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It is very hard to get used to life in the country where you were not born and to live among people with different beliefs and cultural values. It is even more difficult to become a successful person in this country and to find understanding in a relationship with parents analyzing someone’s music. However, there is an inspiring story of a man who is able to find his identity and to become independent with the help of a famous American rock musician Bruce Springsteen. The man’s name is Sarfraz Manzoor, and in his memoir Greetings From Bury Park, he describes how music revolutionizes his world outlook and consequently, helps him to find peace in relationship with his father.
Music plays an important role throughout Manzoor’s life. The author’s passion for Springsteen’s music is a starting point of his personal growth. Manzoor’s desperate desire to live in the USA obviously comes from his devotion to Springsteen. Therefore, Manzoor dedicates the biggest part of his memoir to the musician’s influence on his personal life to show how deep the influence of Springsteen is. The main reason why the author pays so much attention to the musician is an inexplicable bond to Springsteen. Safraz finds clues to the most profound questions about various issues that concern him. Life, love, career and relationship with his family are among them.
According to Safraz, a rock musician Bruce Springsteen is the only passion he has ever had in his life. However, before he understands Springsteen’s music, he has many wrong prejudices about life in the country of his dreams. Manzoor obviously tries to compare his father – son relationship with those of Bruce Springsteen and his father Douglas. The musician and his father were both raised in America, and though they also had constant conflicts, their arguments were not based on cultural and religious issues as it was in Manzoor’s case. Moreover, unlike Springsteen’s family, Safraz and his father had different upbringings and were raised in different countries.
The clash of cultures is the main reason why Manzoor and his father cannot find peace in their relationship: being young, rebellious and influenced by ‘early’ Springsteen’s songs, Manzoor wants to spend summer in the USA. Unlike his father, Safraz thinks that this country will live up to all his expectations and will accept him better than Great Britain. However, his Pakistani- raised father appears to be against Manzoor’s urge to visit this country. Muhammed does not understand his son’s desire and asks him once: “Why do you want to go to America anyway? Americans are unclean, immoral, look at how little their girls wear” (Manzoor, 41). Not surprisingly, these were the exact reasons why the author wanted to visit the USA. This conversation shows that there are cultural and generation gaps between Manzoor and his father.
Another example of rebelliousness can be seen in Manzoor’s attempt to change appearance as a sign of protest. Although the author’s parents do not approve of his behavior, Safraz tries to prove that he can be free like all Americans. There is a scene when Manzoor comes home with dreadlocks and his mother says to an amazed father: “Don’t you understand? Your son wants to be Jamaican. He doesn’t want to be Pakistani, he is not a Muslim. He wants to be black. Congratulations; two Pakistanis have given birth to a Jamaican Son” (Manzoor, 44).
The generation gap is not the only reason for Manzoor’s constant arguments with his father. They are different in their attitude to life in general: in contrast to Safraz, his father realizes that the USA is not the country where all dreams come true just because somebody wants it. Unfortunately, Muhammed fails to explain to his son that implementation of any dream requires hard work and desire to cross the ocean in search of better life often appears to be just an illusion. Safraz realizes it only after the acts of terror in NYC and London, and finally understands that his father is right.
Although Safraz and his music idol are people from different walks of life, there is one important thing they have in common: both of them have a complicated relationship with their fathers. Being young, Safraz blames his father for bringing their Pakistani family to Britain and therefore, making Safraz suffer because of his Muslim Pakistani origin. However, analyzing Springsteen’s songs later, Manzoor realizes how wrong he is. Moreover, he understands how important it is to listen to parents’ advice. The author proves it by citing one of Bruce’s songs:
When I was younger, I didn’t want to know who my father was because he had nothing to do with me. How wrong can a son be? Where once it was resentment which inspired me, now it is the hope that in my own life I can make his memory proud. These days I am a willing prisoner of my father’s house (Manzoor, 139).
Springsteen’s music helps Safraz to find his own identity and to become an independent person. In Springsteen’s later albums Safraz finds reflection of his own life and it helps him to find solution to the problems that he is anxious about: he finally realizes that his Muslim father did the right thing having brought them to Great Britain. Having analyzed the musician’s texts, Safraz understands that it is necessary to get on well with parents: “I realized this was like nothing I had heard before. In his music, I found a new way to understand my relationship with my father” (Manzoor, 87). Moreover, Bruce Springsteen is the USA patriot who expresses this devotion in music. All his patriotic songs teach Safraz to accept his nationality and be proud of it.
Springsteen’s music eventually helps Manzoor to break free from prejudices and realize that all those arguments with his father are nothing more than his youthful maximalism. Springsteen and his philosophy help Safraz to realize how hard it is to be a Pakistani Muslim in foreign country and not to have a decent job and a loving wife. Manzoor finds strength to leave Luton, become a journalist, and most importantly- to find the answer to the question about his Pakistani background. When Safraz finally understands it, he says:
Bruce Springsteen changed my life because in his music I saw the promise of hope and escape and self-improvement, but where once I longed to escape to the United States, these days I am convinced my father did the right thing coming to Britain (Manzoor, 140).
Safraz Manzoor’s memoir Greetings From Bury Park is a good example of how music can influence your life. The author demonstrates the impact of Bruce Springsteen’s music on his search for mutual understanding with his father and his own cultural identity. The philosophy of Springsteen’s songs helps Safraz to make an important conclusion about many issues such as his Pakistani origin and relationship with father. Despite the fact that Manzoor’s memoir covers different topics, he puts music first. An amazing connection between Manzoor’s life and Springsteen’s songs inspires Safraz in everything he does, helps him to overcome all the difficulties and to find solutions to many unanswered questions.
Works Cited
Manzoor, Safraz. Greetings from Bury Park. London: Vintage Books, 2008. Print.
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