Courage To Be the First
Eleanor Roosevelt was the first of her kind. She was the beginning of what we see in the First Lady today. Mrs. Roosevelt was the first First Lady to voice her opinion pertaining to crucial matters in the world. Her main message she was trying to covey was everyone should be equal. She wanted women to be empowered and African Americans to feel safe in their own country. She had so much courage to stand up to the country and declare what was happening was wrong. Her legacy still lives on today, her opinions are still valued, and she is viewed as an inspiration to civil rights leaders.
Track #1 Carry On
Fun..“Carry On.” Some Nights.Fueled by Ramen,2012.
Ever since Eleanor Roosevelt was born she had an uphill battle to climb. She was born into a dysfunctional family, with an alcoholic father and a resentful mother (Ripley, 45). After both of her parents died she moved into another dysfunctional household with her grandmother. Mrs. Roosevelt was then sent to Allenswood boarding school in England (Ripley, 45). There she flourished, and realized there was more to the world than her family. The song lyrics “if your last or alone, or you’re sinking like a stone, carry on,” really describe how she was feeling, living at home with her family.
Track #2 I’ll Stand By You
The Pretenders.“I’ll Stand By You.”Last of the Independence.Sire,1994
Before Eleanor Roosevelt was swept off her feet by Franklin Roosevelt, she was very involved in with working with the lower class. Mrs. Roosevelt was working in the slums of the lower east side at the University Settlement House (Riechers, 21). She was helping young immigrants adjust to life in America and also joined the New York Consumers League, which was meant to expose the harsh living conditions (Riechers, 21). The song lyrics, “I’ll stand by you,” “won’t let nobody hurt you,” “I’ll never desert you,” described how Mrs. Roosevelt stood by the lower class to let them know they were not forgotten, and to show the rest of the world the conditions they were forced to live in.
Track #3 Listen
Knowles,Beyonce.“Listen.”Dreamgirls: Music From the Motion Picture.Columbia,2007
Before Franklin Roosevelt became the 32nd President of the United States, he and Mrs. Roosevelt had troubles in their marriage. She discovered he was having an affair (Ripley, 46). Mrs. Roosevelt decided to stay with him, but for only public reasons and their children. It was during this time when she really started focusing on equality. The song lyrics, “She’s done with his plan for her life. She is standing on her own,” describes how she really decided to go her own way and make a name for herself in politics. The song lyrics also stands for how much Mrs. Roosevelt wanted equality between men and women.
Track #4 Keep Holding On
Lavigne,Avril.“Keep Holding On.”The Best Damn Thing.RCA,2007
Eleanor Roosevelt was continuing to see inequality between both men and women and between races. She knew women were not being considered for jobs and she was going to change that. Mrs. Roosevelt began to hold press conferences which only women journalist could attend (Goodwin, 151). She wanted to give women more chances and the same equality which men have. She also wanted to create a society where newspapers would have to hire more women (Goodwin, 151). The song lyrics, “You’re not alone,” “I’ll be by your side you know i’ll take your hand,” “Together we stand,” shows how Mrs. Roosevelt knew what women were feeling and had the courage to stand up for it. She ended up holding more than 300 press conferences where only women were allowed (Goodwin, 151).
Track #5 World
Five For Fighting.“World.”Two Lights.Columbia Records,2006
When Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio, Eleanor Roosevelt was forced to take over his appearances. She was the first First Lady to give a speech in the Presidents place at the nominating convention (Ripley, 44). During her speech she continued to speak highly of the New Deal program, and also brought up the issue of inequality in the U.S. Mrs. Roosevelt also continued to discuss how discrimination was unlawful and needed to be stopped(Ripley, 44). The song lyrics, “what kind of world do you want,” “history starts now,” describes how she tried to stop discrimination by continuously speaking about the big elephant in the room.
Track #6 The Beauty of Gray
Live.“The Beauty of Gray.”Mental Jewelry.Radio Active,1991
Eleanor Roosevelt was such a strong person, she was not going to compromise her beliefs to make others feel better. A perfect example occurred when Mrs. Roosevelt attended at a Souther Conference for Human Welfare in Alabama, she refused to sit in the white only section away from her African American friends she had arrived with (Goodwin, 151). In the song the lyrics, “This is not a black and white world to be alive I say the color must swirl and I believe that maybe today we will all get to appreciate the beauty of gray,” describes how Mrs. Roosevelt saw the world. She did not see color, she saw people.
Track #7 Where is the Love?
The Black Eyed Peas. “Where is the Love?.”Elephunk.A&M,2003
Most do not know Eleanor Roosevelt played a vital role during World War II. Mrs. Roosevelt kept insisting America could not fight racism abroad, while tolerating it at home (Goodwin, 151). She kept pushing her thoughts to congress and finally they started to give opportunities to African Americans to work in factories, shipyards, and in the armed forces overseas. The songs lyrics, “people killing, people dying, children hurtin’, hear them crying, can you practice what you preach, or would you turn the other cheek,” represents how the U.S. was ignoring what was happing in the country, but looking down on Germany for doing it.
Track #8 Hello Cold World
Paramore.“Hello Cold World.”Singles Club.Fueled by Ramen,2011
After Franklin Roosevelt died, Eleanor Roosevelt continued to spread her word. President Truman appointed her a delegate in the first meeting of the United Nations in London in 1945, where she made a huge contribution to human rights in the Soviet Union (Riechers, 21). Mrs. Roosevelt continued her nationally syndicated column, where she would address issues pertaining to poverty, education, and housing(Ripley, 45). The song lyrics, “We can hope and we can pray that everything will work out fine, but you can’t just stay down on your knees the revolution is outside,” described how Mrs. Roosevelt felt, she knew if she wanted change she would have to do it herself. She threatened many strong, right-winged people with her column so much that Ku Klux Klan put a 25,000 dollar bounty on her head (Goodwin, 151). This only proved to show how much influence her voice had and how much courage she had.
Work Cited
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. “Eleanor Roosevelt.” Time 151.14(1998): 122. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Sept. 2012
Library of Congress. “Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” Library of Congress. 1933. Photograph. 5 Sept. 2012 <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/93508122/>
Riechers, Maggie. “Eleanor Roosevelt.” Humanities 21.1 (2000): 21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 sept. 2012
Ripley,Amanda. “The relentless Mrs. Roosevelt. (Cover Story).” Time 173.26(2009): 44-46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Sept. 2012
