Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Voice That Challenged a Nation (LDG)
Marian Anderson has to be one of the bravest people I have heard of. For her to be able to just go to Europe and trust the people there so explicitly is just amazing to me. The fact that she reaches such an esteemed status in Europe and was still not allowed to sing where she wanted to in America was such a tragedy. She obviously had an amazing voice and she was being censored simply because of the color of her skin. I was especially appalled by the decision of the Daughters of the American Revolution when they said she couldn't sing at Constitution Hall. She was easily one of the most famous performers of her time yet they would not let her sing because she was black. Eleanor Roosevelt needs to be applauded for her decision to stand behind Marian and withdraw her membership from the DAR. It really is a shame it didn't make them see the huge mistake they were making. The concert at the Lincoln Memorial just amazed me. I couldn't believe there were really 75,000 people there. Most of those people probably couldn't even see her, just hear her voice. What do you think about the decision of Eleanor Roosevelt? I think she took a big risk especially at that point in American history.
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Chapters four, five, and six of this book really showed Marian Anderson`s determination to be a serious artist. I, too, was amazed at her courage to go to Europe by herself to study the different languages. She took the risk of putting up the $500 dollars in order to have a full-length concert in the capital of Germany. It seems like that concert, which got rave reviews, was exactly what she needed to help make her mark on that part of the world. Even though she was so popular all over the world, she still wanted to come back home to the United States and sing. I was outraged reading about how the Daughters of the American Revolution would not allow her to sing at Constitution Hall. It was so hard to believe that she had sang all over Europe, but "they" would deny her because of the color of her skin. I agree with you Eleanor Roosevelt played an important role during this time. She voiced what she believed in - equality for all people. And, Eleanor stood by her beliefs when she resigned from the DAR. She used her influence as first lady to provoke national attention to the issue of racism. Eleanor did take a big risk, but her decisions helped bring all people together in the end. I was so moved as I read about the concert at Lincoln Memorial. Some 75,000 people gathered there to hear one woman sing. I was especially moved reading the words of Abraham Lincoln printed on the front page of the program for the concert.
Wow, Freedman really describes what a great singer Marian Anderson was. I agree that Marian was a determined woman. She went to Europe to study the languages and make herself a better singer. I think this determination is one aspect that made her great. She was willing to take a chance on herself because she knew she had what it took to make it. She took this chance by paying for her on concert in Germany. Also, after concerts she would go home and critique her performances. What could she do better the next time she sang that song? That is what it takes to become good at something. She was also very brave. She stepped out of her comfort zone. She left Europe where she had become a famous singer to prove herself in America. It blew me away that she sang in the capital cities of so many nations, but she could not sing the greatest concert hall in her own country. I was also very impressed with Elanor Roosevelt. She took a stand, and used her power to help people that were discriminated against. Besides withdrawing her membership from the DAR, another thing that impressed me was that she did not attend the concert at the Lincoln Memorial because she was a controversial figure, and she did not want the focus to be on her but on Marian. The picture of the concert at the Lincoln Memorial showing all the people there was amazing. It looked like they went on forever. Can you imagine standing in front of all those people, and they're waiting for you to sing?
What totally boggled my mind was how even though she kept hitting wall after wall and not being accepted, she kept on with her training. She never got discouraged. I was impressed by her determination to come home and make a way for herself no matter how hard it was. It really touched me the way that Eleanor Roosevelt stood up for Marian. That took courage on her part.
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