#8 - Literary essay
The outsider
For centuries, psychologists have emphasized that the
sense of belonging is a human need, just as the need for food and shelter. Yet
there have always been individuals who do not belong because of political,
ethnic, sexual or religious differences. This provokes a feeling of loneliness,
of living surrounded by people and alone at the same time. The idea that there
are –and have been- outsiders in our society is reflected in many famous
singers´ lyrics such as U2, Sting and Elton John.
In his song “An Englishman in New York”, Sting
presents an English gay author living in New York and his experiences as an
outcast. The famous Quentin Crisp, who moved from London to New York in 1986,
defined himself as “an alien”. As his costumes, modals and homosexual lifestyle
were not the popular ones at that time, he did not belong to the society, he
was not part of it. People ignored him and this made him suffer, as it is
clearly reflected when he says “it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile”. This
song set in the 80s perfectly showed how people judged homosexual men and set
them apart just because they were not like the rest, they were outsiders. But
not only men were judged, gay women were subjects of judgement as well.
Another look into the gay lifestyle of that decade is
presented in “All the girls love Alice”, written by Elton John and Bernie
Taupin. In this case, they present a 16 year old upper class English lesbian
who slept with older married women and was, of course, unaccepted in society.
Although women claimed to love her, they forced her to maintain her
relationships as secret, hiding Alice from their husbands and family:
All the young girls love Alice
Tender young Alice, they say
If I give you my number
Will you promise to call me?
Wait till my husband's away.
Tender young Alice, they say
If I give you my number
Will you promise to call me?
Wait till my husband's away.
(9-13)
As it is said that she was finally found in the subway
dead, Inferences about her sad, lonely and difficult life are not hard to make.
Again, because of sexual differences, an outsider is encountered in society.
The fact is that not only because of being gay were individuals left apart and
judged, but also because of the place where they lived.
Bono, from U2, claimed that in Belfast, Africa it was possible to categorize
people only by knowing the street where they lived. In the song “Where the
streets have no name”, he talks about “tearing down the walls” which divide the
city into rich and poor, catholic and protestant, etc. He promotes destroying
the existing barriers among human beings and stop judging, stop isolating
people who differ from the rest, who do not fit into the standards established
by society.
All in all, there are no doubts left that many song
lyrics reflect the existence of outsiders in society despite the place, moment
and time they were written. Reasons for preventing individuals from belonging
to a group are related to ethnic, religious, sexual or political differences. Being
aware of this and eliminating discriminative attitudes towards people who may
not be or think like us, can avoid them suffering and pain. Empathy is a very
valuable characteristic for every human being in this world.
Bibliography
ü Elton
John, “All the young girls love Alice” by Bernie Taupin and Elton John.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Music Corporation of
America, 1973.
ü Sting,
“Englishman in New York” by Gordon Matthew and Thomas Summer.
Nothing like the sun. A&M Records, 1988.
ü U2,
“Where the streets have no name” by Bono, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
The Joshua Tree, Island Records, 1987.
ü Hall,
Karyn. (2014) “Creating a sense of belonging”
ü Jones,
David. (2007) “All the girls love Alice”
ü Wawzenek,
Bryan. (2017) “U2 Gets Cinematic on
‘Where the Streets Have No Name': The Story Behind Every ‘Joshua Tree’ Song”
ü Ellen, Beka. (2016) “Englishman in New York”
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