Living for the City by Steve Wonder - Essay Example

Thinking about the message in the song, Steve Wonder asserts that he thinks deeply and feels how things are living for the city. The song and the novel are connected in that they both question the American dream in the sense that young people lack proper guidance and end up in problems with the authorities, which kills their dream of success.

What is going on by Marvin Gaye

The onset of the 1970s was dark times for Marvin Gaye. He felt it was time to address the social ills happening in American society. In his song, what is going on, Marvin Gaye questions what happened to the American dream of the previous years as it related to military turbulence, poverty, unemployment, urban decay, and environmental problems. Through voice tone, the song was able to portray its intended message. The song is linked with Baldwin’s work of Beale City could talk in the sense that both the song and the novel depict how the society is rotten in that young people are lured into worldly things and end up in trouble with authorities. 

What with Roots by John Legend

In this song, the singer’s tenor shows the social ills in American society. For instance, in his lines, the singer talks about how the economic crisis, polarized political parties, and unemployment have cemented their place in society at the expense of the citizens. The song does not connect with Baldwin’s novel since it does not address societal injustice, as is the case in the novel.

Inner city blues by Marvin Gaye

The inner city blues song written by Marvin Gaye illustrates the shanties or slums of inner-city America as it explained how the hard economic situation would make an individual desire to holler or call the government to avert the ongoing crimes in inner-city America. Both the song and novel are intertwined since they show how despair and hope rule young people’s minds.