A Year in the Life of a 15-year-old Smart Person

By a real life 15-year-old (slightly) smart person
(A.k.a. Rebekah Revello)

Ishmael

Song: Imagine by A Perfect Circle

I chose “Imagine” by A Perfect Circle, because it’s similar to the tone Ishmael uses when speaking about the world. This example expresses this:
“You may say I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us,
And the world will live as one.”
These lyrics express the hope and desire of a better world, and a better understanding of it. Ishmael’s mission is to get as many people as possible to understand the world, look over the past, and change the future. Songs like “Imagine”, “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer, and “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls are all about trying to change the future for the better. Each song makes us question what we are doing for our lives and the lives of others.
This song has the same words as the original, happier one by John Lennon, yet, the key is now moved from major to minor. It’s got a very angsty sound to it, resembling Ishmael’s attitude towards humans and their stupid mistakes. But the lyrics still send out a good message. The slow electric guitar and the frantic violins make this a good song to listen to when you’re reading a dark fantasy book. It’s quite catchy.




Race as Illusion

Song: I Am Not my Hair by India.Arie (featuring Akon)

This song contains a lot of meaning for me. In fact, it’s the same song I used last year for a project similar to this one. I picked India.Arie’s “I am not my Hair” because it’s the perfect example of using race as an illusion. The lyrics are beautiful, addressing race with lines like this:
“I am not my hair,
I am not this skin.
I am not your expectation, no,
I am not my hair,
I am not this skin.
I am the soul that lives within.”
The lyrics express true beauty, and not caring about what’s on the outside. When we discussed the challenges and absurdity of using race as an illusion, we brought up that how we express ourselves should be the thing that matters. What does it matter if you’re a young black woman from Somalia, or an American famous actress? Deep down, we are all the same, no matter what we look like on the outside. The lyrics also question the equality and judgment in the world today. People are nowhere near to being perfect in the case of racism and discrimination. There are still Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan is still around, and many more people who just can’t treat another person equally. Until we get rid of these kinds of cases, we are incomplete.
Along with the meaningful lyrics, this song is great to listen to. It’s cheery, but it makes sure to bring the message out. India.Arie’s perfectly smooth voice and Akon’s very unique rhythm makes you feel connected to both of them, even if you’re a teenager living in a small town. Plus the beat of the drum and the strumming of the guitar get this song stuck in your head, which is, in this case, not a bad thing.




Antigone

Song: I Will Survive by Stephanie Bentley

I chose “I Will Survive” by Stephanie Bentley because it completely embodies Antigone. It sends out a sort of “I’m messed up, but I’ll be ok” message that completely resembles Antigone’s spirit and determination. Examples of Antigone’s spirit are:
“Done a lot of things that I’m not so proud of,
Took a lot of turns, that turned out wrong,
That’s a worn out song”
And “Learning to sleep in the bed that I made,
Laying the blame where it belongs,
I’ve gotta be strong.”
These lyrics emanate power and strength. Antigone was a confident woman who happened to be born with a huge weight on her shoulder. She didn’t relive the past and she stood for what she believed in. The amazing thing about her is that she doesn’t care what happens along the way to claiming justice, and the right to bury her brother’s body. The title, “I Will Survive” is what really attracted me to this song, because Antigone is so determined to get through the mess she’s in. It reminds me of the many strong women today and their stories, which could go along with this song just as well. Yet, on the contrary, both the lyrics and the story of Antigone caution us to make good choices and to avoid mistakes that are shown.
In addition, the song has a kind of “hard-core” mood to it. The “we will rock you”-like beat, the electric and acoustic guitar combined plus the noticeably country tone to the song leads to a very catchy song. It shows that anyone can rise up and achieve what they want.




Our Town

Song: Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas

I chose “Streetcorner Symphony” by Rob Thomas because of the light mood that makes you think of the little town of Grover’s Corners, a peaceful place created by Thornton Wilder. The lyrics of this song illustrate the carefree lives of the townspeople with lines like:
“It’s a clear day,
In this city.
Let’s go dance under the street lights,
All the people in this world
Let’s come together,
More than ever…”
This song practically radiates happiness. For me, just listening to it makes me feel like I’m surrounded by the people I know and love. Grover’s Corner was the very meaning of a close-knit group of people. Everybody was happy there. There were no troubles and everyone’s life came and went like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. It reminds me of the remaining small towns in America, and the simpler times we have lost due to big cities and the scientific world. Unfortunately, it somehow makes you feel like that security and content in that little town will be hard to get by with your own surroundings.
Despite that, this song is upbeat and utterly joyful. It brings you hope that better times are to come. When Rob Thomas sings “come on over”, I literally feel like he’s talking to me. The noticeably major key, the backup singers, the soothing guitar and the rhythmic clapping accompanied by Rob Thomas’ unique vocals makes this song easy and fun to listen to over and over.




Life of Pi

Song: Let it be by The Beatles (But in this case, by Carol Woods and Tomothy T. Mitchum from Across The Universe

Personally, I think “Let it be” by the Beatles is an absolutely perfect song for this category. Even though it’s by the Beatles, this version is from the movie Across the Universe, which is a story set in the ‘70’s formed by all the Beatle songs combined. In this part of the movie, a young boy on the street of 1970’s Detroit. During a horrible protest, he is hiding behind a car, trying not to get hit by a stray, or targeted, bullet. As he shakes behind the car, he sings “Let it be”. The lyrics he sings are extremely moving, with lines expressing the protesting and war of this decade.
“When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me.
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.
And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing, right in front of me.
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.”
This song reminds me of Pi; sitting huddled up in the corner of the lifeboat, fearful of the huge Bengal tiger on the other end. Plus, it expresses (one) of Pi’s religions, one that he is completely devout to. Both of these boys are in their own, very different kinds of tragedies, yet both of them are the same. The poor boy is preaching about Mother Mary, while Pi is saying prayers to every God he follows. Both of them are determined to keep their faith(s). The scenarios show the hardships that seemingly ordinary people have to go through every day. It reminds us to remember just how lucky we are, with our nice homes and full stomachs.
Accompanying the moving lyrics is a slow, gospel-like tune. The sad melody of the organ backed with the amazing vocals of the Gospel singers makes this song unforgettable. It is truly one of the move-you-to-tears moments in the movie. Yet, the one of the songs phrases “There will be an answer” suggests hope for a better and more positive future for both the boy and Pi.\

Romeo and Juliet

Song: Come What May by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman from Moulin Rouge!

To me, Moulin Rouge is the Romeo and Juliet of our generation. It’s a whirlwind romance that, like the famous play, takes place in a very short time. It’s also a love story that makes your stomach flop and your heart twist. I chose “Come What May” by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, because it tells the story of Romeo. An example of this is:
“Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place,
Suddenly it moves at such a perfect pace.
Suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste,
And all revolts are ending”.
“Come what may,
I will love you,
Until my dying day”
These lyrics show love has no boundaries, not even if you’re in the worst circumstance to be in love. Romeo and Juliet were supposed to be mortal enemies; Satine was a courtesan and Christian was a poor writer. No matter what the circumstances were, they fell in love anyway. These couples lived in a perfect world inside an imperfect one. The lyrics “I will love you, until my dying day” has great meaning, since at the end of both of these stories, there is an unfortunate death (Satine dies of Tuberculosis). During the discussion for Romeo and Juliet, we brought up the idea of fate, and whether or not it led someone into these things. Fate worked its ways in both stories, for the unfortunate deaths of Romeo, Juliet, and Satine seemed to be written in the stars.
The song begins with a light, beautiful tone, with Ewan McGregor’s amazing voice ringing through, symbolizing both Romeo and himself. Then along comes the wonderful Nicole Kidman, who would be a perfect Juliet. The song crescendos into a combination of strings, piano, vocals, and percussion. This symbolizes the climax of both stories. It also had a slightly minor, sad ending, similar to the ending of each story. But, with the song all tied together, it’s no wonder that this is the song I want to walk down the aisle to.

Global Citizen’s Project

Song: Better Days by The Goo Goo Dolls

I chose “Better Days” by The Goo Goo dolls because it expresses the same ideas that we have been talking about for our Global Citizen projects. The following examples show this:
“’Cause I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings,
Designer love, and empty things,
Just the chance that maybe we’ll find better days”
“And the one poor child who saves this world,
There are ten million more that probably could,
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them”
These lyrics tell us about the unfortunate consumer world today. We only want material possessions, and we don’t think twice about another person whose life is worse than ours. For our global citizen projects, we have also discussed how one person can change the world. The lyrics tell us they can, and if we opened our eyes, so could many others. This also could go along with race as illusion, because we don’t give the people who could change the world the chance to actually do it. There are so many different ways and charities to help the world, but we need to look inside ourselves for the true answer to all the world’s problems.
Coupled with the lyrics is a sort of dark beat. The drum is slow, symbolizing the world’s progress in the past. The piano plays major notes, but it had a slight offish tone, which reminds us that the world is not fixed yet. But, the strong electric guitar in the middle, and the title and the chorus of the song “Better Days” gives us hope that the world can change for the better.




Reflection Song

Great DJ by The Ting Tings

Academy has been the experience of a lifetime. There are great and hilarious people to talk to, inspiring discussions that have gone so far as to change my viewpoint, and the occasional hysterical moment that could only happen there. A very memorable moment was when. I believe that I have definitely matured throughout the year. As an eighth grader, I was outspoken, vulnerable, and I didn’t understand the real world. Since then, I have changed my priorities from things like T.V. and movies. Last year, I would wake up at ten o’clock in the morning and watch cartoons. Now, I wake up at seven o’clock and watch the news. I feel like I’ve become more level-headed too. I learned to listen to other people’s comments and consider the possibility of them being correct. I have become more practical with my writing skills also. I still have my creativity and, as I have said before, my “catchy columnist” writing, but I believe I have improved my professional writing skills. Of course, every book this year was enlightening and a great read, but my favorite book is probably Life of Pi. It was just so “out there”, yet you could relate to that poor Indian boy stuck on a boat with a tiger. The book astounded me; I could not believe something could be as blunt and sudden as that book was. I wanted to improve my writing skills; as well as re-think my ideas and beliefs (it went that far!) A very memorable moment was at the beginning of the year, during the study of the book/movie “The Lottery”. When no one, not even I, decided to give Graicey their points, I questioned my kindness. A lot of our discussions made me question a part of me, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. And finally, probably because of Taylor (for one reason) and Sean (for another), my view on politics, the government in general, and the world have greatly changed. I feel like I understand every side and opinion now, because each of them has good evidence (although I will stick by the fact that Romeo and Juliet were not in love).
I chose this song for the reflection because it has an upbeat sound to it, which reminds me of all the laughs the class has had. It’s also unique, like we are, and is funny, like we are. Plus, the Ting Tings are hilarious. Strangely, all I picture while I listen to this is all of the Academy students at a circus, swinging on a trapeze (it’s a very hilarious picture of Jacob Hurwitz). Overall, I have had an amazing time in Academy. If I hadn’t tried out, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.

Playlist