Discuss the reasons they have lasted: universal themes such as love,
work, death, loss, etc.; picture of the past representing the time period
in which they were written; representive of life experiences.
Identify the prevalent topics covered in Carl Sandburg's music collection.
Have students identify the prevalent topics in modern songs, ones they
think will last through the years.
Have your students find similar themes in the old and new songs they
picked out.
Compare and contrast the subject matter. Which of the modern songs
have universal themes? What are they? How do songs from Carl's collection
represent their time period? How do modern songs represent today's world?
This can be either a class discussion, a paper, or a project/presentation
complete with bringing in the music to share with the class. It can
be an individual or a group assignment.
