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!
I love how you took this musical and applied it to your life, and made it an inspiration for you. I agree that if we didn't have Eliza's side of the story, we truly wouldn't know the whole story about Hamilton. This reminds me of what we talked about in class the other day. Who should be allowed to write about out story? If Eliza didn't push to have all of his accomplishments brought to forefront, we would've never known that he was such a prominent figure in our history. I totally agree that we should take hold of our lives and make it what we want it to be, and go out and get "shit" done.
ReplyDeleteYou touched on a point that I don't think enough people acknowledge- the applications that Hamilton can have outside of purely being entertainment. It touches on a lot of very serious and pretty dark topics, like the loss of family members, troubling relationship dynamics, and the impact everyone has on the world. Looking at it through different lenses and focusing on different aspects can lend a lot to interpreting the show not only in a vacuum, but also how it applies to our lives.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, where did you find the gifs? I love them! I love the points that you bring up in this post. Who will tell my story? I hope that I myself leave behind a story that people can tell and that I am remembered. I have heard the expression several times, "A person doesn't die when they pass away, they die the last time someone says their name." This shakes me to my core. When will someone last tell my story? I hope that I am remembered for years to come just as Hamilton was. I also hope that if I am remembered poorly, as Hamilton was for many years, that someone like Eliza will fight to save my image so I can be remembered in a good light.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaelin, I loved how you applied Hamilton to your personal life! I honestly think that is genius and I totally agree with you about Eliza, we saw a whole other side of Hamilton because of her. Even though he treated her poorly and she had no reason to do him any favor, she spent the rest of her life devoted to telling people about her husband. She in a way almost worshipped him. And also I agree with Morgan, I LOVE your gifs!! This site is also really cute! Love it!
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