I wrote an essay in school for this song so let me know how it goes:
“If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it”- Julius Caesar. The band Linkin Park has written many songs that talk about the world. Whether it’s about our country or to how someone can change your life completely in a second. I think that their new album “A Thousand Suns”, takes on an idea that this world has changed so much. When I heard the song “Wretches and Kings”, it made me think of a lower class fighting for freedom from some sort of overlord power. Corruption is everywhere and because there’s a lot of fraud going around the world some people just stay quiet. They would be treated the same way if they stayed silent. If they revolt against their leaders, things might end up the wrong way. If you fight back you have a chance of winning and if you succeed then there is hope for change.
The beginning of the verse is about controlling, dominating, and dictating. Pushing the people down low and making them feel like dirt. “The people up top push the people down low”, for example when King George charged people from the colonies tax. Another Example is when a group of bullies beat up or at least make fun of someone. “Don't fight the power and nobody gets hurt”. If you fight back you will get hurt, that’s basically the message here, and the “rulers” only want you to fear them. For example, the time when the civil rights movement occurred, a lot of African Americans got injured while they were trying to fight for their freedom. Most of the time the “high” end of civilization fought back to reject those people. In verse two, they mention “The people up top and the people down low”, which is a sign of equality rather than the first verse where it says that they push the people down. I think the author is clearly sending a message of righteousness. “The front of the attack is exactly where I'm at.” This may show some sort of leadership, like how Martin Luther King Jr. lead part of the civil rights movement. He had no fear being the leader. He was right there in the front fighting for his people.
First Chorus says “Steel unload, final blow”, and I believe that he’s saying grab your weapons and get ready for the final fight. Just like in the riots of 1992, people rioted over the unfair ruling of Rodney King. At most times the hierarchy would dehumanize people. “We the animals take control”, I also think that it’s our natural instinct as humans to attack the weak. “Kings we come for you”. Trying to take over the kings, like the overthrowing of a higher power, such as the overthrowing of Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was a higher power overthrown by his people. The main reason people overthrow the higher power is simply because the leader is not doing their job. Second part of the chorus changes the standpoint of the weak. “Filthy animals beat them low/Skin and bone/black and blue.” The Hanging of Saddam Hussein perfectly explains how they overthrew him and beat him so low that he failed to keep empowered.
The Intro and Outro of the song is a speech by Mario Savio who was a Free Speech Activist. “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious” meaning that at first the “controlling power” is being fair, but there’s a time when I reaches a point where it becomes so repulsive that people just get sick of it.“And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it to the people who won it that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.” I think that when people are trying to make you become someone you’re really not, just have to let the message, your feelings for what is right. You got to stop the “machines” in order for you to be free and if you’re free then the machines won’t work.
Corruption is everywhere, even to this day, and those who are aware of it try to get the word out by writing music, having protests, or even a simple picture to show it. When the fight for control and power takes over our society, it becomes a problem, and people end up getting hurt or even dead; if you tried at least you had the good feeling that you tried. Like in the quote of Julius Caesar; if it’s a must to smash through the law in order to become peaceful, then it should be done.
if you tried at least you had the good feeling that you tried.
The image I can’t get out of my head is the thought that the world that we live on is fraudulent
I wrote an essay in school for this song so let me know how it goes:
“If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it”- Julius Caesar. The band Linkin Park has written many songs that talk about the world. Whether it’s about our country or to how someone can change your life completely in a second. I think that their new album “A Thousand Suns”, takes on an idea that this world has changed so much. When I heard the song “Wretches and Kings”, it made me think of a lower class fighting for freedom from some sort of overlord power. Corruption is everywhere and because there’s a lot of fraud going around the world some people just stay quiet. They would be treated the same way if they stayed silent. If they revolt against their leaders, things might end up the wrong way. If you fight back you have a chance of winning and if you succeed then there is hope for change. The beginning of the verse is about controlling, dominating, and dictating. Pushing the people down low and making them feel like dirt. “The people up top push the people down low”, for example when King George charged people from the colonies tax. Another Example is when a group of bullies beat up or at least make fun of someone. “Don't fight the power and nobody gets hurt”. If you fight back you will get hurt, that’s basically the message here, and the “rulers” only want you to fear them. For example, the time when the civil rights movement occurred, a lot of African Americans got injured while they were trying to fight for their freedom. Most of the time the “high” end of civilization fought back to reject those people. In verse two, they mention “The people up top and the people down low”, which is a sign of equality rather than the first verse where it says that they push the people down. I think the author is clearly sending a message of righteousness. “The front of the attack is exactly where I'm at.” This may show some sort of leadership, like how Martin Luther King Jr. lead part of the civil rights movement. He had no fear being the leader. He was right there in the front fighting for his people. First Chorus says “Steel unload, final blow”, and I believe that he’s saying grab your weapons and get ready for the final fight. Just like in the riots of 1992, people rioted over the unfair ruling of Rodney King. At most times the hierarchy would dehumanize people. “We the animals take control”, I also think that it’s our natural instinct as humans to attack the weak. “Kings we come for you”. Trying to take over the kings, like the overthrowing of a higher power, such as the overthrowing of Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was a higher power overthrown by his people. The main reason people overthrow the higher power is simply because the leader is not doing their job. Second part of the chorus changes the standpoint of the weak. “Filthy animals beat them low/Skin and bone/black and blue.” The Hanging of Saddam Hussein perfectly explains how they overthrew him and beat him so low that he failed to keep empowered. The Intro and Outro of the song is a speech by Mario Savio who was a Free Speech Activist. “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious” meaning that at first the “controlling power” is being fair, but there’s a time when I reaches a point where it becomes so repulsive that people just get sick of it.“And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it to the people who won it that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.” I think that when people are trying to make you become someone you’re really not, just have to let the message, your feelings for what is right. You got to stop the “machines” in order for you to be free and if you’re free then the machines won’t work. Corruption is everywhere, even to this day, and those who are aware of it try to get the word out by writing music, having protests, or even a simple picture to show it. When the fight for control and power takes over our society, it becomes a problem, and people end up getting hurt or even dead; if you tried at least you had the good feeling that you tried. Like in the quote of Julius Caesar; if it’s a must to smash through the law in order to become peaceful, then it should be done.
if you tried at least you had the good feeling that you tried. The image I can’t get out of my head is the thought that the world that we live on is fraudulent