What I've learned from Hamilton

For my last blog I have decided to talk about everything that Hamilton has taught me this semester! First off the thing that strikes me the most is that things are not easy! They will never be easy, but that does not mean that i should ever give up! Take a look at Alexander Hamilton, he went through a hard life, before he was 12 he was an orphan and had almost died, from the same illness that mother died from, but he kept going. Then the person who adopted him shot himself. He had a hard life, but he kept pushing and he did not give up. And I won't either.

The next thing that goes along with not giving up is not giving up my shot. If there is an opportunity take it, don't let it get away from you. Seek out opportunities to thrive and make a name for yourself. Alexander Hamilton also to not ruin my name by publishing the bad things I have done. You would think this would be obvious, but no i learned it from this Musical. 

Last but not least I learned that people can not really be satisfied if they are longing for other humans that they can not have so Im going to stop doing that, and be happy with the people I do have. The people that are around you love you, so do not take them for granted. EVER.

Non Stop (spoilers)

NON STOP

"Non Stop" is my favorite song in the entire musical. First off the fact that Burr narrates this is genius. We've been watching Burr compare himself to Hamilton the entire musical so far, which is what makes this song perfect. We see Burr who has been waiting for it this entire time, right next to Hamilton who has been doing things non stop to get his way. He climbs the ladder of success so quickly and it frustrates Burr, at the same impressing him.

I also loves this song because we get to see Hamilton after the war finally. Before this it was Hamilton building up to the war and then fighting in it, and it was a nice change in pace to see him out side of the war mindset, the tempo of the song also changes to go along with this change... and it is a PERFECT song. I love the way they orchestrate the song to quickly show Alexander's success. 

Non stop is slightly ambiguous in the way that it is used as well. It stands for the way he is non stop in his writing. He keeps writing and writing and writing and writing and never stops. He writes to the point where it gets obsessive. The other meaning is a foreshadow to the second act of the play. He is a non stop force of nature, just like a hurricane(haha get it), that doesn't stop for anything in his way. 

The last reason I like this song is the way that they bring in many songs from the first act into the final part of the song. It basically sums up the first act of the play. All the voices come together and make a beautiful collage of sounds. It even ends on the line "I'm not throwing away my shot" to show that Hamilton will never stop for anything until he gets what he wants. He will not throw away his shot to make a name for himself and leave his legacy.

Congratulations (mixtape related) (spoilers)

In the song "The Reynolds Pamphlet" we get to see the encounter between Angelica and Hamilton after she finds out about what Hamilton did to Eliza, by sleeping with Maria Reynolds. We hear a small glimpse at how betrayed she feels herself, because she gave Alexander up for her sister and he hurt Eliza. All Angelica wanted to do was make Eliza happy by letting Hamilton marry her instead of Angelica, even though she so desperately longed for him. In the Reynolds Pamphlet we see that Angelica comes all the way back to help Eliza out after she is so hurt by the Reynolds pamphlet.

In the Hamilton Mixtape there is a song called "Congratulations" sung by Dessa. This gives us a more inside look at how Angelica felt about the whole situation. She congratulates him for being stupid, and hurting the best wife on the face of the earth. She even brings up how she suffered through a loveless marriage to watch Hamilton hurt her sister in a way she never wanted to see happen. It hurt Angelica so much to watch her sister get hurt in that way. 

The best line in the song is "You know why Jefferson can do what he wants? He doesn't dignify schoolyard taunts with a response!". This one line sums up why Jefferson has been succeeding over Hamilton the entire play. Hamilton has to be right and feel like he is the best, he can't feel like he is wrong, so he does everything he can to prove that he is just that, right, even if it hurts people and messes other things up along the way. 

I really appreciate Lin Manuel Miranda for writing this song so I can see more into Angelica's mind. I think she is one of the best charecters in the musical, and even though she gets a lot of on stage time, I always wished she had more, and that's exactly what this song gives us!!

Immigrants They Get the Job Done(spoilers)(Mixtape related)

 Something that "Hamilton" is known for is how the musical talks about Immigrants. The main character, Alexander Hamilton, was intact an immigrant. The opening song states that his home town collected funds and sent him to America. The guy on our $10 bill is an immigrant. The play wants to make it clear that one of our founding fathers was not even from America. Not only was

Hamilton not from America, but neither was Lafayette, one of our greatest generals, who helped win the Revolutionary war, yet he was a Frenchman. They are trying to get rid of the stigma that immigrants are a threat to our country.

Lin Manuel Miranda wants the world to know that immigrants are not going to hurt our country, in fact America would never have been founded if it was not for immigration. America is known as the melting pot, because we were founded as a country that does not judge who you are, what you believe, or where you came from, but now theres bad connotations for certain countries. How are we supposed to be the the melting pot if we do not include all the ingredients, aka all the countries. 

In the new Hamilton mixtape, there is a song about the connotations that are associated with immigration nowadays. the song is called "Immigrants (we get the job done)". It talks a lot about the way immigrants are treated in the country now a days, and how when people say they are taking our jobs, that that phrase is not correct. It also talks about the everyday lives of immigrants and how it is very hard in this country to to the way people view them. Many of the lower jobs are done by people who immigrated here, yet no one wants to do them, so the fact that we say they take our jobs is incorrect. The fact that we even talk about them being worse people is insane. We are all humans, we are all one race... Human Race. 

Lin Manuel Miranda wrote "Hamilton"  to help talk about these types of issues. He does a great job executing the topic, and does a lot to get his message out there, that immigrants are not hurting us. This country was supposed to be a safe place for everyone. It was made for EVERYONE. 

The Hamilton Mixtape-An Open Letter (slightly explicit)

"Sit down John, you fat mother F*****" (Hamilton- "The Adams Administration", Lin Manuel Miranda) One of the the most popular lines in the Hamilton Musical. Many fans have gotten this line printed on T-shirts, phone cases, and even pillows. But what not many fans know is that there was originally an entire rap done by Lin himself to go along with this line, but sadly the show was running to long, so it was cut, due to the fact that you never actually meet John Adams in the musical itself. 

Because the Hamilton cast loves giving it's fans some love, and wonderful surprises, Lin Manuel Miranda once preformed the rap(YOU CAN FIND IT RIGHT HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUI8b17YGx8) when he was not in character.  And because Lin loves his fans so much, he produced the Hamilton Mixtape and released the song with the title"An Open Letter" rapped by Watsky. This was the entire response Hamilton wrote to Adams, which was cut down for the musical to just the one line. When fans, such as myself, heard the song on the mix tape, it made them extremely happy. Not only was it a brand new rap that was only preformed one other time for a very small group of people, but it made sone of the best historical jokes in the play.

One of the greatest digs taken at Adams in the rap was "But you never show up to work Give my regards to Abigail Next time you write about my lack of moral compass At least I do my job up in this rumpus"("An Open Letter", Lin Manuel Miranda). Many people are not aware of the fact that when John Adams was in office, his wife Abigail did a large part in helping make decisions and basically helped him do his job as the president. 

Lin Manuel Miranda really did his research, and he knew his American History when he wrote the play. So thank you, Lin, for not only gifting us with the original musical but with doing so much Extra and giving us the Hamilton Mixtape as well, because we can never get enough Hamilton.

"Hamilton"'s perfect timing (spoilers)

The musical "Hamilton" and its wonderful cast came at the perfect time! I think we can all agree that 2016 has been a hard year for a lot of reasons. But one of the worst things that has elevated a lot since the musical cam out in 2015 has been judgement and horrible treatment to many many people. From racism to sexism to phobias of humans in general galore. It has been a hate filled time. But this cast has done so much to help the cause.

First look at this wonderful diversified cast of people f color! They are all amazing and extremely talented human beings, and the creator and Alexander Hamilton himself, Lin Manuel Miranda is always there to stand up for people. If you take a look at his Tony's speech he talked about the attack in Orlando against gay and lesbians and stood up for the. He repeated love is love is love is love over and over and over to show that he stands with everyone and that everyone deserves freedoms and rights. 

Also the play itself takes on social issues. For starters the entire play is about an immigrant to was one of our founding fathers. Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean. It also shows Marquis de Lafayette another immigrant from France who was crucial in helping win the revolutionary war. With just two charecters this play proves that that immigrants are not what many Americans think they are. 

This also takes on the topic that women can do and be more than just bodies and housewives. The Schuyler sisters are prime examples. They were educated at the time, which not many women were at the time. They were confident and smart women who knew what they were talking about when it came to the revolution. Also the real Eliza Schuyler is the only reason that this play existed. She was the reason that Alexander Hamilton's story was told.

This cast is so amazing and I thank them for everything they do and have done. Because not only do they stand up for everyone no matter who they are, but they brought light to a dark time in the world. 

Satisfied(spoilers)

Many People associate the word Satisfied with Angelica Schuyler, because she is the one to song the song "Satisfied" in the musical itself. But not I. I think that the word satisfied does not belong to Angelica, but in fact Alexander Hamilton himself. Yes, the song "Satisfied" is about how Angelica will never be satisfied without Alexander, but in reality she is satisfied with the love from her sister, Hamilton is truely the one who will never be satisfied. He is always the one pining for something or someone else.

Through the course of the play we see him go from one goal to the next always searching for something to fill his void. It starts with him wanting to make a name for himself. He starts this by getting a coveted job of being George Washington's right hand man. He is there for every meeting and writes documents for Washington himself. He gets himself a name, but thats not good enough. He thinks he will be more satisfied if he fought in the war. Then when he got the chance to fight that was not good enough either, he wanted to lead the fight and he did all he could to try to get there, risking all of his career in doing so by fighting with Charles Lee. He does end up getting his leadership role eventually though and in that position helps win the war. But when he gets back he still isn't satisfied with helping lead the country to victory. Now he must be the best lawyer and after that when he gets an even better job at secretary of treasury he still can't be satisfied because someone he dislikes also has a position in power, Jefferson. Nothing can give him ease of mind.

Not only can Hamilton never be satisfied with his position in the world, but this need for satisfaction transfers to his personal being as well. He gets possibly the best girl, Eliza Schuyler to marry him, but still almost ruins that by cheating on her with Maria Reynolds. Then when Jefferson and Madison find out about the affair and make a deal not the tell anyone what he did, it still doesn't satisfy him. He cannot just let it go under wraps, he wants to make sure that people no he is not guilty of fraud so he writes the Reynolds pamphlet and tells everyone that he had an affair, thinking he will be satisfied if his name is clear, but of course this is not the case. It just leads to him being even more unsatisfied because his wife is so upset by the news that she practically leaves him. 

So no, I do not believe that Satisfied is Angelica's word. It is Hamilton because he will truely "Never be Satisfied".

Squad Goals (Spoilers)

Lets face it. Alexander Hamilton basically had the greatest squad in the history of ever. These four men basically invented a squad, and set goals for everyone else who wanted to form a squad in the future.

First you have the man himself. ALEXANDER HAMILTON! "A bastard, orphan, immigrant, decorated war vet, united the colonies with more debt" He was literally the first secretary of state. He founded the nationals economic system and even started the coast guard. Our country has so much to thank this man for, and lets face it his writing and rapping was phenomenal. 

Next you have everyone favorite French man, LAFAYETTE! He we was a French immigrant, who and no other reason to help the American colonies other than the fact that he believed in what they stood for. He lead troops to victory, and was possibly one of the greatest fighters on the American side of the war. He also persuaded the French send a bunch of guns and ships to help win the war! He is also one fast rapper, which is impressive as hell!

Third we got HERCULES MULLIGAN, the super cool bad ass of the group. He was a spy for Pete's sake! That is the coolest thing ever. He gained the British trust and than ripped it right out from under them! He was crucial in the success of the American colonies win. He gained insight and secrets that the American colonies needed to win, and let's face it his rap in the song "Battle of Yorktown" gets you super pumped up when you listen to it!

Lastly we have JOHN LAURENS, the cutest of the group. Look at that adorable baby face! The man was by Hamilton's side through it all, he fought hardest for Hamilton, literally taking part in a duel so Hamilton wouldn't lose his job and position. He took the chance of getting shot and dying for Hamilton, his best friend. Their friendship makes me so happy to see.

There you have it the greatest squad in the history of ever! They were the best of friends, amazing fighters, and lets face it a good looking group of guys! 

Philip Hamilton broke my heart (spoiler)

Philip Hamilton broke my heart. When I first heard Hamilton sing about the love he had for Philip in "Dear Theodosia" I felt a tingly feeling in my stomach. Hamilton knew his son would blow us ass away and man was he right.The minute we met his character in "Take a Break" I fell in love, and not just because Anthony Ramos is possibly the cutest human alive. He was so adorable trying to impress his father with his little rap for his Dad. He wanted to be like his father and give contributions to the world. He wanted to be the best just like his dad.

The line "Gotta be my own man, like my father but bolder" was when I realized Philip was going to break my heart. His father was such a cold man, so bold in fact that he wrote himself into the ground breaking his wife's heart and basically ruined his reputation in the process. The fact tat Philip wanted to be bolder than his dad made me realize that no good outcome could come of it, the foreshadowing was too strong.

Philip was extremely bold and confident in himself, which made him such a lovable character. He knew what he wanted to fight for and he chose his battles, he just chose the wrong battle to fight. He chose the one battle that would end his life and break the hearts of many, including his mother, father, myself, and everyone else who has listened to the song "Blow Us All Away".  The most heart breaking part about Philip's death was seeing Eliza so heart broken AGAIN. She didn't deserve to lose her son the way she did, especially after already having her heart broken by the man she loved most, Alexander Hamilton.

Philip Hamilton you broke my heart, but I will forever love you.

Helpless (spoilers)

Helpless, is Eliza's word. She was HELPLESS when she first saw Hamilton. She was head over heels so in love that he was her everything, this is apparent in the song "Helpless". Angelica was able to see this and realized that Eliza belonged with Hamilton, even if Angelica wouldn't be satisfied with her own life because of it. Hamilton sees this and he wants to make sure she doesn't feel helpless when he is around her because he wants to protect her. She

stayed hopelessly in love with him for the rest of her life. That is the reason she was able to be so hurt by him because she loved him so helplessly. That's why in "Burn" she was burning the letters she didn't want people to know how helpless she still was for him even after he hurt her so badly. Hamilton was her world and helpless was HER word. 

The fact that helpless is so meaningful to Eliza's character and her relationship to Hamilton is why the word choice in "Say No To This" has a huge impact. The word helpless is repeated FIVE different times during this song, but Eliza is nowhere to see in this song except once when he said he said he missed his wife. Maria Reynolds said that she was helpless around her husband, but not in the same way that Eliza was helpless, Maria was helpless because she was being beat up and bullied by him. Hamilton also calls himself helpless and all he had to do was say NO to Maria

instead of cheating on Eliza, the woman who was so helplessly in love with him. This is a huge insult to Eliza, because she was so head over heels for him, actually helpless because she couldn't even stop loving him when she find out about this affair he's been having, but he calls himself helpless because he chose to cheat on his wife. 

"Helpless" is such an amazing song in the play, with amazing music and vocals to go along with the amazing lyrics, that really shows the love for Hamilton that Eliza has, but the word helpless has so much more meaning than just Eliza's love for Alexander. It stands for the betrayal that Alexander Hamilton committed against his wife, and the sadness that Eliza has when she realizes that she is still in love with Hamilton even though she was hurt so bad by him.

 

Breakups are never easy(spoilers)

We all know that person who doesn't handle breakups well. They are pushy, mean, and aggressive when they realize they are being broken up with. Well i think Lin Manuel Miranda captures that person exactly in "You'll Be Back" sung by the character of King George III.

He fits the description of an abusive boyfriend who refuses to let his significant other(The American Colonies in this case) leave him. He brings up the fact that America depends on him. They can't leave because he supplies them with everything. Well you are wrong George, I guess you do not remember all the boy cots the colonists did. America can break free and it doesn't need you. 

Even though George tries to play the "I'm your protector" card, he also tries to play the victim card, in the sense that he will be heart broken without America. He will go insane (probably because he won't be as rich anymore). He is a manipulative person, who says and does basically everything to try to get his way.

Worst of all King George threatens the colonists with violence. He comes right out and says that he will kill their friends and family if they don't stay with Britain, thus leading to the Revolutionary war. Sorry George, but your people end up getting killed as well. 

Breakups are always hard, but some people take it worse than others. King George takes it extremely bad. I wonder what would happen if a girl tried to break up with George..... It probably would not have gone well for her, or her family, and possibly her entire village. 

Sorry George but America is a strong independent country that doesn't need a Tyrant telling it what to do and how much to pay. If you really wanted to win the war for our love, you should have had a better army!

Who lives who dies who tells your story (spoilers)

Who lives, who dies, who tells YOUR story. Have you ever thought about who was going to tell your story years and years down the road? I myself think about this a lot more now that i have listened to Hamilton. Who is going to tell your legacy is a major theme in the musical, one that really makes you think about your own self. Not only who is going to tell it, but HOW are they going to tell it.

If you look at Alexander Hamilton, his story has been told in multiple lights, showing him as both good and bad. If it wasn't for his wife, Eliza, who knows if we would even have a story showing him as good at all. She spent over half her life, more than 50 years after his death, devoted to telling his story. But we almost didn't get a story from Eliza at all, she tried to write herself out of his narrative after she found out about his affair with Maria Reynolds. Without her side, we would have never heard of all his accomplishments. We would have been left with the things he did wrong from other people such as Thomas Jefferson and John Maddison who tried to ruin his reputation, even after his death. There would be no Hamilton musical, and the world would be a little less colorful without this wonderful work of art. 

After listening to Hamilton I have been inspired to go out and get "shit" done in this world! I do not want to be seen as your average

Burr, someone who sits around waiting for things. I want to take control of my life and make sure my story ends up being a good one. Hamilton put so much effort into showing people that he was more than a bastard orphan, now I'm going to spend my life proving that I'm more than someone who is destined to be in the shadows. I want to burn so bright that my story has to be amazing! I do not just want to do incredible things, but also be an incredible person. If I sacrifice an incredible story, but leave people knowing I am a good person, then all will be worth it. I do not want to be the antagonist of anyone's story, only the protagonist in my own, or the person who helps you get through yours. 

We each only have 1 shot to make sure our story is told in the way we want! I am not throwing away my shot, make sure you don't throw away yours!