Description:
Inspired by Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow," Students will write an explication (a line by line analysis) of a song of their choice which they feel expresses a powerful message that can change society for the better. They will then present their analysis to the class in an oral report. At the conclusion of each report, the song will be played for the class, and a discussion will ensue.

Subjects:
English or Language Arts

Grade Levels:
Middle and High School (8-12)

Rationale:
This lesson is meant to introduce students to the often difficult task of writing a poetry explication, which is an intense, analytical, line by line uncovering of a poem's meaning. Song lyrics are used not only because students are highly familiar with this form of poetry, but also because they relate to music in very personal and powerful ways. This lesson also motivates students who are reluctant to write about more traditional forms of poetry. I suggest this activity be used as a project for the end of a poetry unit, as students will need to utilize poetic conventions in their analysis.

Objectives:
From the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards: Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards and Progress Indicators:

Standard 2:
All students will use information, technology, and other tools.

2. Select appropriate tools and technology for specific activities.
3. Demonstrate skills needed to effectively access and use technology-based materials through keyboarding, troubleshooting, and retrieving and managing information.
6. Access and assess information on specific topics using both technological (e.g., computer, telephone, satellite) and print resources available in libraries or media centers.
7. Use technology and other tools to solve problems, collect data, and make decisions.
8. Use technology and other tools, including word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs, and print or graphic utilities, to produce products.

Standard 3:
All students will use critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills.

3. Formulate questions and hypotheses.
8. Organize, synthesize, and evaluate information for appropriateness and completeness.
10. Monitor and validate their own thinking.
12. Interpret and analyze data to draw conclusions.
15. Apply problem-solving skills to original and creative/design projects.

Standard 4:
All students will demonstrate self-management skills.

3. Evaluate their own actions and accomplishments.
6. Describe actions which demonstrate respect for people of different races, ages, religions, ethnicity and gender.
7. Describe the roles people play in groups.

New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards for Language Arts Literacy (Grades 8-12)

Standard 3.1:
All students will speak for a variety of real purposes and audiences.

15. Speak before a group to defend an opinion and present an oral interpretation.

Standard 3.2:
All students will listen actively in a variety of situations to information from a variety of sources.

8. Demonstrate comprehension of, and appropriate listener response (e.g., listening attentively) to, an oral report, discussion, and interview.
9. Give appropriate feedback to a variety of speakers.
11. Demonstrate comprehension of, and appropriate listener response to, ideas in a persuasive speech, an oral interpretation of a literary selection, interviews in a variety of real-life situations, and educational and scientific presentations.

Standard 3.3:
All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

17. Cite sources of information.

Standard 3.4:
All students will read a variety of materials and texts with comprehension and critical analysis.

18. Begin to identify common aspects of human existence.
22. Analyze text for the purpose, ideas, and style of the author.
24. Understand the concepts of figurative language, symbolism, allusion, connotation, and denotation.
31. Understand the effect of literary devises, such as alliteration and figurative language on the reader's emotions and interpretation.
32. Understand the range of literary forms and content that elicit aesthetic response.

Standard 3.5:
All students will view, understand, and use nontextual visual information.
13. Choose and use multiple forms of media to convey what has been learned.
14. Integrate multiple forms of media into a finished product.



This lesson also incorporates many standards of the New Jersey Holocaust Curriculum, specifically under the 7th Grade-12th Grade Guidelines:

II. From Prejudice to Genocide:
5. Study ideologies related to prejudice and how they might lead to a genocide discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, creed, gender, religion, social class, age, ethnicity.

Audience:
I teach in an ethnically rich suburban school.

Time Frame:
This depends upon the teacher. I have my students work on this project during class time only. Therefore, this assignment can take up to two weeks with daily block classes of ninety minutes.

Materials:
· Song Explication Project ditto
· Lyrics to Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow"
· Sample explication of Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow"
· Various internet sources on Matthew Shepard

Background:
Students should have knowledge of poetic conventions. This is why I end my poetry unit with this lesson. It is also important that the teacher collect student lyrics of songs at least one week prior to doing this project. This leaves ample time to review their songs for age level and content appropriateness. I also keep the approved lyrics on file so students don't lose them.

Procedures:
Day one: It is important for students to gain background information on Matthew Shepard before beginning this assignment. I start class by placing Stephen J. Bertrand's painting of Matthew on the internet (http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/796/796portraitIrg.asp). I ask students to describe the face that they see on the screen by using the following guide questions: Who might this person be? What is his story? What feelings does his expression make you feel?

After a discussion of this painting, I direct students to Judy Shepard's permanent web memorial to her son at (http://www.mattshepardresource.freeservers.com/). This page provides a brief biography of Matthew as well as a picture of the fence where his murder took place.

Once students have a face behind the story of the song, and after all classroom questions and discussions have subsided, I then pass out the lyrics to Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow." I have a student volunteer read through the entire song once. I then facilitate as the class orally explicates the song. Here are some guide questions to ask students. As it is important to let them discover their own meanings, do not interject your own meanings of the song unless students are absolutely stuck. Also, expect some tears. I have done this project for the past two years and students from every class have cried.

1. What is a scarecrow? Who uses a scarecrow and why? How is a scarecrow a metaphor for Matthew Shepard?

2. In the first stanza, what does the shower of blood represent? Who are the narrow minds? Why are they intolerant? Whom do they feel bigotry and hate towards? Why is blood and flood an important rhyme? How is the repetition (anaphora) of the word "you" effective? In lines 6-9, who represents the "they?" Who was tortured, burned, beaten, and tied? Why was Matthew "crucified" for "love?" How may the outcome have changed if Matthew were found immediately after the attack? You may have to remind the students that it was cold outside when the murder took place, and that Matthew was still alive when he was found eighteen hours after the attack. He died in the hospital days later. Now is a good time to remind students that Matthew was murdered because he was gay.

3. In stanza two, describe what Matthew's silhouette may have looked like. Remind students that the bikers at first thought Matthew was a scarecrow. What thoughts may have crossed his mind while he remained helplessly tied to the fence? What might he have been trying to do? What do the angels do for Matthew?

4. In stanza three, Matthew's roles as a person are defined. Name these roles. What other role might a shepherd have? How has Matthew become a metaphorical shepherd? Can such a crime happen to us or someone we love? What types of people are capable of hate crimes? Do the examples of the monsters surprise you?

5. In stanza four, Melissa Etheridge tries to forgive the murderers. What reasons does she give that may explain why the murderers were filled with "pain unreconciled?" Why won't she ever forget this murder?

6.In stanza five, the last line of the chorus is reworded. How does this change the meaning of the stanza? How has Matthew Shepard risen above his own murder? What has he taught you about tolerance? After we orally discuss the lyrics, I play the song for them. We then discuss how the music adds to the feeling and intensity of the lyrics.

Day Two:
Procedures:
I pass out the Song Explication Project handout and the Sample song explication of "Scarecrow." I also pass out student song choices. I go over the directions and read excerpts from the sample explication to illustrate for them how I want them to write on each of the four sections of the paper. I answer student questions and then assist them as they write their own explications on the song they chose. At this point, it is up to the teacher to decide how much class time is necessary to complete this assignment. I try to get done one section per block period class (ninety minutes). That equals four class periods. It then takes about another three days to schedule all student presentations. This can be a lengthy assignment; however, students state that it is not only their favorite assignment, but has also changed their lives, how they listen to music, and how they view tolerance.

Content:
Matthew Wayne Shepard was brutally murdered on October 6, 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming because he was gay.

Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on how they meet the criteria outlined in the song explication handout and their oral presentations to the class. As this assignment is very personal, I utilize formative assessment, and allow students to grade themselves. I use this as a double major test grade.

Works Cited: Bertrand, Stephen J. Matthew Shepard Portrait. http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/796/796 _portrait_1rg.asp

Etheridge, Melissa. The Truth Is . . . My Life in Love and Music. New York: Villard, 2001.

Shepard, Judy. Matthew's Place. http://www.matthewsplace.com The State of New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education. Holocaust Curriculum. http://www.state.nj.us/njed/holocaust/curriculum/curric.htm#712

Song Explication Project: "Music With a Message"

In this project, you will choose a song that you feel has a positive message to give to the world. The topic of the song can be about anything; however, the lyrics may not have profanity, or be in any way inappropriate for classroom discussion. I must approve the lyrics. You will then write an explication (a close reading or analysis) of the song following the outline described below. Each section may contain more than one written paragraph, depending upon the song. At the end of the project, you will present your explication orally to the class, as well as play the song. This project will count as two major test grades. Each section plus the oral presentation will total one hundred points.

Part One: Introduction (ten points)
A. State the artist and title of the song.
B. Briefly state the subject of the song. You may use research for this part.
C. Identify the speaker (gender, age, race). The speaker is not necessarily the artist.
D. Identify the audience (gender, age, race). Whom does the song speak to most?

Part Two: Lyric Analysis (forty points)
A. Analyze the title. This may be more than one paragraph long. The song's title, _____, means . . .

B. Analyze each stanza in separate sections. The first (second) stanza reads:

C.Cite (MLA format) the lines by placing quotes around them. Use a virgule (/) to show where the lines of the song separate. For the end citation, list the stanza and lines quoted. For example, (4.5-6) means that the quoted material came from stanza four, lines five and six. If you quote more than three lines, then the quoted material has to be indented ten spaces from the left margin. Do not use quotes. Example:

Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem, "The Courage That My Mother Had," begins by comparing her mother's strength to granite rock:

The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock form New England quarried;
Now granite in a granite hill. (1.1-4)

Note: there is no period after the parenthesis; however, the period in the poem remains.

Here is how you would cite two lines of the same poem:

When the narrator states that her mother's courage has changed from "Rock from New England quarried; / Now granite in a granite hill" (1.3-4), the granite refers to the gravestone that marks where the mother is buried.

D. The final step in part two is to analyze your interpretation of the stanza's meaning. To me, this stanza means (shows, reveals, illustrates) . . .

Part Three: Analyzing Poetic Elements (twenty points)

A. Discuss how the following poetic elements (not all will apply) add to the song's meaning: anaphora, punctuation, grammar, alliteration, meter, personification, (internal) rhyme, metaphor, onomatopoeia, repetition, and simile. Discuss any other important images and figures of speech. (1-3 paragraphs).

B. Describe how the song's music adds to its meaning. Be creative with your adjectives (about one paragraph).

Part Four: Personal Response (ten points)

A. In the last one or two paragraphs of your explication, provide your personal response to the song. Here are some questions to get you thinking about what to write:
Why did you choose this song?
Why is the song's message important to you?
How does the song remind you of an event in your own life?
Why will the song stand the test of time?

Part Five: Oral Report (twenty points)
A. You may stand or sit in front of the class.
B. You may refer to your report, or note cards; however, you may not simply read your paper to the class.
C. Each student must have a copy of your lyrics. You may display them on the big TV monitor in the back of the room by accessing the lyrics from the internet.
D. Starting with the title, ask questions that will prompt the class to think about the meaning of the song. After your classmates provide answers, you may add any special meaning or ideas that you found while doing your report. Think of yourself as the teacher. Try to follow the example I set when we discussed Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow."
E. Discuss each stanza as a separate section. Again, develop questions that you can ask the class about the important things that happen in each stanza. Also point out examples of poetic elements and discuss how they relate to the song's meaning.
F. Conclude by stating why this song is important to you, why you chose it, or why you think it will remain important in the future.
G. Explain what you think we should notice about the music of the song, and then play the song to the class.
H. Answer any questions the class may have concerning your song.

Music With a Message: Sample Explication
Melissa Etheridge's "Scarecrow"

Melissa Etheridge's song, "Scarecrow," is an example of music with meaning because its message is about "[teaching] tolerance and understanding and acceptance and love for one another" (Etheridge 175). Her song is based on the hate-crime murder of University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, who was brutally murdered by two young men on October 12, 1998 just because he was gay. The speaker of the song is Melissa Etheridge who was prompted to write the song after hearing about the tragedy on the news (173). Melissa's message of tolerance speaks to everyone, especially those who have ever felt the pain of another's hatred simply because of who they are.

Melissa titled the song, "Scarecrow," since "the bicyclist who found . . . [Matthew's] body thought that it was a scarecrow in the field until he got closer and realized it was a young man" (173). A scarecrow is also used by a farmer to frighten crows away from the crops; similarly, Matthew's murderers hated and feared him. Like the crows, they didn't recognize that the scarecrow is truly harmless, or that Matthew was a gentle, kind person.

The first stanza of "Scarecrow" reads:

Showers of your crimson blood
Seep into a nation calling up a flood
Of narrow minds who legislate
Thinly veiled intolerance
Bigotry and hate
But they tortured and burned you
They beat you and they tied you
They left you cold and breathing
For love they crucified you (1.1-9)

In this stanza, Melissa reveals the brutality of Matthew's murder. The line, "Showers of your crimson blood" (1.1) shows that Matthew's blood splattered like rain with each blow to his body. Moreover, showers not only represents Matthew's tears as he pleaded for his life during his attack, but also the sadness his death had on his family, friends, and strangers that watched it on the news. However, the next few lines point out that not everyone was affected by Matthew's death. In fact, the hate crime "[Seeped] into a nation calling up a flood / Of narrow minds who legislate / Thinly veiled intolerance / Bigotry and hate" (1.2- 5). Here, Melissa points out that many states in our country have no hate-crime legislation that may have helped someone like Matthew. Melissa cannot understand how those in government, who have the power to create laws, have such "narrow minds" and are often intolerant and full of hate themselves. To her, to do nothing to help end intolerance is just as bad as being intolerant. This is why she ends the stanza repeating how gruesome Matthew's murder was. With the transition, "But," she emphasizes how disappointed she is that laws don't exist to protect the people of this society that need it the most.

The song's chorus reads:

I can't forget hard as I try
This silhouette against the sky
Scarecrow crying
Waiting to die wondering why
Scarecrow trying
Angels will hold carry your soul away (2.1-6)

Here, the image of Matthew hanging helpless from the wooden fence is a vision that Melissa still "cannot clear . . . out of [her] mind" (174). This stanza forces the listener to envision what it must have been like for Matthew in the eighteen hours it took for him to be found. In the line, "Angels will hold carry your soul away" (2.6), Melissa hopes "that [Matthew's] soul left his body long before his last breath" (174).

The third stanza reads:

This was our brother This was our son
This shepherd young and mild
This unassuming one
We all gasp this can't happen here
We're all much too civilized
Where can these monsters hide?
But they are knocking on our front door
They're rocking in our cradles
They're preaching in our churches
And eating at our tables (3.1-11)

In this stanza, Melissa, whose own "son was just about to be born, . . . could not imagine the pain of a mother losing a son like that" (174). In the first five lines, Matthew becomes a symbol of everyone's loved one. Melissa makes it very clear that this tragedy could have happened to anyone's son, brother, or friend. The fact that she calls him "This unassuming one" (3.4), also serves as a sad warning that people cannot always be trusted. We cannot assume that people won't hurt us. We cannot assume that everyone we meet is a good person. However, in the second part of the stanza, Melissa asks how "monsters" (3.7) are created in a "civilized" (3.6) society. The answer is grim. Monsters are "knocking on our front door / They're rocking in our cradles / They're preaching in our churches / And eating at our tables" (3.8-11). Sadly, hatred can be all around us: in a stranger at our door, in our beliefs, in our family, in our children, even in ourselves.

The fourth stanza reads:

I search my soul
My heart and in my mind
To try and find forgiveness
This is someone's child
With pain unreconciled
Filled up with father's hate
Mother's neglect
I can forgive
But I will not forget (4.1-9)

In this stanza, Melissa Etheridge states that she "wanted to try and comprehend forgiveness" (175), for Matthew's two killers. In fact, she mentions that "[Matthew's] parents brokered a deal for one of [Matthew's] killers to serve two life sentences . . . [instead of being] put to death" (176). This gesture "spared the life of the man who stole their son's life . . . [and is] a testament to true human spirit" (176).

The stanza continues that the murderers themselves are "someone's child / With pain unreconciled / Filled up with father's hate / Mother's neglect" (4. 4-7). These lines seem to answer the previous question, "Where can these monsters hide?" (3.7). The fact is that often people who commit horrible crimes were once victims of abuse themselves. Melissa acknowledges that the murderers did not come from healthy home environments where they had supportive, loving parents. This fact allows her to "forgive" the men for their crime, "to be able to say the only way to break it, the only way to understand that kind of evil is to stop punishing the offenders, and treat them" (175).

Perhaps if they didn't feel so lost inside, then they wouldn't have been compelled to hurt another person. However, Melissa makes it very clear that she "will not forget" (4.8). It is important that Matthew Shepard's death not be forgotten because "We as a nation cannot just say, 'Oh, wasn't that bad,' and push the archaic persecution of homosexuality . . . aside" (175). This is especially important as homosexuals remain the only group in American society that are still denied the equal rights that other minorities take for granted.

The last stanza repeats the chorus. However, the last line of the stanza changes to, "Rising above all in the name of love" (177). This is an especially powerful message that refers back to the angels helping Matthew's soul leave his body. Here "Rising above" takes on a different meaning. Matthew's death has become a symbol for a person's struggle to rise above hatred and intolerance. In this respect, Matthew has triumphed over his killers. As a young man who lived honestly, was kind and helpful to others, and had earned the love of family, friends, and strangers, Matthew certainly proved by his character, that all good people deserve a chance to find their own happiness and love in this world.

There are several poetic elements that Melissa Etheridge uses in "Scarecrow." The most powerful are the metaphors that create different images in our minds about Matthew Shepard's life and death. According to Melissa, "Tying [Matthew] to a post made his death Christ-like, and [she] wanted to draw the [metaphor]" (174), to stress the "graphic" (174) and senseless torture that Matthew had to endure. In addition, Matthew as the scarecrow who keeps away the crows in the garden, symbolizes the reality that people tend to fear those who are different than them. That fear often turns to hate is also a metaphor for the "monsters" who are intolerant of those different from them. In this respect, we are forced to recognize that every time we treat someone badly, we become a monster too. Melissa also creates a metaphor using Matthew's last name when she refers to him as "This shepherd young and mild" (3.3). Literally, this emphasizes that Matthew's kind personality and good heart were not deserving of such a horrific death. It also, however, represents him as a leader. For instance, a shepherd gently leads the flock of sheep safely through the pasture. Similarly, Matthew's gentle and kind nature serves as an example of how others should lead their own lives. His death also makes it evident that people who are the victims of prejudice deserve protection from intolerant people who would harm them, just as a shepherd protects sheep from the wolves waiting for a chance to attack.

Another poetic element used in the song is rhyme. Although Melissa does not use a strict rhyme scheme, each stanza contains rhyme that tends to emphasize certain thoughts, or connect ideas. For instance, to link the words "legislate" and "hate" (1.3 and 5), connects the idea that it is hypocritical that the government does not create laws that protect all its citizens.

"Scarecrow" also uses anaphora in several stanzas to emphasize certain ideas. For example, the repetition of the word "They"(1.6-8), emphasizes the brutality of the murderers and their horrific beating of Matthew in graphic detail. Similarly, the repetition of the word, "This" (3.1-4), shows the different roles Matthew has played in his short life. He has been a family member, a friend, a believer in the goodness of people, and a symbol of the effects of intolerance and hatred. Finally, the repetition of "They're" (3.9-10), reveals that the "monsters" could be hiding anywhere, because they could be anyone.

In addition to powerful lyrics, interwoven in "Scarecrow" are equally powerful musical riffs. Initially, the song's music was supposed to be used as a theme song for the U.S. women's soccer team (172). In fact, band member, "John Shanks, . . . [sent] over a sample of some really driving and intense drum loops" (172), one of which Melissa ended up using for "Scarecrow" (173). In addition to the powerful drums, an electric bass guitar complements the intensity of the drum beat. Then the music falters to a surreal murmur as Melissa's voice is distorted with the lyrics, "I search my soul / My heart and in my mind / To try and find forgiveness / This is someone's child / With pain unreconciled / Filled up with Father's hate / Mother's neglect / I can forgive / But I will not forget" (4.1-9). The distorted music and singing emphasize how difficult it is to comprehend why such a horrible murder happened.

Musically, the most intense aspect of the song happens at the end with the repetition of the last line: "Rising above all in the name of love" (5.4). Here the music rises as Melissa's voice harmonizes with her band members. Then the music wanes until it becomes just Melissa singing with her guitar accompaniment. The song ends with a harrowing guitar solo, barely audible, as if the soul of Matthew Shepard is indeed rising above us all.

A few years ago, I went to Washington D.C. to attend a concert sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign called "Equality Rocks." Along with many celebrities such as Tipper Gore, and music artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Matthew Shepard's parents were there to speak about their son's murder, to encourage tolerance, and to rally for hate crime legislation. Mr. Shepard's speech was particularly moving because there were protesters outside of the stadium holding up signs that said hateful things about Matthew, such as he deserved to die for being gay. As I listened to Mr. Shepard speak, I thought about what courage it took for him to stand in front of a crowd of thousands of people and speak about love and peace and tolerance. Immediately after this speech, Melissa Etheridge came on stage to perform "Scarecrow." When it came time for her to sing the words, "I can forgive / But I will not forget" her voice faltered because she started to cry. It was such a powerful and emotional moment because as I looked around me, it seemed as though each and every person in the stadium cried with her. Her performance inspired me to create this lesson.

As a teacher, when I hear students call each other names, it reminds me just how much we haven't learned about prejudice and hate. If slavery, the Holocaust, and the evening news haven't convinced us to practice tolerance, to envision what it is like to walk through life in shoes different from our own, I wonder if there is any hope that we will ever learn. This is why I chose this song. I hope it serves as a reminder to you that we are all different; we are all scarecrows. That's what makes us beautiful; that's what makes us human.

Work Cited:
Etheridge, Melissa. The Truth Is . . . My Life in Love and Music. New York: Villard, 2001.

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