Week 6 Response to Kenny G, Auld Lang Syne- Evan Xie

Kenny G’s rendition of Auld Lang Syne stands as a recollection of American history up until the modern day, focusing primarily on the negative aspects of American culture. However, the purpose of this focus is to show that despite all of the bad in our world, there is always hope for future generations. The video’s incorporation of Kenny G’s performance of Auld Lang Syne is very effective in creating a strong sense of emotion throughout the video. The compilation starts with a focus on 1940’s America, during the WWII era. It highlights events such as the Holocaust and the American struggle to find peace as a means of showing how emotionally and physically damaging certain world events can be. As the video continues, the focus shifts to events such as segregation in the 1960’s and the death of Martin Luther King Jr. As well, famous icons such as the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe are shown during their primary impact on American culture leading up to their eventual deaths. Following these scenes, other famous figures such as President John F. Kennedy are shown to highlight their impact on America. Eventually, Kennedy’s death is also shown as tragic and shocking. However, what is interesting about the video’s movement throughout time is that despite a large focus on the deaths of incredible American icons, their overall legacy and contributions to American society stand as more important. The video itself ends with Kennedy’s quote explaining the torch being passed onto the future generations. In this light, I feel that the video intends to make people feel emotional towards the tragedies in American culture not to have them feeling sadness or grief, but to challenge them to take a step forward in making America a better place every day. I feel that the video intends to leave viewers with a sense of hope for the future that the very idea of having a future in the first place is in their hands. As long as we do not simply give up on life and become lost to our own sadness of the past, we can always create a better society and a better world. 

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