As I near the close of my senior year, it’s becoming increasingly necessary for me to focus on my Honors Thesis. By now I’ve known what I would write about for a year or so – Bruce Springsteen, but to this point the research I’ve done has not been scholarly research. I blame myself for that – I had not yet begun to really focus my efforts with regards to what specifically I’d cover about him. Then, of course, Senior year began and I was required to have a specific topic. That’s where this course has come in handy[1] – I’ve come to realize what a significant portion of my thesis will be, and thus have come up with my final paper for this class. My ultimate aim for this paper is to examine how Bruce has come to speak to the American people through his allusions to imagery from the Book of Revelation, using them to make sense of the issues at the time that any particular album was released. In this case, I’d be using his album The Rising as the foundation of the paper, examining each song thoroughly in order to find the aforementioned imagery, placing it, perhaps, in the context of 9/11. His continued use of such imagery has given him a powerful resonance in this country – how else might one explain his success over the past three (nearly four) decades?
It is my belief that a great deal of this success and resonance stems from the imagery that he uses in his songs – imagery so typical of Americana and the American mindset that even though it may be done subtly (and perhaps even unconsciously by the artist himself – something I’ll examine in my paper). But what makes up that oh-so-American image? The leather jacket? The Gibson guitar? The fast car, flying down the open highway? Certainly all of these serve as typical American imagery, and they will all be addressed in my thesis. However, the imagery I’m looking at for this class is, perhaps, a subtler one – imagery derived from that found in the Book of Revelation. Indeed, though he had problems with his Catholic School nuns as a child, Bruce has proven time and time again to be a devout Catholic, well-schooled in the many aspects of Christian imagery.[2]
As has been pointed out by Kirsch and others like him, the Book of Revelation has been one of the most effective books of all time, playing a fundamental part in the formation of the fundamental mindset throughout the history of Christianity, though never more so than in America. My aim, as I’ve said, is to trace Springsteen’s use of said book’s imagery in his lyrics on The Rising – his album released after 9/11, an album I’ve written about previously and that is very much steeped in Revelation and redemption. What’s more, I aim to show that his music has been used as a manner of escape from such imagery, doom and gloom – that by listening to Bruce’s music and singing along, those who would otherwise live in a world dominated by constant predictions of the world’s end can temporarily exist in a world separate from the one they ordinarily inhabit. I find it interesting, however, that such could be the case when the music is, as I’ve already said, so steeped in that very same imagery they aim to escape. The only explanation I can think of (for the moment) is that by using Revelation’s imagery in pop/rock songs and surrounding them with other fundamental signs of American culture, Bruce has created a comfort zone for our hopeful escapists; by providing subtle (or perhaps not so subtle) familiarity, he’s given them (and everyone else, too) something they can hold on to and make their own.
With regards to sources and background information, I plan to make use of Rosen’s argument, though as with most other aspects of the paper at this point, I’m not sure how large a portion of the paper this may affect. Whether I agree or disagree with her, I’ll be sure to respond to her. Beyond Rosen, however, I’m not sure who else to look to. On Springsteen scholarship, there are several sources, though for a specific example one might look to Eric Alterman’s It Ain’t No Sin To Be Glad You’re Alive. I will also most likely be looking to a book entitled Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth, by Randall Auxier and Douglas Anderson. The apocalyptic scholarship is where I’m losing my way and am unsure where to turn. I plan to make use of arguments found in books we’ve read for class, but beyond that, I’m not sure where to go and who to look to. On this level, I would be very appreciative of any help or guidance that could be provided.
Having examined the comfort Bruce provides, my creative project will be demonstrative of what he provides protection from, as it were. That is, my creative project will be a book of prophecies, each one of which (or most of which) will predict a different day/time for the world’s end, and be accompanied by a detailed explanation of how I came to that specific prophecy. Though I’d love to create an actual book that looks as if it were thousands of years old, I’m not sure my creative abilities go that far. That being said, I’ll do my best to create such a book; I’ll buy a journal of some sort and damage it in such a way as to make it look like it is as old as it purports to be, filling the pages with the aforementioned prophecies. I’ll supplement that portion of the project with a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes my book, with each slide serving as a “page” of prophecy – giving the highlights, as it were. For the most part, there will be a logical explanation for everything, and there are almost limitless logical possibilities. For example, one might take the Mayan end of the world to be a correct prediction, in that that would be the day of the Rapture; I would continue to give a prediction based on that. However, I may throw a random prophecy or two with no sound basis into the mix, simply to demonstrate the nature and earthly trustworthiness of such prophecy.
Those, dear reader, will be my final paper and creative project.
[1] Of course, this has NOT been the class’ only function – I have thoroughly enjoyed the class thus far and feel quite enriched. Declaring what I’ve deemed the class’ handiness has been done strictly for the narrative of this proposal.
[2] His knowledge is not limited to Christianity; he’s well-versed in the various major religions of the world, in addition to his vast knowledge of American history, culturally and otherwise. Proof of such claims will be made clear in the final paper.
“I find it interesting, however, that such could be the case when the music is, as I’ve already said, so steeped in that very same imagery they aim to escape.”
Right. Do you think this contradiction has any role to play in your book of prophecy? I’m trying to think of ways we could illustrate this in PowerPoint and/or Keynote. You might want to make use of transitions, to create something that’s almost an animated product? We can talk about this–so please, be in touch as you create your presentation.
One other thing I’m going to recommend is that you use slideshare.net to put your presentation on this site, when it’s done.