Does this song glorify or denigrate war? Why do you think the way you do?
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38 comments:
Halsey,
In 99 Red Balloons by Nena not at one point does she mention a posotive side of war. She describes the how hectic and scary war really is. At the end of her song she tells how her city was completely leveled leaving nothing, not even a souvenir (except her balloon)to remember what once stood there. She tells how quickly a nation can go from peacefull to a "war machine". In essence war is not something to be looked forward to, its brutal,and should only be used as a last resort.
I think that this song shows the negetive side of the war. I think that this is exmplified by the end when it is talking about how there is nothing left in the city. When she is saying she is looking for a souviner this means a sign of life. She is expressing the negitive side of war and how much destruction it leaves. I also feel like when she said the radars were set off by ballons she was saying that war is usually for no reason. That is why that I believe this song is critizing war.
Emily Norton:
I agree with Nick, i believe this song represents the bad effects of war also. They were excited for it in the beginning, talking about how soilders are heros. But in the end there was nothing left of the city, and it shows how sad there wasnt even a souvenir left. When the speakers lets the last balloon in the sky its for the rememberance of the people who fought in the war, and dor the ones who dies.
I agree with all three previous posters on that in the song war is depicted as a bad thing and she doesnt really reflect on the positive sides of war. It could be that the war the song is referring to was a negative war and nothing much positive happened because of it. THe last couple of lines of the song show the losses and despair that war can leave people with.
i agree with jeff, emily, nick, and halsey. 99 red balloons does not glamorize war in any way. In the beginning with the kids buying balloons signifing innocence, and then all but one balloon is destroyed which shows the destruction of inocence. It gives you the idea of how awful war is and what it can do to a community. I believe Nena was protesting war in this song.
I disagree with the previous posters; the song definitely glorifies war. It shows the might of the Cold War militaries, glorifying a missile launch with artistic imagery.
I agree with everyone else that the song is denigrating war, because it is talking about how destructive and pointless it is. However, I think that the main focus of the song is not about just about how destructive war is but it is protesting how easily we go to war over little things that do not even matter that much. For example, it mentions how eager they were to fight each other over just balloons, and how all the soldiers are considered heroes.
I agree with both Nick and everyone else who sides with him. The song 99 Red Balloons clearly denigrates war by demonstrating, as others before me have stated, that in the end nothing is left but rubble and other physical structures destroyed by war and the warriors. I disagree with Thomas when he says that the song glorifies missile launching with "artistic imagery". The song is somewhat descriptive, but I don't see it as in favor or as in the promotion of war in any way.
Once again, I too agree with everyone else that said that “99 Red Balloons” was denigrating war because as many people have said it starts out being so innocent with kids buying some balloons in a store and then it turns into such things as “war machines”. It perceives the Cold War seem as something that is very destructive and terrifying. By saying that all there was left was dusty streets was basically implying that all of the nuclear bombs or “balloons” in this case had done plenty of destruction and left the world in despair and awe.
I also agree with everone so far.This song does show a negative side of the war.It seems like all of the people there want war, and are waiting for it. This song is showing a negagtive side because they want the war to happen. The people in the city want souvineers of the war, i think that they think it is important to have war. It also shows that it destructed their city. Even though it seemed like they were a well put together team, someone always gets left behind no matter what. Just like what hapened in the song.
I agree with everyone above. "99 Red Balloons" both denigrates and glorifies war. It denigratess war because it says "To worry, worry, super scurry" and "Panic bells, it's red alert". This shows that war is scary and people are not in favor of it. Also how in the end the city is left with nothing but dust shows how depressing it is. I agree with Halsey about how quickly life can change. People are innocently buying ballons and then suddenly war breaks out. But, in the song it also glorifies war a little. For example, when it say "This is what we've waited for" and "opens up one eager eye". This demonstrates how people are not only scared but excited for war. In the end when the city is destroyed she also mentions that she is still standing pretty. This song mostly shows the downfalls of war, but it also not everything about war is completely bad.
I also agree with almost everyone else about the song "99 Red Balloons" and how it is denigrating war. Like others have said, some innocent kids buy balloons but soon lose their innocence because of this war. At the end of the poem it talks about how the whole town was nothing but dust meaning symbolizing that not every war has good results. I also see what Thomas was getting at because I guess it can be seen as a positive side for this war. It doesn't necessarily talk about all the deaths war causes and can have "artistic imagery" if one reads it and analyzes it in a different way. It really all depends on how one analyzes things.
I agree with almost everyone but disagree with Tom Y. I feel that this song definately shows the terrible side of war because war can erupt out of the stupidest things. They talk about how war destroyed everything in the city and how she was happy to let the balloon go which caused the whole war. Releasing the balloon at the end shows that she is ready to move on and is sick of the war showing how it had a negative affect. Tom says that it glorifies a missile launch with artistic imagery. I diasagree because there was no need for any missles to be launched and because of these missles, people were forced to live in extreme fear.
I agree with Lee and Halsey. In the song 99 Red Balloons, war is looked down upon. In the beginning, before the war, the balloons float in the sky, and represent hope. By the end of the song, the balloons have dropped. This symbolizes that because of the war, many people's hope has been brought down or lost. The singer also explains how the war negatively influenced the environment around her. For example,when Nena says" in this dust that was a city," she explains that the war has destroyed what was once was an actual place. 99 Red Balloons does not glorify war, but only reveals it's negative impact.
I agree with Halsey in that Nena did not once glorify the war. When reading the lyrics I got the feeling that she is trying to convey the message that war is not to be taken lightly, and that if we continue on the way that we are, we will be left with nothing. I also strongly disagree with "yokumgang" because although the tone of the song may appear to be gloriying war because of the melody and tone, in the lines "This is what we've waited for. This is it, boys, this is war," she is using satirical humor. It is not in fact supporting the war
I disagree with the user Yokumgang because not once in the song is the COld war brought up. althought it might be implied it is not explained enough when he says artistic imagery. I believe that this song denigrates war because the song has a sort of hollow tone to it and sad. To go along with what Emy said, there are parts in the song where it emphasis people being scared along with panic in the air.
In “99 Red Balloons” by Nena, War is portrayed in a negative manner. I agree with Nick, and Halsey and all those who interpreted war as negative from the song. “99 Red Balloons” describes the Cold War, with the threat of nuclear bombs looming over both the United States and Russia. The songs describes the fear people had about everyday life. It made people think that they would be bombed any time, and this made people paranoid and jumpy. It therefore describes the chaos that ensued after the”red balloons” hit the ground. I totally disagree with yokumgang. In this song, war is not glorified. In the line describing the “war machine” and opening an “eager eye” do not make war sound like a fun play date with friends. The 'eager eye' is referring to the people fighting, and the machines to be released into the chaos to cause destruction, which is the result from any war. In the end , she stands in dust and rubble which was once a city, and the only souvenir is a single red balloon, which represents the past mistakes which have lead to ruin.
I agree with Mr.Burchfeil and Mr.Schneider that Nena is denigrating war by mentioning how something so small like a balloon can make the war-hawk leaders of the world automatically suspect them to be bombs and start preparing for total annihilation. Then at the end she sings about all that is left is dust where great cities once stood. This obviously denounces war and shows that war is just as silly as letting a balloon fly into the air, but with much greater consequences.
ANDREW,
I agree with Per in that something like a balloon that seems so harmless at first can all of a sudden turn into something dreadful like a bomb. Also, I agree with everyone who said that Nena is denigrating war. She says "The war machine springs to life." This explains how each side can be so peacful and then suddenly panic and begin preparing for the war. Then she states how the people are looking for a conflict so they can fight. Also, how everyone is coming off biased with their side in the war. From Nena's interpretation, war consists of panic, terror, and nationalism.
I agree with everybody except for Thomas, in that Nena does not glorify war, but she looks down upon it. Nena demonstrates the destruction that war causes, and that it can turn cities into dust. Thomas, the song does not show the might of war, but the destruction of war. She says that everybody is in panic and chaos over the war, and in no way does she glorify the missle launch. I also disagree with Emy she says that "this is what we've waited for" and "opens up one eager eye" shows that the people are excited for war. I believe that they're not excited for war, but they're prepared and ready because they knew war was inevitable and imminent.
I agree with Eddy 99 Red Balloons does not glorify war in fact I think it shows the horrors of war. In the song its says (which Emy mentioned) "Panic bells it's red alert." This shows that people are scared of war and that they don't want it. The song shows that the government can be too eager for war and that there is an irrational need for a display of power. "The war machine springs to life opens up one eager eye." I believe that the war machine is people who are pro war and who are just looking for an excuse to fight. That is foolish and in the song is says that war will destroy everything and nothing will be left. This shows that war should be only a last resort
I agree with almost everyone above when they say that 99 Red Balloons denegrates war rather than glorifys it. The song talks about people panicing and one line tells us a city is nothing but dust due to war. War can devastate countries and in no way is it potrayed as glamorous in this song. I agree with Eddy when he says the children buying the balloons in the beginning symbolizes innocence. War takes away this innoncence by destroying all but one balloon. I think this song is a warning about war and the damage it can cause emotionally and pysically. I think Nena is trying to make people understand what happened during the Cold War, she wants people to prevent more violence.
I agree with everyone else but I think I agree with Halsley the most. I agree with Halsley in this song that there is no part of it which is positive about war. Although the tempo of the song and the way Nena sings it, it sounds more positive it is actually the opposite. In the song it talks about how people are scared, alarm bells ringing and bombs being shot. These are not positive aspects of war because, in the end there is always peace brought but for this song all it says is how after nuclear bombs are dropped there is nothing left.
I disagree with Thomas because i think the song does not glorify war. The song talks about how awful war is and how much damage it can do to a person or a place where people may live. I think the song is about all the negatives of war instead of why the war is being fought. I do agree with Andrew on how a simple thing such as a balloon can turn easily into something more threatening as a bomb. The song goes from talking about a red balloon to how all the balloons are bombs.
I agree with mostly everyone that Nena is putting war in a negative light. I do not agree with Thomas and the second part of Emy’s comment. I don’t agree with Thomas’ for reasons already mentioned by others. In Emy’s comment I disagree with her when she says that the song “glorifies war a little”. When the song states, "This is what we've waited for" I think the song is really just portraying the emotion of anticipation. In that line I believe it is saying that the time of war is here, so now they don’t have to live in fear of every moment anymore. I think the people are relieved rather than excited. Also I feel the line "opens up one eager eye" refers to the blindness of the men at war. For example the saying “turn a blind eye” supports this. The men and nations in this song are turning a blind eye to the destruction it will cause in the end, but they are eager to get the war over with.
acketI agree with everyone that says, that the song “99 Red Balloons” diffidently shows the significance as to what war can have upon a person. As well as the fact that the song shows everyone just the negative and depressing side of the war. As most said the song begins with just two friends buying balloons to have some fun with, and ends up causing a war. In which in the end the war destroyed the city/ town completely. This shows that the song in the end only pulls out the bad side to a war, and does not show any other side.
I agree with nick's idea of the songs point of view because through out the whole song. The singer only gives the bad sides of wars. The balloons in the song represent war itself. But the color of the balloons which is red symbolizes he blood that will be shed because of the war. It also talks about that the radars being set off by the red balloons which in my opinion represents that a lot of wars are started for no reason. She also says that her city had been been destroyed only leaving dust and there were no souvenirs to remember it by. The word "souvenirs" symbolizes life and that after war a lot of people have been killed that you once knew.
Dear "yokumgang",
I do understand your views on why the song would glorify war or the might of Cold War militaries, however: what is important about this song is that her city was destroyed by a nuke. Therefore, the writer's opinion of war was most definitely negative, seeing as it is from the perspective of a child who has lost everything due to the might of these war machines.
I myself do believe that the song blames war for many bad things, such as death, in a very capturing way. The start of the song begins with children who one day want to play, but in the end, the entire city is destroyed. This is based on truth. If an atomic bomb landed in say, Boston, the city would be completely wiped off the map.
I agree with jeff, emily, nick, halsey, and eddy. In “99 Red Balloons” she never flat out says that war is a bad or good thing. Nena just states the truth about war. She just says the plain facts about war. For example the destruction it causes and how people want to be a hero for their country. She also says when “the war machine comes to life” she is just saying how what every countries are in the war they all of a sudden spring into action and the people come together to defend their country. That is why I think in Nenas “99 Red Balloons” she just states the truth about war.
Before I agree or disagree with others, I would like to state my raw opinion. I think that the song "99 Red Balloons" obviously disapproves of war. How could it not? It mentions panic and absolute destruction; two things that are almost unanimously despised. There are some instances where the lyrics speak of ninety-nine knights of the air and superheroes, but I think that these descriptions simply demonstrate how these "knights" and "superheroes" think of themselves.
Now for the people with whom I agree or disagree. I agree with everyone who said that the song is against war and what it entails. I disagree with everyone who said that the song in anyway approves of war. Just think of the historical context of this song. Nobody wanted nuclear war, so who would write a song that encourages it?
I partially agree with Annie, and partially with Halsey. In the song "99 Red Balloons", by Nena, the truth is told about war. It is said that war is harsh and destructive, but can also bring out the hero in people and glorify the soldiers. Although the trtuth is given, the song also shows what a bad thing war can be, that it can destroy a whole city in just seconds and leave nothing to show that there was once civilization.
I agree with everyone who said that the song "99 Red Balloons" degenerates war. In the song it seems as though everyone is waiting for the attack on the country, and when it finally comes the people are all excited. Also at the end of the song when there is only one balloon left, it seems sad that the balloons are all gone.
I agree with Nick and Halsey in that the song definitely does not support war. It is a bit light on how it depicts war using balloons but it shows how crazy war actually is. It shows how paranoid we are today because of war and how even balloons set the army off on a search mission
I think that 99 Red Balloons neither shows the negative, or positive side of war. The song depicts the seen of war as exciting, hectic and full of heroics. Though the message seems bad she sings it in an upbeat way which would make you think the singer thought war was a cool thing
I agree with Julian. I believe in no way does the song support war. The song is a about nuclear war which is definately not anything anyone would want so i doubt that a song would encourage in. The song is showing the affects war can have with lyrics such as "In the dust which was the city" or "Panic bells, its red alert." I disagree with some of what Emy said because "this is what we've waited" for does not mean they wanted it to happen it shows that war is invitable and they were just waiting for until it actually started.
(Matt Connelly)
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