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Courtney Carroll Professor Ulch Enlgish 121 30 October 2013 Dont Let Them Fall I remember our last conversation, sitting at the lunch table the day it happened, the night that changed my life before I even knew it. We all experience some sort of tragedy first hand, it may be death, crime, or natural disasters but whatever it may be, it still has a way of changing your life. Sometimes these tragedies dont directly happen to you, but to your loved ones and your life is never the same after that. One way of coping is by listening to music. About.com has stated that, ...music can actually help to change your emotional state -- there is good evidence that listening to music that conveys an emotional tone can help you change your mood. That is exactly what some of us must to do get through hard times. The song Dont Let Me Fall, by B.O.B allows me to compare emotions one might feel when suffering from depression eventually leading to suicide with my own emotions. On February 16, 2011, my best friend Carly Gannon committed suicide. That day, my life changed forever. After listening to, Dont Let Me Fall, I realized the connection it had between Carly and the way she might have been feeling that night. I found out about it through a teachers email the following day; all teachers were told over the PA system by Principle Dr. Darga that, At this time, we would like all teachers to read the email that was just sent to their school

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emails. The day began like no other day, this song began like no other song; it was like going through the motions. As my teacher read her email, she gasped and ran out of the classroom and everyone began to look around, confused by the whole situation. My good friend, Patrick, had been egged on by a couple of us to go look at the email because it was left up on the screen. When Patrick came back after looking at the email, his face was white like a ghost, he was really quiet. At this point I was worried, not only for my sake, but for Carlys sake. A few moments had pasted with confused looks, no one really knew what actually had happened except for Patrick. Next thing I knew, Mr. Keskes; our vice principle, had entered our classroom to notify us of the death of Carly Gannon. There was an empty pit in my stomach and a feeling I never had before. This song really changed my perspective on an act that we may perceive as selfish; suicide. It was just a dream, just a moment ago. I was up so high looking down at the sky, dont let me fall (lines 1-5). Carly was only pushing through the pain on her last couple days on earth, she dreamt of a better place where the pain was gone and that beautiful smile on her face was real. As I read through the song, I began to realize that suicide is more than just a selfish act, or a cry for help, its a plea for a place free of pain. This song does not encourage suicide, but reaches out to people who need help. It not only explains the pain some people feel, but it shows that people can help to prevent suicide. This disease is contagious, written in the 2007 copy of Current Controversies: Suicide, it explains that There are some evidence that those who die in clusters wouldnt of acted on their own (88). I sometimes wonder, did the pain Carly feel also effect others? The answer to my long yearning question is yes; it did affect others. After Carly had committed suicide two other girls in the vicinity of my home town, Pinckney, Michigan,

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committed suicide. I believe that there is always a cry for help prior to the attempt, sometimes more obvious than other times, but its like a song; we listen to songs and the meaning of it is just so obvious, and less often we come across a song like, Dont Let Me Fall and really have listen to what the artist is trying to say. Going on through the song I came across many lines that really are open to different meanings, Ill fall much lower than where the pavement is. Cause there aint no parachute that they can make for this (lines 63-66). Its as though he is stating that living a life of pain may cause this disease of suicide to worsen and the outcome is no easy fall. I find it outrageous that some of the most incredible and life altering people have to suffer through the pain of depression and wanting to commit suicide. According to healthychildren.org, at least 90% of teens who kill themselves have some type of mental health problem, such as depression. There are many stages of depression, starting with minor depression and working its way up to major depressive disorder. Minor depressive disorder is characterized by having symptoms for two weeks or longer, they may not meet the full criteria of major depression but can eventually lead to that without any treatment. Carly fought with depression for a while before she acted on anything, I remember being with her and her moods would change almost immediately, she would be happy and then just suddenly become sad, it would seem as though she felt alone through everything. No one is ever alone, and the only way to show that is by taking action. Standing up and showing people who fight with depression that we do care is shown in this song. So call me whatever you want. Title me to whatever you like, but lets get one thing straight you know my name, so I run this town (24-27). These lines show, that knowing

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someones name doesnt mean you know every waking detail about their life. According to everydaylife.globalpost.com, from the media to peers, an array of societal factors can shape the ways in which teens act. The media may not be entirely responsible for the actions of teens but it does have an affect on them. This affect is most predominate is social settings for example, at school. A front may always be put up, but sometimes you got to look past that to see the bigger picture. In social settings it is hard to identify warning signs one may be giving off. I never saw the bigger picture with Carly, and thats something I deeply regret. It was not until the night after that I finally broke down. I tried that whole day to keep in my pain, anger, and sadness but by the end of the day, I had to let it all go. Its hard for people to let it go but sometimes you have to. I still look back on that day and remember all of the good and bad memories. The time when I broke down and cried in my room, my dreams, the dreams that just seemed so real; everything just comes rushing back to me. This song really portrayed my thoughts on this tragic time, I swear it feels like a dream and its vividly defined (22-23). I would wake up in the middle of the night and I swore I saw her standing there, just starring or pacing back and forth and it seemed so real. I began to see the connections not only with the loss of a dear friend, but the way I started to cope and grieve with the whole situation. Dont Let Me Fall takes the thoughts of many people and puts it into a form that we better understand. To picture my life, boy you need a higher resolution (79). This song is the higher resolution, its speaking for everyone. There is always someone in need of help, I know from my experience, I never want to be put in a state of shock like that ever again and I will do everything in my power to prevent that.

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Works Cited B.O.B. Dont Let Me Fall, 2010. Connors, Paul. Suicide. Michigan: Christine Nasso, 2007. Depression. Depression. Nimh.nih.gov. 2013. USA.gov. 29 Oct. 2013 <http:// www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml> Loop, Erica. How Does Society Affect Behavior in Teens? Globalpost.com. 2013 < http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/society-affect-behavior-teens-4728.html> Pediatricians. Heath Issues. Healthchildren.org. 2013. American Academy of Pediatrics. 29 Oct. 2013 <http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotionalproblems/pages/Teen-Suicide-Statistics.aspx Salters-Pedneault, Kristalyn. Coping With Music. About.com 02 Dec. 2009 < http://bpd.about.com/od/livingwithbpd/a/music.htm> Steuer, Max. The Scientific Study of Socitey. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.