Upon the suggestion of a colleague, we will do the following project:
To Kill a Mockingbird – To Pimp a Butterfly
Your task is to listen to, research, and present via some type of visual aid (i.e. Powerpoint) your assigned song from Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated album To Pimp a Butterfly. The songs are: “Institutionalized,” “King Kunta,” “Complexion (A Zulu Love),” and “The Blacker the Berry.” Within your group, your job is to explore connections to race and other themes we’ve discussed in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. You should listen to your song multiple times before beginning your analysis.
I expect you to put a lot of thought into your ideas. Listen to the song. Listen to it again. And again. And again. Read the lyrics while you listen. Immerse yourself in the music and poetry that is being recited and consider what Lamar is rapping about. What does he mean? How does it connect to what we’ve discussed? To help supplement your thoughts, you should use lyrics from the songs as evidence. An example of how to quote song lyrics: In “The Blacker the Berry,” Lamar says (or sings, or raps), “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice/ the blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot.” You use a / to indicate a line break. Also note that just like a book title, an album title is italicized; just like titles of poems, song titles are in quotes. You should also divide up the research efforts; these songs contain many references – some obvious, some subtle – so you will want to be sure to understand and address those references in your presentation to the class.
The purpose of this assignment is not to just listen to music; you are tasked with exploring how the themes of To Kill a Mockingbird are still relevant today. In that regard, your group is to give a presentation lasting approximately 10 minutes on your assigned song and analysis. This is a group project – everyone is expected to contribute equally in the preparation and presentation. If there is any inequity, it will be reflected in your grade. The groups are on the back of the sheet, with your assigned song as well as a link to the lyrics. Use these lyrics. Also, note that the lyrics include explicit language – this does not mean you are permitted to use that language during your presentation. The presentations will be held in class: Tuesday, September 4 (G Day) PLEASE PLAN to use the EXTENDED PERIOD (after Labor Day Weekend).
A Block Groups
1. “Institutionalized” – Jackson, Arthur, Dom
“King Kunta” – Carl, Tommy, Max
“Complexion (A Zulu Love)” – Colin, Henry
“TheBlacker the Berry” – Zak, Alex
D Block Groups
1. “Institutionalized” – Karl, Quint, Peter
2. “King Kunta” – Jaren, Alex, Tom
3. “Complexion (A Zulu Love)” – Mark, Ethan, Spencer
4. “TheBlacker the Berry” – Terrence, Ajay
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