Melissa Hinton Eng 2003 Gilgamesh Discussion I asked my friends mother, Marla what story, novel, song, etc.

did she believe represented her generation and why. She told me that she felt that a song by a Dion titled, Abraham, Martin, and John, about the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, did just that. Although she wasnt around for Lincolns presidency the condition of the United States, during that time, these types of issues reverberated throughout history. In a sense, all of these men were trying to set human beings free and they all met their untimely deaths as they tried to persuade a nation to climb out of the unsanctified pits of racism and inequality. Marla told me, Being a child of the 50s and seeing so much racism left much of the nation scared. Martin Luther King was a great man that wanted to change the world and spread a message of equality. I think things would be a little different if he wouldve been able to live out his life and continue his work. All of these men promoted social change and sadly, none of them were able to see the affects they had on social change throughout history. Despite their best efforts, this social injustice still exists today. My mother said that she felt that something she would say represented her generation is the television show M.A.S.H. It was a great example of the Vietnam conflict. She also mentioned that The Brady Bunch was a show that would represent her generation trying to retain family values. I am nearly 33-years old, so I was a teenager in the 90s. I have to say, as trivial as it may sound I would definitely have to pick Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit as a song that represents my culture. In the age of music videos all of our teenage angst was thrust onto our television screen. It was a teenage revolution anthem. The lyrics depict a person that is utterly confused and angry with their existence. Kurt Cobain didnt think the lyrics would resonate with listeners, but the fact is (in my own life) I felt the lyrics portrayed my life as well. Because of the movement surrounding the song, it seems much of my generation felt the same way. Smells Like Teen Spirit propelled us into the Grunge Era. No one knew why we were so angry, we just knew that others felt as we did. My generation is the MTV generation. We grew up with a do what we want, say what we want, (expletive deleted) the world mentality. The network that defined us as a group directed us to Rock the Vote, wear condoms, interpreted lyrics through music videos that would send us into a hypnagogic bliss was a definitive part of my generation.