A multitude of somber, saddening soundtracks could easily accompany Cynthia Ozick’s short story, “The Shawl.”
The obstacles that Magda, Stella, and Rosa face within the concentration camp
in World War 2 can be associated with the songs “Strip Me” by Natasha
Bedingfield, “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift, “Shake It Out” by Florence + The
Machine, “Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne, and “If I Die Young” by The Band
Perry.
The first song that applies to the
short story is Natasha Bedingfield’s “Strip Me.” This song proves relative to
the short story because it highlights the songwriter’s strength and willpower
and that no matter how much is taken from her life, she will always have her
voice. I feel that this particular song deserves to be on the list because it
perfectly describes Rosa’s struggle in “The Shawl.” Even though Rosa continues
to starve and has all good things taken from her, including her youngest child,
she is still able to pull herself together and do everything in her power to
keep her children alive. At the end of the story as Rosa watches her youngest
child die, she remains strong and holds on to the shawl, even though she is in
pain. The mood of the song would induce sad emotions therefore matching the
mood of the scene but would create a more physically inspirational scene that
could provide hope that maybe Magda and Rosa will find freedom.
The next track on the playlist
would be “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift’s song describes
someone in fear who is being reassured to just close their eyes and that they
will be safe and sound when the morning comes. This song deserves to be a part
of the list because it accurately describes the relationship between Rosa and
Magda before Magda dies. A particular scene in the text is when Rosa “gives all
her food to Magda” and wraps her in a “magical shawl” (Ozick 517). This depicts
that Rosa would give anything to ensure that Magda remains safe and alive, even
if that meant Rosa would starve. Magda also can feel safe and sound within the
magical shawl because it has the capability to provide safety and nourishment
for three days. The song’s emotion fits perfectly in the scene because it
reveals a sense of bleakness and utter despair that the listener can feel. This
would make the scene sad because of the slow tempo, breathiness and sense of
loss the artist portrays.
The third song on the list would be
Florence + The Machine’s “Shake It Out.” This specific song proves relative to
the short story as a whole because it shows that it is difficult to push past
the hardest parts of life when they are carried on the shoulders and that we
therefore must “shake it out.” This song deserves to be on the list and is
relevant to the story because if Rosa had not pushed past the obstacle of
starvation and fear, her and her children would have died at the opening of the
short story. The lyrics of the song remind me of Rosa’s struggle to stay alive
and to ignore the fact that she could no longer even menstruate because she is
so malnourished. No matter how little Rosa has left and as her body “slowly
turned into air” she continues to go forward (Ozick 519). I think the song’s
emotion matches these particular scenes because it provides a sense of moving
forward even when it feels like nothing is left. The instance when Rosa and the
children are walking through a crowd at the opening of the novel is an ideal place
for the song because it not only intensifies the scene but also adds a slight
element of hope.
The fourth piece of my soundtrack
would feature “Keep Holding On.” This song is relative to the short story
because Magda and Stella both hold on to Rosa, their lives, as well as the
nurturing shawl. This song deserves to be on the list and is relative to the
story because the entire short story all of the characters are barely holding
on to their lives as they are starve and near death. The lyrics of the song
remind me of when Magda is surviving off of air and is described to have pencil
legs and yet continues to fight on. I would place the song where “Magda flopped
onward with her little pencil legs” because it shows that she continues to go
on even though she is merely a skeleton (Ozick 518). The song’s emotion matches
this particular scene perfectly and would make the scene more intense because
it reiterates that even though the characters are near death, they continue to
hold on.
The final track on my playlist would
be “If I Die Young.” This song is relevant to the story because Magda is thrown
into an electrical fence and dies as a child. The song describes that if the
artist dies young she wishes to buried on a bed of roses and sent away in a
river. I feel that the song deserves to be on the list because even though
Magda cannot be buried or recovered from the side of the fence, he mother still
feels despair and wishes she could get her and most likely would then have a
burial for her. The song also describes that the artist would be in white as
she “entered the kingdom (of God)” which parallels Magda’s innocence because of
the white. I think the this particular song would fit best within the short
story where Magda is thrown against the fence and then Rosa places the shawl in
her mouth and cries. I feel it would intensify sad emotions by highlighting the
death of Magda and it’s effects on Rosa.
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