Charlotte
Louie-Davis
Written
Communication
Skills
September 23, 2003
Analysis
of the song “Thank you Mr. Ryan”
1. Summary
I
am going to summarize a song I heard in class entitled
“Thank you Mr. Ryan.” The
song is about a
man who fondly remembered his teacher, Mr. Ryan, singing songs to his
students. The song that
stood out most
in his mind as he grew up was “All My Trials.”
He went home to visit his parents and asked about Mr. Ryan. His mother told him that Mr.
Ryan still
taught at the same school, so he quickly went to visit him.
He chatted with Mr. Ryan for a while and then
Mr. Ryan confessed to him that his visit was uplifting and came
at the
right time. Mr. Ryan
explained that he
had just had a conversation with his own mother about being content
with his
life but at times he felt unfulfilled due to his never marrying or
having any
children of his own. Mr.
Ryan’s mother
reminded him that his students were in fact his children. Indeed, his
former
student’s visit that day confirmed it.
2. Interpretation
My
interpretation of the song “Thank you Mr. Ryan” is
that the author wants people to be aware of the effects their actions
have on
others. You never know
how what you say
or do can influence another person for the rest of their life.
If we live by the golden rule: “Do unto
others as we would have them do unto us,” we should strive to have a
positive
influence on others. We should never neglect to thank the people in
our life
that have helped us get through trials, adversities or even enhanced
the good
times. It is not uncommon
for a role
model to be your mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, a
family member
or even a close friend. Mr.
Ryan, seemed
to have just been a good person and teacher and was unaware of the
impact that
his form of teaching had on his students.
The visit of his former student helped him feel validated,
helping him
feel that his life meant something to others.
We all go through times in our life when we need a “pick-me-up”
and we should
be willing to extend those “pick-me-ups” to others.
3. Criticism
When
I initially heard the song, it didn’t quite capture
my undivided attention. The
music was
boring and his voice was too monotone.
In order to focus on the lyrics, I had to discipline myself so
I
wouldn’t become easily distracted by other things that were going on
in the
classroom. Perhaps if the
author had
used words that rhymed, this would help to serve as an
attention-getter and
memory aid. Once I
focused in on the
lyrics, I did enjoy the song because it reminded me of my elementary
through
high school days. The
classes I enjoyed
most, were the ones where the teachers used untraditional methods of
teaching
like Mr. Ryan.
4. Personal Meaning
When
I read the lyrics in the course materials, I really
could relate because I have several people that served as my Tree
of Life
through my many trials of life. One
that
I would like to mention is an attorney that I worked for back in 1986;
his name
was Emil Berg. Mr. Berg
was one of the
nicest, kindest men that I had ever met.
He was a pleasure to work for.
In
fact, when I would say that I worked for him, he would always
correct me
and say that we worked with each other; that was such a humble
attitude
to me as a young employee. Ever
since
then, I always try to seek employment where the people I work directly
with are
not “ego-tripping” and have that team spirit.
I in turn, try to treat others the same way--whether it’s a
co-worker, a
student, janitor, etc.
Mr.
Berg was a hard-working man although he believed in
putting family first and work second.
Whenever we would have to scratch a project no matter how close
we were
to completing it, he would always recite the words his father used to
tell him:
If
a job has once begun,
Never
leave it til it’s
done.
Be
it great or be it small,
Do
it well or not at all!
He died of a heart
attack in
1988, at the age of 61. I
still greatly
miss him and can hear his words echoing in my mind to this day.
Those simple words have impacted me through
my adult life. I reflect
on that
attitude in my home, at work and even while taking college courses. While I’m not a
perfectionist, I strive to do
the best I can in all things.
In
addition, the song “Thank you Mr. Ryan” will hold a
special place in my mind because my college major is Elementary
Education and
it is a reminder to do things that will influence my students in a
positive way
during their childhood and adult life.
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