Neil Young’s “Thrasher”: A Homework Assignment
by Terry P Anderson
I’ve been teaching English at the community college level for 20 years, and I love to teach Literature. A second passion of mine is music with an emphasis on 1960’s and 70’s Classic Rock. And Neil Young has been a personal favorite musician of mine for the past several decades. I try to incorporate Rock lyrics into my curriculum whenever I teach poetry. So, one semester, I chose the Neil Young song “Thrasher” for my students to analyze for homework. The object was for them to come up with the “theme” or “main idea” of a particular song and to compose a phrase stating that central idea. My students did a real good job and these are a few of my favorite phrases:
“About life and music set in the old west as an inspiration, but now they are dead like dinosaurs and sometimes forgotten.”
“Remember that we are all lost souls on the same Earth, just trying to find our rite of passage in life.”
“Expresses the relevance of change and all the good which comes from it.”
“Individualism…the thrasher represents the farming machine and also symbolizes death.”
“If those around you don’t choose to accept your new ways, then you need to get rid of them.”
“Do not let yourself fall behind due to others’ ideals yet be like an eagle and take your own flight to success.”
“Live your life the best way possible, and that is by being who you are and not conforming to someone else.”
“Don’t let others hold you back or keep you down; it may be scary, but that’s how you continue to grow.”
“A person must be ready for unexpected life changes, even if it’s not ideal.”