“American Skin (41 shots)” was the first song played in class, and it had an extremely large impact. The song told a story about Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant, that was shot by undercover police officers who mistakenly accused him as a felon. During the day of the disaster, Amadou Diallo thought he was being mugged, so he retrieved his wallet for the men approaching him. The police officers shot and killed Amadou Diallo. After the event, Bruce Springsteen wrote the song “American Skin” in the perspective of both the mother and the police officers. The song showed the ethic of interconnectedness by displaying the empathy of each perspective; the police knew that they had made a mistake and the mother wished she could see her son again. Springsteen also applied moral development by exposing two beliefs that contradict one another, thus, using techniques to increase development. …show more content…
With the upbeat tempo and Springsteen singing, “born in the U.S.A.” people tend to think that the song represents a patriotic anthem. In reality, Springsteen uses moral development by singing about two Vietnam War veterans, Bobby and Ron. After the war, the two men suffered from being homeless, unemployed, and forgotten. Springsteen wanted to show America that the country does not treat the veterans with respect, even ten years after the war ended. He really tries to make his audience feel empathetic towards the soldiers who have been