"Oh to see, what it means to be free / and you thought the lions were bad, but they tried to kill my brothers and for every king that dies oh they will crown another / and felled in the night by the ones you think you love, they will come for you..."
"Daniel In The Den" by Bastille is a song that I interpret as a serious reflection of the themes explored in Robert Comier's novel, The Chocolate War. In a film adaptation of The Chocolate War I image this song playing over the climatic fight scene, as seen from Goober's perspective. In addition to a literal interpretation of the lyrics, specifically lines such as "you thought the lions were bad, but they tried to kill my brothers", I feel as though this song captures the themes of anguish and corruption. The song makes compelling commentary on hopeless nature of power imbalances which I feel parallels many of the themes in the novel. The song also touches on the idea of betrayal, which I feel is a concept intimately felt by practically all of the leading characters. Finally, the simple and despairing nature of the song reflects the overall tone of the novel
-Erin Brandenburg
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteThis song is a good fit for the novel, and thank you for embedding the video for us to watch in the blog post. I think this song also speaks to the systemic nature of oppressive institutions, which the novel speaks about as well (every king that dies they crown another).
Really cool post! I agree I can totally see this being the soundtrack for the fight scene (i'm a bit of a music nerd!). I particularly like the lyrics "They tried to kill my brothers." Matched with the idea of rebels fighting the system, it really seems so appropriate to make the metaphor of conversion being death. Once assimilated into a system what is left? With the loss of free thinking we become a number, a tool, an integer to be used for someone else's ideologies. Will your own course, determine your own goals, maintain your individuality or face the death of your own humanity!
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