of "Pursuit of Happiness" or "Lyrically Intoxicated", but any help would be greatly appreciated.
Essay Topic B: Choose an issue of importance to you- the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope - and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.
As citizens of the United States we are entitled to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However when teens and young adults of my generation hear 'pursuit of happiness' they do not think of our unalienable rights, but Kid Cudi's song comes to mind. In his lyrics he talks about rolling blunts and driving drunk. These are the people that are the influential role models of today's society. Yes, there are good role models, but more often than not you see teens tweeting ad captioning their pictures with song lyrics and profanity. Just twenty-five years ago the songs that topped the Billboard 100 were of dancing and loving people for who they really were, not because they had a nice body or partied hard. Today 7 million American women suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Ninety-five percent of those women are girls between the ages of twelve and twenty-five and according to the Huffington Post seventeen percent of high schoolers admitted to smoking and using drugs during the school day. Yet how can we blame then when they are following in the footsteps of people who are respected for their music that encourages these actions? Where will my generation be in twenty years? Anorexia nervosa has a mortality rate twelve times higher than the death rate of all other causes for females fifteen to twenty-four and the kids skipping school to do drugs will most likely end up dropping out of high school or get put in jail. On the contrary not all music influence is bad. Kids that listen to christian or country are more apt to make the right decisions, become more active in their community, and have better grades. This parallels music programs that are apart of schools. Not only does joining the program keep them busy so they have less time to get in trouble, it raises their IQ and gives them a secure environment to make friends with people who have similar interests.
Whether a song is about rolling blunts and driving drunk or turning to Jesus after a hard day, music, specifically lyrics, have a huge impact on teens.
citations: South Carolina Department of Mental Health website and the Huffington Post website
Essay Topic B: Choose an issue of importance to you- the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope - and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.
As citizens of the United States we are entitled to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However when teens and young adults of my generation hear 'pursuit of happiness' they do not think of our unalienable rights, but Kid Cudi's song comes to mind. In his lyrics he talks about rolling blunts and driving drunk. These are the people that are the influential role models of today's society. Yes, there are good role models, but more often than not you see teens tweeting ad captioning their pictures with song lyrics and profanity. Just twenty-five years ago the songs that topped the Billboard 100 were of dancing and loving people for who they really were, not because they had a nice body or partied hard. Today 7 million American women suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Ninety-five percent of those women are girls between the ages of twelve and twenty-five and according to the Huffington Post seventeen percent of high schoolers admitted to smoking and using drugs during the school day. Yet how can we blame then when they are following in the footsteps of people who are respected for their music that encourages these actions? Where will my generation be in twenty years? Anorexia nervosa has a mortality rate twelve times higher than the death rate of all other causes for females fifteen to twenty-four and the kids skipping school to do drugs will most likely end up dropping out of high school or get put in jail. On the contrary not all music influence is bad. Kids that listen to christian or country are more apt to make the right decisions, become more active in their community, and have better grades. This parallels music programs that are apart of schools. Not only does joining the program keep them busy so they have less time to get in trouble, it raises their IQ and gives them a secure environment to make friends with people who have similar interests.
Whether a song is about rolling blunts and driving drunk or turning to Jesus after a hard day, music, specifically lyrics, have a huge impact on teens.
citations: South Carolina Department of Mental Health website and the Huffington Post website