Character/Narrative Structure/Themes

In this article we are told the story of different public places that have implemented classical music as a means of security. The main characters in this article are the groups that the tactic is trying to repel (vandals, homeless, etc.) and those implementing it (store owners, transit workers, etc).

This story is written in a style that closely resembles a news story. There are a lot of quotes and scene building that make it more of a feature, but for the most part the facts are presented in a reporting style.

What is really interesting is that this story takes a turn. About halfway through, after reporting all the facts on this topic, the story gets very critical of the use of classical music in this context and how it really doesn’t do much in the deterrence of real crime. It simply moves it elsewhere. It also addresses the fact that weaponizing this music also adds to the reputation classical music already had for being elitist and only for those of a higher class. This is literally using the music to run off the lower classes.

There are a lot of themes being explored in this article such as classism and safety as well as being a look in to connotations that music can have.

 

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/bach-at-the-burger-king/#!



1 Comment so far

  1.   fuglsang on September 10th, 2018

    I saw some humor (Officer Johann Sebastian), and a bit of tongue-in-cheek, early on. But that turn to seriousness, and an argumentative voice, does change the story. The focus also goes to commercialization of classical music, which only reinforces the classist position.

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