Annotations for Revolt

Lyric: Can you hear a distant thunder?
 Taste earth’s blood and hunger
 We live in a toxic jungle
 Truth is suppressed to mumbles
Annotation:
The question posed of hearing a distant thunder sets the tone of fear impending upon the protagonist. This leads the protagonist to use their five senses to experience the pain that the world is under. With vivid imagery, the protagonist must be able to experience the crumbling world on a conscious level in order to learn and grow – it must be seen for what it is. The five senses are the very key to unlocking the conscious mind; awakening it to reality. A comparison of this could be looked at with Plato’s  Allegory of the Cave. One has to be willing and able to see the truth for what it is. http://youtu.be/UQfRdl3GTw4

Lyric: They’ve got us locked into their sights
Annotation:
For the antagonist to truly have the whole human, both the the mind and the body must be under control. However, being able to recognize one is being mentally controlled indicates its ineffectiveness. Caution is needed because the antagonist can see this as well if not well concealed. Thus the protagonist’s mind and body are under close scrutiny. There is a  Simpsons episode called “The Joy of Sect” from 1998 that has Homer and his family fall prey to mind and body control by the Movementarians. http://youtu.be/1aYN5XpWzpM

Lyric: They’ll take away our homes
 They’re just machines and drones
Annotation:
The lifeless, inhuman look in the eyes of drones programmed to take without any thought for life is frightening. It’s easier to ignore what’s happening and pretend it isn’t real. The machines that march alongside the drones and help with the destruction, are equally as cold and programmed. In this case, fighting fire with fire will get the protagonist nowhere, so she needs to use all her metacognitive intelligence to fight back in divergent ways. Let them take what they want and “know thy self, know thy enemy” (Sun Tzu, from  The Art of War).

Lyric: Don’t try to hide it
 Don’t tell me it’s not there
Annotation:
The use of  gaslighting to control the protagonist is used here. Gaslighting is a psychological form of abuse/control that involves twisting facts and information to suit the antagonists desires. The protagonist than doubts their perceptions, thoughts and even memories of things, and they feel as though they may be crazy. Only when the protagonist realizes what is happening can they fight back. A classic film from 1944 called  Gaslight, introduced the psychological term into mainstream. http://youtu.be/0ToLfQU2xmg

Lyric: Soon, they’ll control what’s left inside
Annotation:
“They”, meaning the repressors, are controlling everything and in such a vilent way that soon they will control even what’s inside our bodys: our souls. OMG :(

Lyric: You’ve got strength, you’ve got soul
 You’ve felt pain, you’ve felt love
 You can grow (You can grow), you can grow (You can grow)
 You can make this world what you want
 You can revolt, you can revolt
 You can revolt, ooh-oh
Annotation:
There is a beauty to finding one’s inner strength and emotions; feel, know, and learn from them. When one allows the mind and the heart to unite, an entity of compassion and power is born. Believe change is possible, and the world is one’s oyster.

Lyric: You’ve got strength, you’ve got soul
 You’re not afraid, you’re not a drone
 You can grow (You can grow), you can grow (You can grow)
 You can make this world what you want
 You can revolt, you can revolt
 You can revolt, ooh-oh
Annotation:
Mindfulness is, in part, believing one has the strength and knowledge to become a larger, louder voice. One small voice, when supported by those who are like minded, can be amplified a thousand times over. The Internet has the capacity to magnify a murmur in the shadows of repression. One has to embrace the echoes of the Internet and its far reaching capacity of social media.

Lyric: I can feel your pain
 And I can feel your confusion
 I can see you’re trapped in a maze
 Let’s find a way to escape
Annotation:
Empathy is the most underestimated human ability. When one is able to put themselves in others' shoes, a bond of understanding results. Empathetic teamwork lets humans see the light together, and be the fight together.

Lyric: You’ve got strength, you’ve got soul
 You’ve felt pain, you’ve felt love
 You can grow (You can grow), you can grow (You can grow)
 You can make this world what you want
Annotation:
He, as an individual, has been paralyzed by fear and pessimism about the system, but sees you, the collective, as the stronger one with the power to change the world.

Lyric: Our freedom’s just a loan
 Run by machines and drones
Annotation:
Our freedoms are temporary in nature and can/will be taken away by “soulless” entities

Lyric: How did we get in so much trouble?
 Getting out just seems impossible
 Oppression is persisting
 I can’t fight this brain conditioning
Annotation:
He perceives a doomed fate, brought on and continuously applied by an insurmountably powerful body.

Lyric: You can revolt, you can revolt
 You can revolt, ooh-oh
Annotation:
The protagonist is trying to revolt from being a drone, and the lead singer is encouraging him by saying he can revolt.

