Essay Instructions: Hello. I am taking Human Communication and we have to do an INFORMATIVE speech. I have decided that I would like to do mine on the 'Stand Your Ground Law". The 3 topics I would like to discuss are the (1). the history of stand your ground law, (2) the controversy behind it and (3) other stand your ground law cases. My teacher does not want us to do a paper per se. He wants us to use this outline format that he provided us without it being persuasive. I would appreciate any and all help on this. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at: .
-Armmia
This is an example of the outline format my teacher wants us to follow:
Topic: History of Rock and Roll
Purpose: To inform
Thesis: The history of rock and roll has been influenced by several musical genres and sound transitions which greatly affected American society.
I. Introduction
A. Attention-getter: Take a minute and think back to a significant event in your life. Think of a time of great happiness or change. Maybe prom night…or maybe your first kiss…or maybe even something that wasn’t very happy. Just recall a time of importance in your life. Now think about the things that were going on in the world around you. Chances are good that when you recall a personal milestone and what was going on in the worlds at that time, a certain song will e to mind. For almost four decades, rock and roll music has greatly impacted our society.
B. Reason to Listen: Rock and roll is a popular medium that has had great social impact in the United States.
C. Thesis Statement: The history of rock and roll has been influenced by several musical genres and sound transitions which greatly affected American society.
D. Credibility Statement:
1. I have always had an interest in rock and roll music.
2. As an undergraduate, I was a teaching/research assistant for an introductory level history of rock and roll class.
E. Preview of main points: In order for you to understand how rock had been so important to our society, I will discuss the following points:
1. First, will discuss how rock and roll evolved out of a bination of several musical genres.
2. Second, I will tell you about how rock and roll changed with each decade.
3. Finally, I will discuss how rock and roll initially affected American society.
II. Body
A. Rock and roll evolved out of both blues and country/folk genres.
1. According to Paul Friedlander, author of Rock and roll: A social history, 1996, early rock and roll originated from African-American music.
a. Primary black musical roots were in the genre of blues, which included vocalists like Ma Raney and Bessie Smith.
b. Blues lyrics were about everything from struggle and adversity to celebration, and were acpanied by the steel-string acoustic guitar.
c. Muddy Waters, a former cotton picker and blues artist, formed a Chicago-based blues band in the late 1940’s which became a model for the modern rock band because of its use of drums, string bass, electric rhythm guitar, and piano in the band.
d. Later in the 1940’s other areas of black music, such as gospel and jump band jazz, joined the blues to form the style now known as rhythm and blues.
2. Country and folk music also influences the creation of what is now known as rock and roll.
a. According to Robert Palmer, Rock and roll: An unruly history, 1995, the Delmore Brothers’ “Hillbilly Boogie” (1945) introduced black rhythm and blues to country and western music.
b. Country and western music was evolving in the mid 1940’s
c. Palmer also discussed the fact that by the mid 50’s it was Elvis who received the credit not only for suggestive swing of the hips, but also for the country/blues/R&B synthesis known as rockabilly…and later as rock and roll.
Transition: Now that you have a brief history of what music genres influenced the creation of rock and roll, let me tell you about how rock evolved over different decades.
B. Each decade is known for specific musical sound or bination of sounds.
1. In Stephen Barnard’s Rock: An illustrated history, the 1960’s is the most eclectic decade.
a. The 1960’s gave everything from the rhythm and blues sounds of Motown to the Beatles and the British invasion pop sounds to Bob Dylan’s folk-rock of the hippie era.
b. Time Magazine (v. 151, 1998) stressed 1960’s rock music as revolutionary and protest pop, due primarily to the questions posed by pop music during the era.
2. Although the early 1970s music continued to protest social issues in America, the 70s are primarily known as the disco era, highlighting bands like ABBA and the BeeGees.
3. The 1980s are noted as a time of “spoiled yuppies and million-dollar bonuses” with artists like Madonna as the spokesperson for the decade pledging such titles as “Material Girl”.
4. In the 90’s bands such as Nirvana found fort in pessimism, offering America’s youth a vocalized bitterness toward life in general.
Transition: Now that I’ve told you about how rock has evolved over the decades, I’d like to finish by discussing how rock and roll has affected American society.
C. According to Mitch Yamasaki, author of “Using rock and roll to teach the history of post- World War II America, “ the 195s brought about the birth of the teenager and rock and roll.
1. Both were made possible by the nation’s phenomenal economic boom after the war.
a. Because the economy was getting progressively better, people felt more fortable bringing children into the world and America’s population jumped by twenty percent after WWII (baby boom).
b. By the 1950’s the baby boomers had bee teenagers which was a new idea for those of the older generation.
c. Until the 50s, adolescence meant adult work and responsibilities for most Americans, but the wealth of the 1950s gave youngsters longer childhoods, thus the birth of the teenager.
2. Teenagers began to rebel against conforming to the beliefs of their parents.
3. The lyrics, musical sound, and the energy of rock and roll music allowed teenagers a way to express their differences with earlier generations, primarily their parents.
4. According to US News and World Report, April 15, 1996, rock and roll was the first thing that crossed racial and sexist barriers (through initially incorporating rhythm and blues, and later through thought provoking lyrics of the 60’s), causing rebellion on the part of teenagers and anger on the part of the conservative, white suburban parents.
5. Through this rebellion, America changed dramatically in terms of racial and gender equality.
III. Conclusion
A. Review of main points:
1. Today, I began by discussing how rock and roll has early roots in both rhythm and blues and country-western music.
2. I then discussed what type of music represents each decade.
3. Finally, I talked about how rock and roll initially affected our society.
B. Restate Thesis: The history of rock and roll has been influenced by several musical genres and sound transitions which greatly affected American society.
C. Closure: Music gives people a connection with each other. After thinking about how music triggers memories for you, now think about what rock music was able to do for an entire generation. Rock and roll gives people across race, gender, and generations something in mon.
References
Barnard, S. (1990). Rock: An illustrated history. New York: Macmillan.
Friedlander, P. (1996). Rock and roll: A social history. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.
Herbert, W. (1996, April 15). Rock and roller coasters. US News & World Report, 120, 71-73.
Palmer, R. (1995). Rock and roll: An unruly history. New York: Random House, Inc.
Williams,H. (1998, June 15). Signature Songs. Time, 151, 44-45.
Yamasaki, M. (1996). Using rock and roll to teach the history of post-World War II America. The History Teacher, 29, 179-193.
