Playlist
Photo Credit: Melissa Gandhi via Compfight cc
1. Catch My Breath by Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson, Kelly. “Catch My Breath.” Greatest Hits•Chapter On. Pasadena, CA:The Listening Station, 2012.
“Catching my breath, letting it go,
Turning my cheek for the sake of the show
Now that you know, this is my life,
I won’t be told what’s supposed to be right”
When Jerry was getting bullied, he didn’t retaliate, which is what, “turning my cheek” means. He got kicked out of the team, his artwork went missing, his locker vandalized, his phone constantly ringing, and people coming over to taunt him outside. He continued to reject the chocolates, and refused to listen to the Vigils. He didn’t let others control him. Kelly Clarkson sings this with a defiant tone, showing that she is not weak, and that she is going to live her life no matter what everyone else says.
2. Wavin’ Flag by K’naan
K’naan. “Wavin’ Flag.” Troubadour. A&M/Octone, 2009.
“So many wars, settlin’ scores,
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
‘Cause we just move forward like Buffalo soldiers”
This part of the song describes the part when The Vigils start to lose power and people start to rebel and think for themselves. The Vigils make some people believe that what they are doing it good, and Archie makes people do Assignments, and making them feel really guilty. Jerry refused to accept the chocolates, even after Archie asked him to. One person also put up a poster saying, “SCREW THE CHOCOLATES AND SCREW THE VIGILS.” The poster shows that Jerry’s followers are getting the courage to badmouth the Vigils. The way you’re supposed to sing this song is a bit sad, but also promising, reassuring, and strong.
3. Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson, Kelly. “Stronger.” Stronger. Los Angeles, CA:Echo Studio, 2012.
“You think you got the best of me
Think you’ve had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I’d come running back
Baby you don’t know me, cause you’re dead wrong”
This song is about how Archie feels in the end. Archie knows he’s still powerful, and that Jerry doesn’t know him and that he is not broken down, and Archie hasn’t lost just yet. Archie put together a match between Jerry and Emile, and proved that it is he who had the last laugh. Kelly sings this song with a slight smirk, like, Haha! You’re wrong! which is probably how Archie feels.
4. Roar by Katy Perry
Perry, Katy. “Roar.” Prism. Capitol Records, 2013.
“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agree politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything”
The students at Trinity always follow the Vigils without protest, they were afraid to “rock the boat and make a mess.” It is mentioned in chapter 27 by Archie that rough characters melted into ninety-seven pound weaklings when confronted by Archie and The Vigils. The students never stood for anything, and like Goober, just let The Vigils push them to the breaking point. People at Trinity forgot that they had a choice in what they do, and instead chose to do what everyone else is doing.
5. I Believe I Can Fly by R Kelly
Kelly, R. “I Believe I Can Fly.” R. Atlantic • Jive, 1996.
“See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me, oh”
These lyrics are about making a change and believing. In chapter 17, Jerry again refuses the chocolate, and there is a dead silence in the classroom. Change has to start with someone, and Jerry chose to continue to refuse chocolates and to try and stop the terror of The Vigils. This song is pretty slow, giving you the feeling that you are really free from the world, and that you’re flying.
6. Holiday by Green Day
Green Day. “Holiday.” American Idiot. Reprise/Warner Bros, 2005.
“A shame, the one’s who died without a name.
I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives”
The first line is like how Emile Janza strives to become one of the Vigils. He wants to die with a name, meaning he wants to be remembered. The second line tells how someone wants to dream and be different from the bad ways of Trinity. That someone could be Jerry in this book. The third line tells how it’s the beginning of the rest of our lives. Being different could change other people’s lives. People at Trinity began thinking for themselves.
7. Mean by Taylor Swift
Swift, Taylor. “Mean.” Speak Now. Big Machine, 2011.
“You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I’m nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I’m wounded
You picking on the weaker man”
This song describes how someone uses words to hurt people. The same way Archie doesn’t usually use violence as punishment. Instead, he uses words to hurt people, because they last longer than physical punishment. He doesn’t look like much, but Archie is still feared by the population of Trinity.
8. Read All About It by Emeli Sande
Sande, Emeli. “Read All About It.” Our Version of Events. Virgin Records, 2011.
“You’ve got the words to change a nation
But you’re biting your tongue
You’ve spent a life time stuck in silence
Afraid you’ll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?”
Everyone at Trinity can change the school if they stop biting their tongue and be confident that what they’re doing isn’t wrong. “You’ve spent a lifetime stuck in silence,” relates to Jerry’s father. Everyday, his work is just fine. Nothing bad, nothing good. Jerry’s father never became a doctor so that he could get more money.
9. 21 Guns by Green Day
Green Day. “21 Guns.” 21st Century Breakdown. Reprise Records, 2009.
“One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I”
This part of the song can relate to the ending of The Chocolate War. Jerry gave up the fight, telling Goober to don’t disturb the universe, no matter what the posters say. This song is about surrendering, because there are some things worth fighting for, but aren’t worth dying for. Jerry paid the price for disturbing the universe, Emile had very nearly killed him.
10. Careful by Paramore
Paramore. “Careful.” Brand New Eyes. Fueled by Ramen LLC, 2010.
“Shifting your weight
To throw off the pain
Well you can ignore it
But only for so long”
In chapter 28, Jerry got beat up at the football field, then his watercolor disappeared, his locker vandalized, and his sneakers ruined. He also got telephone calls, with nothing on the other end but laughter. In chapter 34, the school made him invisible. Jerry tried to brush off the taunting and bullying, but the boxing match was the last straw. He could only ignore it all for so long, and in the end, he gave up.
11. Amnesia by 5 Seconds of Summer
5 Seconds of Summer. “Amnesia.” 5 Seconds of Summer. Capitol Records, 2014.
“ ‘Cause I’m not fine at all
No, I’m really not fine at all
Tell me this is just a dream
‘Cause I’m really not fine at all”
In chapter 32, Jerry tells his father that he is fine, though he definitely is not fine. Archie and Brother Leon are like this too. They pretend to be all cool, and they try to let everyone think that everything is under control. Brother Leon’s eyes gave his true feelings away. Inside, Leon is vulnerable, and scared about the influence Jerry has on the students at Trinity.
12. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
Green Day. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” American Idiot. Warner Bros, Reprise Records, 2004.
“I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes, but it’s home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
When the city sleeps and I’m the only one and I walk alone
I walk alone, I walk alone“
In this song, a person walks along on a road they have known their entire life. They’re incredibly lonely, but they don’t explore other places or meet any people. Jerry’s father is like this, choosing to live a boring life because it’s easier. He doesn’t try to marry another woman so that he and Jerry won’t be so lonely, and preferred to just relive the same day over and over, never having anything new happening.
TIEA #1
The Chocolate War has a big theme on the idea of disturbing the universe, and the song Read All About It by Emeli Sande also shares that theme. The first line of the song is, “You’ve got the words to change a nation.” which relates to how just one person could disrupt the system at Trinity. In chapter 21, Howie and Rich, and Kevin and Danny discussed how they’re going to stop selling the chocolates, inspired by Jerry’s bold decision to simply refuse. The 5th line of the song is, “If no one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?” In chapter 27, it mentions how nobody has ever been unintimated by the Vigils and Archie, then later Obie shows them a poster that portrays the Vigils in a bad way. In all of these examples, it shows how Jerry has completely changed the way of thinking of the students at Trinity. Jerry sparked a change, and it spread to all the students. The Vigils began losing power and influence. Like the song says, anyone has the potential to change a nation, they just need to find the courage to do so. You have to face the fact that you could get in serious trouble, because not saying anything will not let people hear your opinion. Jerry was only a freshman when he made the entire school know his name. Numerous people were affected by his influence.
TIEA #2
The theme of fear plays an important role in The Chocolate War, the theme lets readers understand how fear can be a powerful weapon, but how there is still a way to face it. In chapter 37, while Emile and Jerry were fighting, the audience did absolutely nothing to stop what was happening. In chapter 6, when Gregory Bailey was being falsely accused of cheating, and nobody stood up for him until the end. All of these examples shows how people are too afraid to be a nonconformist and to do what’s right. They instead chose to go along with everyone else and what The Vigils want so they don’t draw negative attention to themselves. It’s easy to tell that what is happening it wrong. We all know that teachers shouldn’t accuse students of cheating when they know they don’t We all should know that supporting a fight, and one so unfair, is totally wrong. Us readers know that The Vigils are very bad news. But if you were in their situation, would you choose to conform or not? The characters deep down know that what they’re doing is wrong and not helping, but fear prevents them from acting. Robert Cormier lets us as readers know that being a nonconformist can really make a positive change in society, and that you shouldn’t be afraid.
Storybird
This is my Storybird. This short book tells of my attempt to disturb the universe in a positive way, and comes with a section on bullying and how to prevent it.
http://storybird.com/books/a-ripple-in-society-2/