Preview

Memories from the Cabana (Descriptive Essay)

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
792 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Memories from the Cabana (Descriptive Essay)
I was born and raised in South America, a continent with a lot of mountain ranges–ideal for mountain climbing and hiking-long winding rivers, lush forests, wonderful beaches, as well as valleys with breathtaking views. Based on experience, I can say that it is a tropical country; which was confirmed during my history class in sixth grade. In a country where it’s hot and humid, my fashion statement is sporting a large white (sometimes blue) t-shirt and a Hawaiian type shorts. A dark pair of shades is also an important part of my get-up as it protects my eyes from the sun’s harsh rays. Being born in South America you might think that I have dark hair with brown eyes and a charming smile; a typical Cabana boy. Well, I am charming yes, but my hair is blonde and the color of my eyes are green; and this is because South America is a melting pot of cultures from Africans to Germans to Japanese, Koreans and many others.
Music in South America is intense and up-beat. It makes you want to dance. Having been born in a family where every member enjoys music, I too share the same interest. My favorite music is the music of the ‘80s because it is a classic – never goes out of style. It’s rhythm and lyrics make you feel and experience music itself through your senses. Even at 30, when I hear the ‘80s music, it brings back memories from my childhood. I can still remember, fifteen years ago, when my family and I lived in a backward peaceful town filled with palm and coconut trees, our house was built on wood similar to that of the huts and cottages you see at the beach resorts today. One afternoon, my friends and I, along with my two younger brothers, sat at the yard to listen to Caribbean music. The music traveled throughout the neighborhood on one cool afternoon. When the sun finally went down upon the fiery sky, the natives joined us. We were all out in the yard, dancing and singing while some played the Tambores, a percussion instrument similar to that of a drum

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Cac 330 Afro-Caribbean

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Katherine Hagedorn defines the main goal of the ritual ceremonies that incorporate rhythms of the bata drum, songs, and dances is to "summon the santos to the earth, so that the deities may soothe those who are grieving, heal those who are sick, rebuke those who have acted unwisely, bless those who appear to be deserving, and set the tone for the next fee weeks or months in the community"(76). In this description is where I found the greatest difference between the formal performances and the ritual dances. The formal performances were usually danced on a stage with costumes that are more elaborate then those worn by worshipers at a ceremony. The dances are choreographed enabling the movements…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. Machito and the Afro-Cubans gave Africa the credit it deserved and when it became popular it even further integrated the audience. In New York there was an abundance of people to be apart of the band and to be the audience. The people who came to see Machito and the Afro-Cubans were of all races and had varied audiences. They had whites and Cubans and people of all races, but only people who understood would get their “hidden messages”. Machito and the Afro-Cubans provided a cultural bridge.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rockin’ Las Américans: The Global Politics of Rock in Latin America by Eric Zolov investigates the “systematic pattern of harassment and abuses” towards rock n’ roll in South America during 1960-70s. It questions how and why rock became so controversial, what was rock in Latin American contexts, depictions of race, class and gender in music, and what makes Latin American rock truly Latin American rock. Using first hand knowledge from “rockers” themselves as well as help from ethnomusicologists, and sociologists. It is a cultural type of history, and examines rock with different gender and age perspectives.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Despite Mexico’s symbolic musical representative of the Mariachi band, the more modern music genre of narcocorridos has become more prevalent amongst today’s Mexican-American youth in the United States. The lyrics above are a preview of what the narcocorrido is- a genre known for its story-telling demeanor, its main instruments of the tuba, and accordion, and its lyrical content: the lifestyle and mentality of a drug trafficker in a Mexican drug cartel. Very recently, the narcocorrido has gained much popularity and has even evolved into its own very distinct genre. It’s popularity, however, also gives rise to immense criticism of the genre’s explicit lyrics. The evolution of the corrido into a blood-curling yet catchy style of song has led to two different results. The controversial narcocorridos have gained enough popularity to be arguably giving druglords more fame and power. On the other hand, however, they have also given youth a means from which to gain a sense of cultural identification on the U.S. side of the border.…

    • 2414 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Timba Sasa Style

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    When Africans arrived to Cuba during the 1770’s they didn’t forget their traditional music. They brought their instrument and style of music and dance with them. Because Africans came from different region of Africa to Cuba they could mixed their different style to create the beginning of salsa. “African drums from far off places like Nigeria, Dahomey, and Ghana married the Spanish guitar to bring us clave. The seeds were planted in the Caribbean and now…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cuban Band Irakere

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Chucho Valdes, Irakere, Afrocubanismo Live!:the Musicians." Chucho Valdes, Irakere, Afrocubanismo Live!:the Musicians. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://www.bembe.com/afrocubanismo/musicians.html>.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The beginnings of the Ska genre can be traced to the island nation of Jamaica in the mid 1950s. Initially, it was defined as “a kind of ham-fisted combination of American rhythm and blues and Caribbean folk styles, such as calypso and mento” (Selvin). This melting pot of sounds was credited to the fact that post World War II, the inhabitants of Jamaica were able to listen in on American radios due to American soldiers’ stationings. Tourism and other outside forces have always had an influence on Jamaican music, with textbooks coining that “Caribbean musics have participated in significant ways in globalized networks of music-making… that have historically emerged in response to travel in the Caribbean” (Nettl 345). With Jamaica’s music culture being accepting and adapting to outside instrumentation and styles, they were able to create a genre that appealed the to United States as well.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Music from the hispanic carribean has become a major part of the culture accross major cities in the United States, which there has been many influences on music in the Hispanic Carribean. There’s a variety of genres with music in the Hispanic Carribean such as merengue, salsa, Spanish-language hip hop, Latin jazz, reggaeton, and many others. There’s many culture differences between the Hispanic Carribean nations, but according to the reading, “a certain pan-Latino sense of identity, of shared values and heritage, is evident”. Latinos in America have been influencing musical styles in this country for decades, and the reading also mentions that Spanish culture in America have influenced musical styles in the United States since the last two centuries, as well as assimilating influences.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I was born and raised in Austin, Texas however, my parents immigrated from Mexico. My father made his journey from Sombrerete, Zacatecas and my mother made her’s from Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. My mother mostly worked by cleaning houses and my father stuck to cooking for either fast food or restaurants. They met working together at the restaurant my father currently works at called Fonda San Miguel. As my mother grew older and had multiple kids, the effects from working long hours took a toll on her and she decided it was best to not work. My family of two brothers and two sisters was living under a single income. My oldest sister was able to move out while I was still young as well as my older brother a couple of years after her. My youngest…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Haitian Music: Rara

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Haiti has a very interesting history of culture and religion. Currently, while Roman Catholicism is the official religion, Voodoo can be considered the national religion; about half of all Haitians practice it. This culture and religious history – and current practice – is essential in understanding one of the most important genres of music in Haiti; Rara.…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Shaw, L and Dennison, S (2005) ‘Popular Culture in Latin America: Media, arts and lifestyle’. California: ABC-CLIO, Inc.…

    • 2171 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Caribbean Music

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Caribbean music in a new mode it’s meant that it probes the African antecedents retained in the region's religious rituals. The chapter further contends that in the African-derived context, no distinction is made between sacred and secular, and that popular festivals like carnival, rara, junkannu, or gumbay are rooted in an Afro-religious mode. In this respect, one finds commonality of themes, the major ones being: cultural affirmation; aspirations to freedom; and resistance to oppression as expressed in rituals such as Vodou, Santeria, Candomble, Kumina, or Shango; popular dance-hall styles like "rasin" in Haiti, reggae in Jamaica, samba-reggae in Brazil; and carnival musics like calypso and soca in Trinidad & Tobago.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Loza, Steven. Barrio Rhythm: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles. 1st ed. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993. 54-128.…

    • 1381 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    I was still in college, and the albums I had in hand were “The Children of Ibeji” and “Man of the Forest”, which left me completely stunned, almost paralyzed, with that enthralling combination of Brazilian music and free improvisation.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was a simple beginning to a beautiful day in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The dry morning air brought a wealth of warmth to my tired skin. "Today is a day of opportunity," I thought. I would hopefully be entering the work force after a long battle with unemployment. I was excited because my days were filled with nothing but boredom and my mind was occupied with nothing but despair. Hopefully, today would be the day that I left my past behind me.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays