Little Man by Atmosphere

I am reposting an old blog assignment, but only so Ms. Froehlich can see it. I did this during a week we didn't have to blog.

In this post I shall be discussing the song "Little Man", by Atmosphere. The lyrics are long so remember to scroll all the way down to read my thoughts on the song.

"Little Man"

[Verse 1]
Dear Jacob
I won't take up too much of you time
I know you're trying to get your video game-grind on
And that's fine
Just gimme a second to empty my face
Before I hit the road again to go and win this paper chase
I've been watching you man
I'm proud of you man
You're growing up to be the best man that you possibly can
I know you understand
Why I go out of town
I also know my days are colder when you're not around
Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be adapted to the fact
That daddy never lived inside the same shack
And sometimes I get this pain in my stomach's pit
It's what I get
I'm convinced it's my punishment
For those nights I got drunk and let go at some bar
In some city with some people I don't know
For all the times that the lines on your face
Reminded me of the days before the dagonflies escaped
It trips me out how you pick up all my traits
From the way that you spit to the fists that you make
I watch the way you try to keep your mom happy
Daddy learned that from you
You're supposed to learn that from daddy
I can't teach much when it comes to women
I drive safe and slow but don't know nothing 'bout the engine
You're doing good little man thats all I really meant
I love you
You're my best friend, thanks for listening

[Verse 2]
Dear Craig
What up bones? How it goes?
Yeah, me? Well, you know, you know, same old, same old
Sorry that the phone calls ain't too routine
Just been runnin' around the globe tryin' to do my thing
Sometimes the weeks fly a little too fast
And sometimes I go to sleep a little too trashed
Other times I'm not sittin' on enough cash
And other times today feels too much like the past
Sometimes at night I would watch y'all fight
A child wonderin'
Why your life just ain't alright?
What's the violence about? Why's it in my house?
And even the memories are turned up too loud
Yeah, I got some issues in my head
Knew we should've started fixing 'em back when she left you
I'm not trying to get you down, I know you're different now
But your little man justs wants you to listen now
I'm over thirty, can't maintain relations
All these women wanna hurt me and I just don't have the patience
I can't trust 'em
And they're not much help
When they start to push and pull the buttons I don't trust myself
What pride, fists, and words just might do?
I'm afraid of my fate, don't wanna turn out like you
I've never hit a woman
I won't do coke
And for that alone I love you and I wanna thank you old man

[Verse 3]
Dear Sean
What's goin' on?
Not much to say
Just checkin' in wit'cha trying to see what's wrong today
I know there's gotta be something kickin' your bruises
How's the love? How's the music? How's the self-abusiveness?
Got a lot to lose, it's breakin' your shoulders
So you let your paranoia place your bets for you
Too many cigarettes, messin' up your voice
Too many arguments, tryin' to test your poise
The only women that love you are fans and family
Mom has no choice, but fans leave you randomly
No heavy rotation
In any location
You're not ready to face that you have no steady vocation
Plus you're gettin' old, your raps are exhausted
Stop it, everybody knows that you've lost it
Singin' for these kids you don't know
When you should be at home with your own instead you're on your telephone
Fightin' with your girl like it's you against the world
Another drunk hotel bedroom corner, curled up like a naked fetus
Come and save him Jesus
Place him back in time before the Reaganomics and Adidas
Sometimes you're not impressed with the work you've done
And love isn't love if you didn't hurt someone
Your son says, "Hi dad."
Your dad says, "Whats up?"
And me, I wanna thank you, but I won't, I'll just say, "Good luck."


This song is about various exchanges between a son and his father who is a rapper. The names change slightly, which points to there being more than two individuals, but the persona of the them does not change.The lyrics conjure powerful feelings of sympathy for both people involved in this scenario. I feel sorry for the child, who has been in a sense abandoned by the departure of his father, but also the father himself, who is out seeking to provide a better life for his family. The son would clearly prefer having a dad than having money, but the father feels a sense of guilt at their financial situation and seeks to improve it. This is directly expressed in the line "Singin' for these kids you don't know/When you should be at home with your own instead you're on your telephone". The pleading tone of the son makes the listener understand the desperation of a son missing his father.
Also, this reminds me of Siddhartha's journey in the sense that during Siddhartha's quest for salvation, he also deserts his friends and family. Siddhartha never really thinks about what kind of an effect his departure has on his family, and a parallel idea is expressed through this song. It is almost a reversal of scenarios however, and in Siddartha's case he is a son leaving a father who would rather have him at home than him be a wandering ascetic.


Daley, Sean. "Little Man." Rec. 4 Oct. 2005. By Atmosphere. You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. Rec. 4 Oct. 2005. Joe Mabbott, 2005.

Photography As Weapon

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/photography-as-a-weapon/?scp=2&sq=photography&st=cse

This article is about a picture that surfaced a bit ago showing four missiles supposedly being fired from Iran. It was in many newspapers, but there was still some debate as to its legitimacy. Photo manipulation software such as Photoshop has gotten advanced enough so that a professional would definitely be able to render such an image from other existing images. It is suggested that the photo could have been a form of terrorism, because it is indeed scary to see four nuclear weapons fired into the air in defiance of the UN. I found this whole thing particularly interesting because a hobby of mine is photoshop and I frequently participate contests for money and for one of the contests the objective was to render that picture into something comical. With powerful software, incredible changes can be made and it is scary to think about it, but someone may have just created this image to frighten the public. Photography has made leaps and bounds over the years and now in the digital age, it is being used as a weapon.

Morris, Errol. "Photography as a Weapon." The New York Times. 11 Aug. 2008.The New York Times.24 Oct. 2008 .

The Inevitabiltity of Time

Little Man by Atmosphere

In this post I shall be discussing the song "Little Man", by Atmosphere. The lyrics are long so remember to scroll all the way down to read my thoughts on the song.

"Little Man"

[Verse 1]
Dear Jacob
I won't take up too much of you time
I know you're trying to get your video game-grind on
And that's fine
Just gimme a second to empty my face
Before I hit the road again to go and win this paper chase
I've been watching you man
I'm proud of you man
You're growing up to be the best man that you possibly can
I know you understand
Why I go out of town
I also know my days are colder when you're not around
Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be adapted to the fact
That daddy never lived inside the same shack
And sometimes I get this pain in my stomach's pit
It's what I get
I'm convinced it's my punishment
For those nights I got drunk and let go at some bar
In some city with some people I don't know
For all the times that the lines on your face
Reminded me of the days before the dagonflies escaped
It trips me out how you pick up all my traits
From the way that you spit to the fists that you make
I watch the way you try to keep your mom happy
Daddy learned that from you
You're supposed to learn that from daddy
I can't teach much when it comes to women
I drive safe and slow but don't know nothing 'bout the engine
You're doing good little man thats all I really meant
I love you
You're my best friend, thanks for listening

[Verse 2]
Dear Craig
What up bones? How it goes?
Yeah, me? Well, you know, you know, same old, same old
Sorry that the phone calls ain't too routine
Just been runnin' around the globe tryin' to do my thing
Sometimes the weeks fly a little too fast
And sometimes I go to sleep a little too trashed
Other times I'm not sittin' on enough cash
And other times today feels too much like the past
Sometimes at night I would watch y'all fight
A child wonderin'
Why your life just ain't alright?
What's the violence about? Why's it in my house?
And even the memories are turned up too loud
Yeah, I got some issues in my head
Knew we should've started fixing 'em back when she left you
I'm not trying to get you down, I know you're different now
But your little man justs wants you to listen now
I'm over thirty, can't maintain relations
All these women wanna hurt me and I just don't have the patience
I can't trust 'em
And they're not much help
When they start to push and pull the buttons I don't trust myself
What pride, fists, and words just might do?
I'm afraid of my fate, don't wanna turn out like you
I've never hit a woman
I won't do coke
And for that alone I love you and I wanna thank you old man

[Verse 3]
Dear Sean
What's goin' on?
Not much to say
Just checkin' in wit'cha trying to see what's wrong today
I know there's gotta be something kickin' your bruises
How's the love? How's the music? How's the self-abusiveness?
Got a lot to lose, it's breakin' your shoulders
So you let your paranoia place your bets for you
Too many cigarettes, messin' up your voice
Too many arguments, tryin' to test your poise
The only women that love you are fans and family
Mom has no choice, but fans leave you randomly
No heavy rotation
In any location
You're not ready to face that you have no steady vocation
Plus you're gettin' old, your raps are exhausted
Stop it, everybody knows that you've lost it
Singin' for these kids you don't know
When you should be at home with your own instead you're on your telephone
Fightin' with your girl like it's you against the world
Another drunk hotel bedroom corner, curled up like a naked fetus
Come and save him Jesus
Place him back in time before the Reaganomics and Adidas
Sometimes you're not impressed with the work you've done
And love isn't love if you didn't hurt someone
Your son says, "Hi dad."
Your dad says, "Whats up?"
And me, I wanna thank you, but I won't, I'll just say, "Good luck."


This song is about various exchanges between a son and his father who is a rapper. The names change slightly, which points to there being more than two individuals, but the persona of the them does not change.The lyrics conjure powerful feelings of sympathy for both people involved in this scenario. I feel sorry for the child, who has been in a sense abandoned by the departure of his father, but also the father himself, who is out seeking to provide a better life for his family. The son would clearly prefer having a dad than having money, but the father feels a sense of guilt at their financial situation and seeks to improve it. This is directly expressed in the line "Singin' for these kids you don't know/When you should be at home with your own instead you're on your telephone". The pleading tone of the son makes the listener understand the desperation of a son missing his father.
Also, this reminds me of Siddhartha's journey in the sense that during Siddhartha's quest for salvation, he also deserts his friends and family. Siddhartha never really thinks about what kind of an effect his departure has on his family, and a parallel idea is expressed through this song. It is almost a reversal of scenarios however, and in Siddartha's case he is a son leaving a father who would rather have him at home than him be a wandering ascetic.


Daley, Sean. "Little Man." Rec. 4 Oct. 2005. By Atmosphere. You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. Rec. 4 Oct. 2005. Joe Mabbott, 2005.

Obama Gaining Lead On McCain

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/us/politics/02poll.html?ex=1380600000&en=dade69d768f30819&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

This article from the new york times website is about how Obama has recently pulled ahead to a 9 point lead in the polls, and McCain's favorability rating is at an all-time low. As a liberal, this news made me happy but polls really mean nothing and there is no certainty until election day. I WILL however analyze this data, regardless of whether it is factual or means anything. I believe that this drop is due to McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice President. Although he will tell you differently, it is quite obvious that he only chose her in hopes that he could get some female swing voters and possibly take some of the Clinton crowd from Obama. The polls seem to show that women saw right through this and found it offensive that someone as unqualified and inexperienced as Palin could be compared to Clinton. He did not only lose women voters though, and many moderates and independents must have lost faith in John McCain as well for such a large increase to occur. I believe that his decision was totally irresponsible and he should be ashamed of himself for putting such power in the hands of an imbicile. Even some conservatives have stopped supporting him because of Palin. I know three or four rather conservative people who said they would rather have Obama elected than Palin be in a position to take over the Presidency. Whatever the cause, Obama now has a substantial lead in the polls over McCain. However, like I said earlier, polls mean very little in the grand scheme of things, but I can only hope that these ones are true.

Thee, Megan, and Adam Nagourney. "Poll Finds Obama Gaining Support and McCain Weakened in Bailout Crisis." The New York Times. 1 Oct. 2008.The New York Times.2 Oct. 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/us/politics/02poll.html?ex=1380600000&en=dade69d768f30819&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg.

Ms. Froehlich's Question

1. Through Homer's writing, it is evident in many instances that he is sexist. Although he did not believe that women were totally worthless, he shows clear prejudice in his work The Odyssey by conforming to female stereotypes and insinuating that by themselves, women were capable of nothing.

Throughout The Odyssey, several stereotypes are displayed about women. One of these is the stereotypes is that only men can lead a household and women only play a supporting role. A prime example of this is is the suitors overrunning Odysseus' house in his absence. Penelope, being a woman is helpless to do anything and is forced to watch the suitors ween away at her wealth. Without a man to lead the house, she has no voice and can't command the suitors to leave. Another stereotype shown by Homer is that women are unfaithful. In Odysseus' absence, the maids of his household sleep around with the suitors and doing so betray him. This presumes that all women are willing to sacrifice their honor and their ties to their house just to sleep with a random person. Homer also shows the maids as having little regret for their actions, and barely even protest when Odysseus kills them all.

Another sexist pattern of the Odyssey is that ordinary women have very little power or control over their own actions. After the sack of Troy, Helen returns with Menelaus to Greece and is unable to say no. She explicitly showed her desire to leave him by going with Paris, but women have very little say in their lives so she was forced to go back with Menelaus. Had Homer not been sexist, Helen would have at least have married someone other than Menelaus, someone she had openly spurned. The only women who have any power at all are goddesses such as Athena. Athena is shown as a very wise and strong figure, but being a goddess, she is far above what any human woman could ever achieve. Homer's sexism manifests itself in Athena because she is the impossible ideal woman who is everything that human women are not: intelligent, and powerful.

Throughout the novel, men are shown as cunning and powerful, and the women are shown as unintelligent and weak, and it is this double standard which proves Homer is a sexist.