Caroline's post

Caroline Burlingham
Mr. H. Salsich
Honors English
February 32, 2009

Behind the Notes:
An Essay on Music and the Effect it Has on Caliban and Myself

1) Music has been around as long as life itself. 2) It has developed from the drumming of sticks and rocks in cavemen times to the modern sounds of today. 3) Often music is written into the themes of plays and stories such as Shakespeare’s The Tempest, where it plays a small, but active and important role. 3) In truth, music has always been there for us, in the good and the bad, for the rich and the poor, and the young and the old. PARALLEL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

TS It’s almost hard to believe that a thing like Caliban once spoke the words, “Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs,” but this is true. SD Caliban is trapped in the sounds of the island, natural or not, they confine him. CM Currently in The Tempest, he is in the midst of planning a murder, but when he hears Arial play and sing time seems to stop. CM At that very moment, nothing else matters, not Prospero, not the island, nothing is present but the music in his heart. SD Caliban, who is considered to be a monster and not human, has a soft spot for music. CM When he listens to music, he feels as if, “a thousand twangling instruments [] hum about [his] ears.” In my opinion, Caliban is not a monster, because no monster would care for music as he does, and no monster would ever describe a song in this way. COMPOUND COMPLEX SD When Caliban listens to music, he is in a dream, but when the music stops or he wakes up, he “crie[s] to dream again.” CM Music is his trap door. SHORT SENTENCE CM It takes him away from where he is, and puts him to a place of peace; alone and free form judgment. CS I feel as if Caliban thinks that it isn’t Prospero, Arial, or any of the other spirits that makes this a magical island, but the songs, lyrics, and chords that it plays.

TS Although the music we listen to today is different from what Caliban is hearing, it has the same effect on people. SD I, like Caliban, think of music as my “trap door”. CM It is my escape. CM It takes me away from all the troubles, dramas, and the complex ways of life, and to a place of peace. SD Music has the power to change my mood. CM I often listen to music when I am sad, but just listening to the lyrics of a happy song can make me feel the same way. CM Memories are carried within each note, beat, and chord, all of which take my mind off the bad and return it to the good times. SD In a way, the music we listen to describes us. CM Note after note a story is told, a picture becomes painted in our minds. APPOSITIVE CM Many song writers write from the heart and tell us of their lives, but when we listen to that music, we compare their stories to ours. CS It doesn’t matter where you live, who you are, or what your background is, music is a way of expressing how we feel.

1) Every Friday afternoon in English class, we listen to somebody’s music, and like Caliban, we all stop. 2) The room is always silent, but it still booms with the sound of pencils on paper writing out our thoughts. 3) For some people, music is only place of comfort and way to show emotion to others, but for the rest of us, it is simply for pleasure and peace. 4) Shakespeare understood the importance of music, and he expressed his feelings through this play, and into the minds of its viewers.