Olivia's Essay

Olivia Denison
Mr. Salsich
English 9
19 February 2009

Music For the Soul:
How Music Makes Me and Caliban Feel

Music is an international entity. It’s everywhere, on the city streets, in the wind. It can even be stored in a one and a half inch by three and a half inch gadget, and with just a touch of a button, your ears fill with sound. I truly believe that music inspires people and can transform them whenever they hear it, feeling emotions through the melody and lyrics.

TS Caliban is not one of the most pleasant people to be around, but even a bad person can be transformed by music. SD Caliban, a mean ugly monster, (appositive noun) is changed into a relaxed gentle soul while listening to music. CM Music gives Caliban a topic to speak about with others and something to resort to when everything is wrong. CM Music is one of the few things that brings joy to Caliban, and that is why he loves it so much. SD Caliban hears his joyful music all the time, even in his sleep. CM The music that he hears “ give(s) delight and hurt(s) not.” CM He will sometimes hear “ a thousand twangling instruments” or “voices” that will wake him from his sleep, but then only to put him back to sleep again. SD The music that he hears makes him see things in his sleep that make him happy. CM He dreams that “the clouds…would open and show riches ready to drop upon [him]”. CM He dreams of the money that will make him so rich that he can either take over the island or sail away from his miseries. CS Of course, it is only a dream, but one that makes him jovial.

TS There are three items I always take with me: mints, chap-stick, and my Ipod. SD Music goes wherever I go. CM For me, music is like a religion; I’m always discussing or listening to some new song and you will likely see me with my headphones on. (short sentence within two long ones) CM Further strengthening my bond to music, my dad always has the radio on in his car and he is always introducing me to new songs and artists. (compound-complex sentence) SD Some would suggest that I know a great deal about music, but there is so much more to learn. CM Just like Caliban, music offers me a topic for discussion to talk about with other people. CM I could talk about various subjects, from the instruments to the lyrics or whether a song is good or bad. (sentence with three prepositional phrases) SD I couldn’t thrive without music, and once I hear a song, I want more and more, just like a drug addiction. CM In the book “Just Listen”, music-obsessed, Owen, has over 9,000 songs on his Ipod, which has become an unattainable goal for me. CM If music was an object, I would hide it away for safekeeping, because music is what makes us, us. CS If music didn’t exist; my life would be meaningless, because music plays a central role in my life.

Caliban, like me, relies on music as a place of refuge, especially in times of need. I feel that music helps both of us get in touch with ourselves, without any limitations on personal expression. Music is a focal point in both of our lives, and without it, our lives would be hollow.