Writing Homework Help

Please respond to ALL of the following questions concisely but using full sentences
and paragraphs. Make sure to organize your thoughts and writing clearly and not
merely respond to aspects of the prompt. There is no need to repeat the question in
your writing, but make certain to number your responses clearly. The word count for
your combined exam should not exceed 1500 total words, so aim for brevity and
clarity.
1. Choose TWO (2) audio examples from this unit (Lectures 1-15, Weeks 1-5) that
resonated with you and explain why. Using vocabulary you have learned from
this course (and citing it with the appropriate lecture number), discuss what
makes these examples sound especially bluesy. Are there aspects of what you are
hearing that could be discussed as African “retentions” in African American
music? How have these musical and cultural qualities more broadly infused or
shaped American music, especially from the time of minstrelsy to early rock-and-
roll? How did music at this time (in the early decades of the recording industry)
dramatize the challenges and promise of integration?

2. Pick TWO (2) of the following individuals to write about in some detail. While you
may reference aspects of their biography, you should focus primarily on themes
from the course that are illuminated through their lives and music. Your response
must reference in some detail at least one audio example (by song title) and one
reading assignment (by author and page #) from the course. There is no need for
outside research, so please do not include it.
Georgie Sea Island Singers
Mamie Smith
Ma Rainey
Bessie Smith
Memphis Minnie
Billie Holiday
Harry Pace [Note: you can reference the podcast in place of a reading assignment]
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Charlie Patton
Robert Johnson
Leadbelly
Jimmy Rodgers
John and Alan Lomax