Assignment on “I Am Not My Hair” by India Arie

Thesis Statement

“Pure beauty lies in the soul and not in physical appearance”

Introduction

This paper discusses the meaning of the song “I Am Not A Hair”, sung by India Arie. There are three songwriters of this song; India Arie, Drew Ramsey and Shannon Saunders. India Arie (born India Arie Simpson; October 3, 1975) is a Grammy Award winning American soul, R&B, and neo soul musician, songwriter, and producer from Denver, Colorado. She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album. Her mother, who is now her stylist, is a former. India's parents divorced when she was a teenager. India and her older brother J'on moved to Atlanta, Georgia with their mother. India has blurred the lines between poetry and music. She has gone beyond poetic romance and introduced poetry of pure beauty. The subject of the song under discussion is also pure beauty, which lies in the soul and not in physical appearance. The song has a steady, rhythmic beat which is pleases the ears. The use of the piano, and synthetic strings made for a very mellow sound scale. The tone of the song is melodious and cheerful. The song lasts for about four minutes which is the average duration. There are four main ideas in the song which will be discussed; Mockery, Expectations of Society, Superficial Beauty, and Insecurities.

 

Discussion

Mockery of the Different

A person is victimized with mockery and amusement if they are different from the rest. A line from the song says, “Little girl with the press and curl…I was a source of so much laughter” (Arie, I. et al). This clearly gives the message that the subject was mocked due to her curly hair. Being different from the rest or looking a certain way is considered unacceptable. People have become less tolerant and accepting, the world over. Instead, they should encourage a distinctive appearance, especially when it comes naturally for a person. Even people who mock others are not being themselves. The people talking in the song say, “What'd she do to her hair? I do not know, it look crazy, I like it. I might do that. Umm I would not go that far. I know .. ha ha ha ha”(Arie, I. et al). One of them finds the subject's hair nice and would like to get the same done. Since another person says that it is a crazy thought, they change their mind. The song directly relates to an African American girl or woman, and the texture of hair they normally possess. From a very early age, the young girls treat their hair in order for it to be 'normal' as per the requirements of the society. The synonym of 'normal' should be 'natural', but the two words are miles apart according to the societal norms.

 

Expectations of Society

Satisfy the inner self, not the expectations of people around. We tend to ...