When I planned to take WRT 102 this semester, I looked at as a class that would require a lot of time, but conceptually wouldn’t be too hard. In hindsight, I think my prediction was right.

In high school English classes, I would always score higher than the average on most essays. I was never really sure why, as I always felt that my writing was very weak. I guess that my teachers didn’t think so.

This didn’t really change in WRT 102, as my final copies wouldn’t be that different from my drafts, with the exception of the Research Paper, in which I had to take more time to revise. But of course, there was always room for improvement on every essay. And I think that’s where Karli’s constructive criticism and fun lessons came into play.

Any other teacher could’ve lectured for an hour and twenty minutes on comma placement or introducing citations, but Karli always made it interesting. You felt like you learned something that you could apply to your essays in every group activity. She also even had us write a sample cover letter which I thought was a good idea for a lesson, because after college, all writing that we do is going to become writing for “real world” scenarios, not for a letter grade. I also think her constructive criticism on our papers really prepared us for the portfolio.

The “rhetorical analysis” activity was interesting too. We analyzed our social media posts to learn why exactly we post certain pictures or videos. Are we intending for a certain audience to view them, or for everyone? Do we want people to laugh?

All in all this class could’ve been a drag with any other teacher, but section 72 definitely wasn’t. I feel like I learned a lot more about writing than I did in high school, especially on the matter of making my writing more cohesive. With the many engaging lessons, the class itself was not what I expected it to be, and I was happy to be in this particular section.

https://stonybrook.digication.com/andrew_ferruzza/Welcome/preview

https://stonybrook.digication.com/andrew_ferruzza/Welcome/preview

Updates:
New background and header image.

Updated links to papers

Edited the “about me” section and gave a brief introduction to each of my papers

Added a new picture to the about me section

Dear writer,

This paper is a good starting point. The topic, while commonly talked about, is an interesting one and you do a good explaining it. The paper was interesting enough to engage me and you did a good job with audience awareness. I think your transitioning from paragraph to paragraph is well executed and keeps up the flow of the paper. Another good thing is your introduction of sources and establishing the authors credibility in these pieces. For example, ” Well, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osbourne, two researchers at Oxford Martin School…”

The thesis is a little shaky. It suggests that you will talk about what we can do exactly to fix this problem, but then doesn’t really elaborate on that. Instead you talk more about what the problems are, and talk about the statistics behind job loss, etc… I think you should fix the thesis so that it aligns more parallel with the title of your paper “The Dangers of Rapid Technological Advancement.” You don’t always have to try and offer a solution to a problem. Instead, you can just focus on what exactly this problem is, and how it is affecting (or going to affect) our everyday lives.

Also, along with this, some sentences need rearranging. For example, “and on the
livelihoods of many people simply trying to live their lives…” This is confusing, and almost a sort of tongue twister. Watch comma placement as well because I can tell you are a fan of commas. “Self-driving cars are already a real, working thing.” No comma needed here, just rearrange the sentence and knock out the word “thing.”

Other than these minor errors that can be easily fixed, I think this paper does the job pretty well. You just seem to need to read your paper out loud so you can really hear how to bring it together in a more cohesive matter.

Good luck!

Andrew Ferruzza

Andrew Ferruzza

Karlianne Seri

WRT 102.73

8 April 2018

Can Music Be Used As Medicine?

For just as long as the human civilization has thrived on this planet, we have created, studied, and enjoyed music. In fact,  it’s nearly impossible to imagine a life without music. We experience this form of art on a daily basis: in television shows, on the radio, in commercials, and in the supermarket. For many people, music has transcended the boundaries of other art forms (such as painting, or writing). It is often considered to be the ultimate form of expression. In the past 50 years alone, an innumerable amount of styles have arose in music. From rock to pop to jazz, we cannot deny the massive effect that certain human beings have left on our society, just through their music alone.  However, it is important to recall the effect music can have on us mentally and acknowledge its enormous power to evoke nostalgic feelings and awake rested emotions from our memory. Several studies have suggested that music distracts us in medicinal ways, and that paying closer attention to its beauty and logistics can yield positive results on our brains and even certain diseases such as Parkinson’s and cancer.

Many psychologists and neuroscientists have described music as a “distractor” for the human brain. Which is why it works well as a form of therapy for people with high-anxiety and stress. As we know, anxiety tends to force us to not stopping about a certain thing. In turn, our lives start to revolve around this one thing, and thus–we have become victims of anxiety. However, in The Journal of Pain, Rick Nauert (PhD) explains that just simply listening to music can be “effective among those who can easily become absorbed in cognitive activities” (Nauert 1). The experiment conducted involved taking 143 people and have them listen to music for a certain period of time. During this period of time, they were instructed to identify certain features about the music (melodies, rhythms, etc.) and focus on explaining them. Also during the experiment, these people were subjected to shocks through their fingertips to simulate the pain. Surprisingly enough, the people became less focused on the pain they were receiving, and their “arousal” behind this pain significantly decreased; which means the music successfully acted as a distractor from the pain that they were receiving. Another interesting point about this experiment was the fact that low-anxiety people tended to not become interested in the activity at all, which probably means they didn’t feel it was necessary to have to distract themselves from any pain (Nauert 1). For very stressed and high-anxiety people, simply listening to music could be a natural “way out.”

A 2011 Harvard Health study stated the detailed explanation of how our ears interpret sound as music, and the various ways it can affect us in terms of stress relief, mood changes and even our balance. As soundwaves enter our ear, they stimulate vibrations on our eardrums, which are then processed by an important bone called the cochlea. The cochlea activates our auditory nerve, which in turn transmits the different pitches we hear into familiar melodies (aka, music) (Harvard 1). The study recalls a 2009 experiment in which it was assured that “music-assisted relaxation” could increase the effectiveness of our sleep patterns. These same experiments also confirmed that listening to calming music, such as classical music, usually made people feel sad or nostalgic, while uplifting, pop music tended to make people more upbeat, happy, and alert. Lastly, the study brought up an interesting account on the relationship between music and falling. It is common for senior citizens (age 65+) to often lose their balance and fall. However, this experiment was created to teach a random group of seniors to walk in time with all different kinds of music, in hope that they focus more on walking to a beat instead of just straightforward walking. The control group in the experiment did not get this training and at the termination of the lessons, the people who got the walking training fell about 50% less than the people who didn’t get it (Harvard 1). This shows music’s ability to grab our attention and distract us from even everyday activities. This can either be good or bad depending on the situation, but in this case it benefited senior citizens who often lose their balance.

The American Psychological Association dove further into the logistics, or roots, of music.  The idea is that sound is essentially created by vibrations and in turn music can be simply defined as organized sound. Their 2009 experiment, conducted by Lauren King (a Disorders Researcher at a Rehab Center in Ontario), involved the use of “vibroacoustic therapy,” which explores the notion that the use of these sound vibrations can help ease the symptoms of diseases like Parkinson’s, for example. The experiment, which involved 40 patients with Parkinson’s disease concluded to be a success, and the patients were reported to have stronger balance, and improved walking speed. The team also discovered that low-frequency sounds are more beneficial to the patients, as these sounds tend to contain more of the “rhythmic pulses” that help to stabilize the nerves. University of Toronto music professor Lee Bartel led the researchers in the experiment, and at the conclusion he explained how music could be seen as more than just an art form if we break it down into simple vibrations. He states, “Only when we look at it in this way do we start to see the interface to how the brain and body work together” (Novotney, 46). Vibroacoustic therapy is just one form of therapy that can exemplify the connection between our brain and body.

An article from the Nitte University Journal of Health Science further explains the benefits music therapy can have on common diseases, in this case; it’s cancer. As explained previously, one reason why music therapy winds up being very beneficial to most patients is because of its ability to distract the patient from what is causing them pain, and give them “control” of themselves (D’silva 2). On top of this, music also releases endorphins, which physically cancel out the pain the patient usually feels. An endorphin is simply a hormone that serves a psychological job in the connection of the brain and the nerves. The research team in this particular case sought out to collect a large sample of cancer survivors (who once contained all different types of cancer; including breast, and pancreatic) and subject them to music therapy. Both the control and experimental group in the experiment were recorded to have decreases in pain within the 5 consecutive days of the experiment. Another area of research was the “quality of life” of the patients after being subjected to the music therapy. This aspect also increased in both groups. The experiment concluded that music therapy is a successful intervention on both cancer patients and cancer survivors. It was also noted that the therapy has an effect through the patient’s physical self only after having an effect on their mental outlook and attitude on life. (D’silva 5). This proves again that music has more of a complex effect on us, rather than just being used for our listening entertainment.

Aside from music being used as a cure for diseases, several recent studies have shown that music can s”stick” in our brains until the very end of our lives. Neurologists at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center concluded that music is stored in our brains as “procedural memory,” meaning that dementia–a disease that aims to destroy the memories of  events that occur in our lives– can’t touch this kind of knowledge (Wolchover 1). Procedural memory is similar to muscle memory, in a way that it is associated with repetitive activities and muscle memory. This kind of “storage” is virtually unforgettable, and music has the ability to awaken it. In a now-viral YouTube video, an experiment was conducted with elderly dementia patient Henry, who was given some jazz music to listen to. This is presumably the music that he grew up listening to. Almost immediately, Henry became emotionally drained and remembered the music from his era almost instantly. After the experiment, he described the exact experience by claiming, “it gives me the feeling of love!” Other recent studies have suggested that patients with severe dementia or Alzheimer’s were able to remember music from their time period almost instantly, in a similar way to that of Henry’s experience. Scientists have explained that the instantaneous memory is sparked by a combination of forming “new memories by harnessing procedural memory” and “strengthening new knowledge by tying it to emotions” (Wolchover 1). Because music can bond so effortlessly with our emotions, it it’s simple even for these kinds of patients to remember songs that they used to listen to and sing along with.

As demonstrated by these various experiments, we can see that music and musical therapy can have a massive effect on many different aspects of our mental health. In recent years, the use of music therapy has only increased, as scientists start to realize the many wonders that it can instill in us. Music is perhaps the most subliminal art form, it’s connection to us varies from person to person. Some choose to study it further, and learn more about its logistics, while others choose to just casually listen to its many styles. One thing is for certain, music has an undeniable connection to all of our emotional selves, and affects us mentally whether we realize it or not. Because of this very fact, I believe that music can truly be used as a medicine for the greater good of the human race.

Annotated Bibliography

Nauert, Rick. “Music Soothes Anxiety, Reduces Pain.” Psych Central News, 6 Oct. 2015, psychcentral.com/news/2011/12/23/music-soothes-anxiety-reduces-pain/32952.html.

This article was written by Rick Nauert, who was a clinical physical therapist with 14 years of experience, and holds a doctoral degree from the University of Texas. It goes on to explain the effects that music has on anxiety, and even goes on to describe an experiment in which high and low anxiety people were given music to listen and then were tested to see how resistant they were to pain. It is a good experiment to mention that backs up the claim of music being a “distractor.”

Harvard Health Publishing, –. “Music and Health.” Harvard Health, 1 July 2011, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/music-and-health.

This Harvard Health study comes straight from Harvard’s medical school, and explains how music can affects various aspects of our mind and things like stress or anxiety. I also will use this article to explain how music is collected and processed into our mind (scientifically). Another good talking point from this article is how music affects balance and movement especially in elderly people, and how its various rhythms can be used to benefit these people and keep them in step.

Novotney , Amy. “Music as Medicine.” American Psychological Association, 1 Nov. 2013, www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx.

This article, which comes from the credited and well-known American Psychological Association, is a source I will use to mention the form of music therapy known as Vibroacoustic therapy. This type of therapy focuses on the vibrations that make up the organized sounds we call “music.” How can these vibrations be of use to diseased-people? The article does a good job of going behind all of this, and it are unique scientific explanations to explain how these vibrations can be processed by our brain and therefore used as a form of “medicine.”

D’silva, Fatima. “Effects of Music Therapy on Pain and Quality of Life among Cancer Survivors .” Nitte University Journal of Health Science, vol. 7, no. 3, 17 Aug. 2017, pp. 1–6

This is my print source, found from ScienceDirect. It was written mainly by Health Science students in their university’s Health Science Journal, but the primary author is MSc nursing student Fatima D’silva. I think this source was pretty unique to use, because it really goes into detail on how music affects people that were once diseased. In this case, the subject is cancer survivors, and the journal mainly recalls the effects that the experiment had — subjecting these kinds of people to music therapy. As we know, cancer survivors don’t always have the most positive outlook on their life. So seeing how music can affect this group of people is an interesting topic to touch upon.

Wolchover, Natalie. “How Music ‘Awakens’ Alzheimer’s Patients.” Livescience.com, 18 Apr. 2012, www.livescience.com/19765-music-alzheimers-patients-memory.html.\

My final source is an article from livescience.com that explains an experiment conducted by Andrew Budson and Boston University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center. The experiment involved an elderly dementia patient named Henry, who was given some jazz music from his era to listen to. He immediately recognized it, and became very emotionally. This source, and the last paragraph will really be used to describe the effects music has on people who can’t even remember their own family. It explains how music taps on the  “procedural memory” part of our brains and also pulls on our emotional strings. The combination of these things is why older people are able to recognize music until the very end.

“Drum Majors” band camp 2016.

So this is a picture I found on Facebook from September 2016. It is from our last Band Camp trip, senior year of High School. The picture features me on the far left, with the other three “drum majors” of the band. Drum majors are (usually) four seniors who are chosen to represent or lead the band in the various events we partake in.

First, this is one of the only pictures I have on Facebook, and since I don’t have Instagram or Twitter, I had to grab a relatively recent picture from my Facebook.

I think this picture kind of relates to what we were talking about in class, with discussing the reason why we use a certain social media outlet for certain kinds of pictures. Since I have a decent amount of friends on Facebook, a lot of them being family (or family I don’t see that often), I felt it was good to post a picture like this. It kind of shows them what I look like now, and what I am involved in, etc.. This picture was also featured in an “album” of other pictures from the same trip, so those same people can scroll through the album and see various pictures of me/others. I believe this is why most people my age would even use Facebook anymore. No one really updates their “status” like they used to, it’s more of just an outlet to post formal-ish pictures of you and friends/family. Unless you’re over the age of 40, then you probably haven’t updated your status since 2011.

I actually think I wanted everyone to see this post. As stated earlier, it gives people a sense of what I look like, where I am, and what I’m involved in. The caption did read “Drum majors at band camp 2016.”

March 25, 2018

Re: Software Engineer

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m writing this letter to express my interest in a software engineering position at Cache Ventures. In reading about the company on your homepage, I have become genuinely interested in working with other talented individuals to invest in products that will be of much of use and entertainment to consumers. You have my caught my attention with original ideas that are new and innovative. I currently hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Stony Brook University. I do believe that this degree has taught me everything I will need to know in the tech industry. I have learned to code many different kinds of projects in languages such as Java and C, along with learning system fundamentals and taking theoretical CS courses such as Theory of Computation.

Along with holding this CS degree, I have also interned at Northrop Grumman over the summer of 2018. Interning here was a great experience. I worked with very talented software engineers and data analysts who taught me a lot about the industry as a whole and how to be a valuable asset to any job. It was also very convenient, as Grumman is only a two minute drive from my house. Interning has given me great experience in the field, but I do also believe that working at ShopRite for four years has taught me how to be a patient and approachable employee. It could get quite stressful when the store got overcrowded with customers, but I always learned to remain calm and always friendly to the customers.

I am excited about this opportunity to demonstrate my skills and work hard for this company. Please find my resume enclosed for your review. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Andrew Ferruzza

I read “Do Not Read This Editorial While Walking” by Clyde Haberman. In this article, posted in the New York Times on March 17th, 2018, Haberman reviews the recently introduced law to Montclair, California, which makes it illegal to cross the street while on your phone, listening to music, or distracted in any other way. The law was put into place because officials have decided that there have been too many pedestrian deaths solely due to the fact that these pedestrians were not paying attention to oncoming traffic and instead decided to bury their noses in their phones/other devices. In writing this article, the author uses a few different rhetorical strategies to get his message across. First, there is a bit of comedy added into the piece, as Haberman calls the pedestrians “cellphone zombies” two times and claims that it makes it harder for drivers to not get into accidents when “pedestrians go around stoned” (1). Of course he is exaggerating with these comparisons, but in looking at pedestrians crossing streets, these comparisons actually start to make some sense. Along with the comical comments, Haberman backs up claims of pedestrian deaths with pure facts by reciting the increase in traffic deaths since 2014. In one paragraph, he even mentions the fact that states with legalized marijuana tend to have increased pedestrian deaths. So his joke about stoned pedestrians may not be much of a joke… Another interesting part of this article is the very first paragraph, when Haberman commands us to stop reading the article if we are walking outside (1). This attention-grabber works extremely well because it winds up relating to the theme of the article as a whole.

I think it’s clear that Haberman’s message here is for pedestrians to pay more attention while walking outside and crossing streets. He is certainly agreeing with the law that was put into place here in Southern California, and also seems anxious to see what happens in other states.

For the argumentative essay, I will take a look at the claims that rock music is a dying genre, and make an argument that it is certainly not dying, just evolving into something else. While it may be dying in sales, the music itself is still played worldwide. It still makes its way into the mainstream, sometimes being fused into electronic or pop music. For evidence, I can cite certain rock bands that still have a wide mainstream audience to this day (Foo Fighters, for example), and show how their music is actually very popular. I also will look to talk about current rock bands who are pushing the boundaries of music and creating new sounds. I chose this topic because I am a fan of rock music myself, and I discover new, talented bands all the time. So when people say that it is a dying genre, it amazes me because there are so many great new rock bands out there, you honestly just have to know where to look (Spotify’s recommended artists is great). I also think it’s important to discuss because music today is dominated by EDM and hip-hop music, which is by no means bad music, but pretty soon, people will be looking for something fresh. This is always a trend in popular music. Usually, the music that becomes popular at a certain time is the music that teenagers at the time listen to. Rock became popular in the 60s because every teen was into it (Woodstock). Rock was popular again in the 90s because every teen was jamming Nirvana. EDM music is popular today because every teen listens to it. This is another subject I’ll bring up in my paper. The biggest counterargument is probably the most prevalent statistical fact that rock music just doesn’t sell as much anymore. But the truth is, it doesn’t matter about sales.

Andrew Ferruzza

Karlianne Seri

WRT 102.72

27 February 18

Kendrick Lamar, “How Much a Dollar Cost”: The Definition of Compassion

Kendrick Lamar made quite a name for himself in 2013 when he released his major label debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. The album was unanimously praised by critics for its production, songwriting, and Kendrick’s catchy yet thought-provoking style. However, the acclaim wouldn’t end here. Fast forward two years and America has increasingly become more racially, sexually, and morally seperated. Events such as the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the Ferguson County riots were inspiring protesters everywhere to fight for change. These callings were also reaching musicians as well, of all genres and races. In looking at Kendrick’s second major-label album, To Pimp a Butterfly, it is important to keep in mind that these issues are exactly where he is drawing most of his lyrics from. Kendrick has put himself out in the spotlight at this point in his career. He has shook the hand of success, and he has seen how it destroyed other artists in his realm. On track eleven of this album, “How Much a Dollar Cost,” Kendrick recites an anecdote on his account of a homeless beggar. His control of rhetorical strategies such as foreshadowing, repetition, and imagery forces the listeners to rewind the song and hope to truly understand his message about human compassion, selfishness, and greed.

“How much a dollar really cost?” Kendrick asks us in the first line. Already we are placed in Kendrick’s position. We are asked to ask ourselves a question that cannot literally be answered. We are rhetorically asked to think as Kendrick insists, “The question is detrimental, paralyzin’ my thoughts.”  The setting is also established in the first few lines, and it is very crucial to the message. Kendrick recites this story from a gas station, which means he is pumping his own gas, in his own car, like any “average” person. He is putting himself down to our level, and not where he could easily stand with all of the fame and money he has accumulated.

Shortly after establishing the setting, Kendrick walks out of the gas station and spots a “homeless man with semi-tan complexion, asking for ten rand [ten rand is about one U.S. dollar].” Foreshadowing is an important strategy used in this story, and it all comes from what the homeless man says back to Kendrick. “…stressin’ about dry land, deep water, powder blue skies that crack open.”  Later on in the story, the homeless man asks Kendrick, “have you ever opened Exodus 14? A humble man is all we ever need.” Exodus 14 is a chapter in the Book of Exodus from the Bible. It is the story of when Moses parted the Red Sea, which explains the dry land the man is speaking about. He also claims earlier, “My son, temptation is one thing that I’ve defeated,” which is a Biblical reference to Jesus Christ. So the reader already gets the idea that there is something different about this homeless person, and the Biblical references should start to become pretty clear. He isn’t just asking Kendrick for money, but he is testing him. Finally, in the last verse, the homeless man reveals himself to be the Son of God, and that his whole act was precisely a test of Kendrick’s character, in which Kendrick failed. With this foreshadowing, the reader eventually understands that the beggar was testing Kendrick all along, and he only hinted at it. This is exactly what is making us rewind the song again, paying closer attention to the lyrics the second time around.

While foreshadowing plays a great role in developing the beggar’s character, repetition does the same for Kendrick. As the song progresses, particularly in verse two, Kendrick becomes increasingly aware that the beggar isn’t just asking him for a dollar, or a “piece of crack that he wanted…” The constant repetition of “He’s starin’ at me” shows the listener Kendrick is dwelling on more thoughts. He is witnessing all the life that is below him, but there’s something about this particular man that keeps pulling him back. “He’s starin at me in disbelief…He’s starin at me, his eyes followed me with no laser…he’s starin at me, I noticed that his stare is contagious” Kendrick notes, as he admits to the listener — the human inside him wants to give in to this man. He knows it would be the right thing to do, but his selfishness controls him yet again, and he still refuses. Kendrick does not know that this man is in fact God.

Perhaps the most important use of repetition is featured at the end of all verses when Kendrick insistently asks, “Tell me how much a dollar cost.” By asking this question, we can uncover the Kendrick’s conflicting thoughts even further, as he ponders why he should have to give this man a dollar.

As mentioned with the setting, another rhetorical strategy Kendrick uses is imagery, and he uses it in a way to paint a picture of his encounter at the gas station. He wants us to put ourselves in his position in this exact moment. He writes very specific features of this station, mentioning the “indigenous African” man at the counter and his parked “luxury car” which showcases the poor gas station clerk vs. Kendrick’s luxury. We get a sense of how he is physically and emotionally feeling while talking to the homeless man when he explains things like “my temper is buildin’… feelin’ some type of disrespect…” and “If I could throw a bat at him, it’d be aimin’ at his neck.”  There is even some olfactory imagery mixed in when Kendrick gets closer to the man, “I smell Grandpa’s old medicine reekin’ from your skin, Moonshine and gin.” All these descriptions are meant to put us in this exact situation and make us answer for ourselves if we would honestly give this man what he wants. Kendrick admits that his “…selfishness is what got me here, who the fuck I’m kiddin’” but he also admits that these “Sour emotions got me looking at the universe different.” Again, we get the sense that Kendrick is conflicted in this particular scenario. It’s essentially a story about seeing how other people live, some living outside of a gas station, or some working inside the gas station just to get by. These are things that we don’t usually notice on a daily basis, especially for someone like Kendrick who doesn’t have to see this side of the human race much at all. Which is why it is important to recognize why he has written this album, and why in this scene, he denied this certain man a dollar. It is because he is supposed to represent us here. When we know that we are not being tested, and we think we know everything about a certain someone just by the way we look (Kendrick thought the beggar was a crack addict), that is exactly when we are wrong.

When the homeless man comes out to Kendrick as Jesus, he says “I’ll tell you just how much a dollar cost, the price of having a spot in heaven, embrace your loss…” And here, the repeated question is finally answered. Kendrick’s genuine confusion and betrayal of his own thoughts and morals is just a part meant to represent the human race as a whole. What he is ultimately saying here is that when we make it to the top, we’ve never really made it to the top. Sure, everyone wants to be successful, purchase the “luxury car” of their dreams, and be able to say that they made it. But what not everyone realizes is that we are all tested in some way. Putting religion aside, you may not be tested by a God or Gods, but maybe by someone who might think nothing of. Here, the Son of God is portrayed as a homeless man to Jesus, because why would Kendrick Lamar want to give a dollar to a homeless man, after his album just went multi-platinum? There is a reason why he explains so many things about the gas station like how it looks, how it smells, and what he sees; to put us in his exact position. To drop the listener right into this specific setting and give them a sense of what it’s like to be tested at his level. Through Kendrick’s brilliant storytelling and effective use of these rhetorical strategies, he is able to make us, the human race, remember the meaning of empathy, and selflessness above all.

Sources

Kendrick Lamar, “How Much a Dollar Cost,” To Pimp a Butterfly, Interscope, 2015.