ENGLISH 102
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Activity 1: Synthesis
This activity is a music-based approach to synthesis.
King Kunta, by Kendrick Lamar
After introducing the idea of synthesis and its use in academic context, I thought it would be a fun class to explore how synthesis occurs in the space of art as well.
The song is perfect because it is peppered with references to Black literature and art, including the following:
1. Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man
2. Alex Haley's Roots
3. James Brown's The Payback (a song).
4. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
The Activity
The class begins by first listening to the song and watching the music video. Students are then divided into groups of 3 or 4. ​
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For the activity the students will be using the Genius lyrics website that provides annotations for the above literary references (Kendrick Lamar – King Kunta Lyrics | Genius Lyrics). This means that even if they do not know the song or understand the references, all they have to do is skim through the annotations. Once they notice an external literary or artistic reference in the Genius annotations, they must google that source.
As a group they have to come to conclusion about why Kendrick included that source in the song. What was he trying to say by doing so? Each group is given 1 verse and the chorus (or divide it as you see fit). Once the group discussion is over, each group must present what they've figured out to the rest of the class. ​
Finally, we conclude with a class discussion on how Kendrick has synthesized these external literary sources into a single song. While the meaning of the song can be explored through understanding synthesis, it could also be helpful to ask students to imaging/consider what the research process for Kendrick himself might have been.
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Where did he learn about these sources?
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Might he have grown up with them?
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Did he go back and research them when he decided to write this song?