Music's Significance In Society
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”
— Victor Hugo
Music is one of the few things that is shared universally across humanity. No matter what background, ethnicity, or religion you are, we have all felt the sensation of emotions brought to us through music. The thing is, music is much more powerful and strong than that of any language. You don’t have to understand what the artist is saying to understand what emotion they are trying to convey. In fact, you don’t even have to understand the emotions they are trying to convey to feel something from the music. We are all able to feel something different from music. Yet, despite us interpreting music differently, it has the ability to connect people as well. Music has united communities throughout history, whether through celebration, religion, protest, or shared culture. Entire generations can be defined by their music, because it preserves emotion and identity in a way that words simply can’t. Songs become attached to memories, movements, and periods of time, allowing music to influence not only individuals, but society itself.
Throughout history, music has been humanity’s strongest form of expression. Whether it’s through expressing emotional struggles, love, protesting for a change, or simply expressing joy and celebration, music has a way of conveying, like Victor Hugo said, “that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” For example, instrumental music can still speak louder emotionally than words ever could. Along with this, music with words is able to express in a much more inviting way the things that cannot remain silent. That can mean many things, for example, protest. Hip-Hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s had such a powerful movement against things like racial oppression and social injustice. This movement had a much greater impact than people may think, as it not only brought people together, but it also brought attention to societal issues that weren’t widely recognized at the time. What makes this example so powerful is the fact that, without the music, people wouldn’t have felt as empowered to make a change. And that is a truly beautiful example of what music can do that nothing else can.
Beyond music being greatly significant universally and in societies, music is most deeply significant inside of us. Music can bring certain feelings to us from certain times that cannot be delivered through anything else. It can bring nostalgia from a given time in our life, and it can also help us grow through that feeling of unparalleled joy and hope that nothing else can bring to us. When we are at our lowest, it can bring us up, and when we are at our highest, it can keep us there. That is the most beautiful thing about music to me; it can unite groups of people, but it can also unite all individuals internally. Music doesn’t have to be technically impressive or made skillfully, it can simply just bring to people those feelings that cannot be brought through anything else. Songs can be attached to memories, and bring back moments even after they have passed. Music is the strongest thing in the world, you just have to experience the great things it can do to realize that. Thank you for reading Social Science 43, and have a sublime day.
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