“I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore” by Carrie Underwood is a song I like because of the fact that I can relate to it. In this song, Underwood sings about her hometown, Checotah, Oklahoma, and how it is much different from her life now (as a former winner of American Idol, Underwood’s life changed from that of a slow-paced small town girl to a fast-paced starlet). The lyrics of this song are about how Underwood thinks her life now is new and exciting, but that home is home; and she misses it.
“I’d rather be tippin’ cows in Tulsa, than hailing cabs here in New York,” and “My hotel in Manhattan holds more people than my town,” are two of my favorite lines in the song. These two lines are catchy and kind of ironic because many people would want to live in a fancy New York hotel and hail cabs in New York rather than tipping cows in a small town. But different places are home to different people; if you grew up in NYC you probably love activities like hailing cabs, but if you grew up on a farm, you probably enjoy activities like tipping cows. However, I don’t think of “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore,” as only comparing Checotah and New York. It can relate to anyone who has recently moved away from home, wherever home may be.
This past year, I moved away from home to go to college, and while I love to be in college and move on with my life, I miss home. When Underwood sings about things such as Friday nights with her friends, prom, football games, and her favorite home activities, I think of all of my memories and fun times from home. With the upbeat rhythm of the song, it helps to bring out fun, special memories for whoever is listening. So, whatever your idea of “home” is, “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore” is a cute song that captures the meaning of a place to call home.
Citation
Carrie Underwood. "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore." Some Hearts. Artista Records, 2005.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
An Ironic Play of Events
“Grizzly Man” is a 2005 documentary directed by Werner Herzog. In this documentary, Herzog puts together clips of video that Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived in the wild with bears, had taken over many years. Treadwell spent his summers in Alaska at Katmai National Park where he lived amongst bears; wild bears. Treadwell camped in the park and spent his time filming and getting to know the animals so that he could help them.
In his video clips, Treadwell shows many bears doing various activities. The things he caught on tape were of the bears living life; eating, playing, fighting, sleeping, etc. Timothy also interacted with the grizzly bears- he would get close enough to touch them and he even gave each grizzly a name. “I’m in love with my animal friends!” said Treadwell on one of his takes (he also interacted with foxes, not just bears). Throughout “Grizzly Man,” Treadwell proclaimed many times that he loved his animals and was there to protect them, but there were many interesting facts in the documentary that lead the viewer to believe he was out there for more than just the animals.
One clip would be of Treadwell saying how much he loved the animals, but the next would be of him saying how troubled he was- he didn’t have a girlfriend, maybe it would be better if he were gay, he used to be an alcoholic, etc. It was almost as if he lived with the bears to escape the human world. Timothy lived out in the wild to help the bears but also to help himself. Either way, Treadwell didn’t realize the danger he was in.
In 2003, a bear killed Timothy Treadwell and his friend that was with him (Amie Huguenard). It was an ironic play of events- Treadwell was out there to help the bears but one ended up killing him. There are many opinions of whether or not Treadwell should have been living with bears to help them, but it is a sad story that family members lost a son and daughter, and many lost their friends.
In his video clips, Treadwell shows many bears doing various activities. The things he caught on tape were of the bears living life; eating, playing, fighting, sleeping, etc. Timothy also interacted with the grizzly bears- he would get close enough to touch them and he even gave each grizzly a name. “I’m in love with my animal friends!” said Treadwell on one of his takes (he also interacted with foxes, not just bears). Throughout “Grizzly Man,” Treadwell proclaimed many times that he loved his animals and was there to protect them, but there were many interesting facts in the documentary that lead the viewer to believe he was out there for more than just the animals.
One clip would be of Treadwell saying how much he loved the animals, but the next would be of him saying how troubled he was- he didn’t have a girlfriend, maybe it would be better if he were gay, he used to be an alcoholic, etc. It was almost as if he lived with the bears to escape the human world. Timothy lived out in the wild to help the bears but also to help himself. Either way, Treadwell didn’t realize the danger he was in.
In 2003, a bear killed Timothy Treadwell and his friend that was with him (Amie Huguenard). It was an ironic play of events- Treadwell was out there to help the bears but one ended up killing him. There are many opinions of whether or not Treadwell should have been living with bears to help them, but it is a sad story that family members lost a son and daughter, and many lost their friends.
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