关于英文培训（第二讲）的通知.docx

American Musical Culture – Roots of the Blues Points for discussion 1) Imagine yourself as a slave. You have been stolen from your own country, carried thousands of miles away, told you will work or you will die! a. What would your days be like? b. How would you take your mind away from your misery? c. How would you make your life easier, out in the fields under the hot sun, for 12 – 14 hours a day? d. How would you express your sorrow if your “master” sold your family to another “master” and you never saw them again? 2) Imagine what life would be like as a “second class” citizen. a. Black Americans in the late 1800s through the 1950s b. How would you express your sadness and anger? 3) Talk about music that makes you sad. a. Why does it make you sad? i. Is it the words (“lyrics”)? ii. How can lyrics make you sad? iii. Is it the melody? iv. How can a melody make you sad? 4) Blues music literally changed the Western world, and is now global in its influence. Can you think of any other music with that kind of impact on society? a. Discuss the power of music. b. Does music have that much power in China? 5) Does China have its own type of “blues” music? a. What is it? b. How would you describe it? c. Is it similar to Western blues? d. How?