The Death of Emmett Till and Mississippi Goddamn In a time in American history where inequality was the leader of our country and murder and violence were a daily occurrence phenomenon, Emmett Till was a fourteen-year-old boy who was visiting Mississippi when he allegedly flirted with a white woman and was lynched by two white men who were the woman's husband and brother-in-law. This terrible act of blatant racism created an uproar across America that is still relevant today, especially due to the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and the increase in police brutality particularly against young black men. Not only did this heinous act occur, but the two men, even after confessing to the kidnapping and murder, were acquitted of their charges. Until he lived in Mississippi, he lived in Chicago, only visited the South. His mother called for a public funeral for Till in Chicago to force America to look at his mutilated body and send a message about the horrors caused by racism. Thousands of people attended Till's funeral, and a photo of his body appeared in many black newspapers and magazines. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The kidnapping and murder opened society's eyes to how unequal blacks and whites really are. In response to the murder, many famous artists and musicians released works and songs to protest the death and the court case. Bob Dylan's The Death of Emmett Till and Nina Simone's Mississippi Goddam are both great examples of activist music protesting the death and court case of Emmett Till. Dylan takes a more direct approach in his message and Simone addresses inequality as a whole. The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan is a musical tale and reflection on the murder and court case of Emmett Till. Dylan addresses his audience directly several times and denounces America for its blatant racism in a very blunt manner. The song is very detailed and direct and a good example of this is when he says "The reason they killed him there And I'm sure it's not a lie He was a black skinned boy So he was born to die." Even though Dylan sings it very poetically, it is a very obvious message with extreme meaning. The Death of Emmett Till was one of the first songs Dylan ever wrote, so there wasn't much reaction. Later in his career, Dylan even went so far as to say that it was a "shit song" due to his lack of songwriting ability (chimesfreedom). However, this song is continually addressed more and more today than it ever was in the 1960s. Dylan was heavily involved in the civil rights movement and wrote numerous songs about it. As an ally of blacks, Bob Dylan's music has inspired many Americans, especially whites, to not simply stand by and let racism ruin our society. This is explicitly shown in this quote from The Death of Emmett Till when Dylan says "If you can't speak out against this kind of thing, such an unjust crime, your eyes are full of dead men's dirt, your mind is full of dust ". …” Furthermore, because he was a prominent white figure in America, he helped support a movement that changed the lives of thousands of people. Nina Simone's Mississippi Goddam, while it may not be as specifically about Emmett Till as Dylan's song is, addresses racism in the southern states of the United States. However, this song also comprehensively expresses the same aspect of shock and.