HUM 200
Week 5 Discussion
What challenges does trying to communicate your analysis of a work of art, literature, or music present?
Describe a time you had to explain the impact of a song, television show, book, movie, or some other
work from the humanities to someone who was to familiar with the work.
Communicating an analysis of a work of art, literature, or music can cause different challenges, which
can arise because of the subjective nature of these fields, the cultural and personal contexts of the
audience, and the inherent complexity of the works themselves.
For example, artistic works are many
times open to interpretation, and what one individual see or feel may be different from another.
Also,
art, literature, and music many times is deeply rooted in a specific culture or time period, which can
cause difficulties for individuals of a different culture or time period to comprehend the work.
Also,
artistic fields many times have their own specialized language and terminology, which can cause
difficulties for individuals unfamiliar with the field to comprehend.
One instance when I had to explain the impact of a work from the humanities to someone who was
unfamiliar with the work, I can recall explaining the impact of John Lennon’s song “Imagine” to a friend
who was unfamiliar with the song.
Explained to him was that the song was written during the Vietnam
War and was a call for peace and unity among individuals of nations.
Also, explained was that the song
became an anthem for peace and was covered by different artists in the past.
Care was used when the
song was explained in a historical context and the meaning behind the lyrics in a way that could be easily
comprehended.
It was important for me to be mindful of the cultural background of my friend and his
level of familiarity with Western music.
Overall, this task was challenging but provided a rewarding
experience sharing the impact of this song with someone who was unfamiliar with it.
