Response 2

I really liked this story. I’m not quite sure what all of it meant, and I’m not too good with my names of dictators and political leaders, but it made me think. I thought about how politics interact with religion, women’s rights, and what exactly imperialism is. Most of all, it made me feel something, intense sorrow and hopelessness I believe, at the very end when God did not come back to talk to the little girl. In fact, while I was getting ready to go to my first class just a couple minutes ago, one of the pieces that I am working on with my private instructor popped into my head, Lalo’s cello concerto, first movement. I always try to match stories either from my life or what is going on around me in order to really get to the deep emotional level in any piece I play and these two stories seem to fit perfectly. This piece is an emotional roller coaster, but no matter the emotion, it is full of passion. I can see at the very beginning in the almost cadenza part of the piece a struggle. I can see the little girl trying to figure out where exactly she stands between the world of politics and what society expects and religion. There is an intensity, but not quite a rebellion. When the main theme of the piece comes in, it fits perfectly with the little girl’s declaration of protesting, going to the political side of things. It is loud, in your face, and full of what almost seems to be anger. But between these parts of intensity, there is a change. Something sweeter, innocent, and a sort of longing is introduced. I’m still not quite sure if this would represent her wanting that part of her life back (religion and being close to god) that is gone, or if this is more of a sorrow for the path she has chosen because she understands she cannot lead both lives. Or maybe it is just sheer confusion, for it may seem to the little girl that everyone else is living the life of religion and taking a side in these revolutions and politics, so why can’t she? She is probably trying to grasp whether or not it is possible to meld these two worlds together. Here lies the true dilemma and conflict within the piece and story. There is quite obviously no way for these two lives to work together. Religion, at the base of them all, is about doing good, being peaceful, working to improve the world around you, and loving one another. The politics, wars, and revolutions of countries are all about power, control, and winning. There are multiple sides to politics, and only one true base to religion. I think this story gets at the heart of the innocence of what the little girl believed, what all little children believe in the beginning, and how it is corrupted and changed. Good intentions somehow grow up and mature into something that is not so. I must say, I am still slightly confused by all of this.