The Eyes of Texas Essay Example

In the University Lecture, “Change the Ways the Eyes See: The Eyes of Texas as a Metaphor for History, Memory, and Meaning,” with Richard J Reddick, I got the honor to listen in on the research behind The Eyes of Texas song. Dr. Reddick has extensive experience under his belt, including his expertise in The Eyes of Texas research. He holds the position of co-chair for Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity at The University of Texas. The lecture was to inform the audience about the song rather than to convince or persuade opinions. This research was not to determine whether it would remain the song. In The Eyes of Texas and the history of baseball, cultural significance is shown throughout history and reveals how they represent today.  

In this lecture, I learned about the process, results, and takeaways of the research behind The Eyes of Texas song. The Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity team reached outside the council to look at different thoughts and experiences. Including over 200 interviews with various members of the Longhorn nation and outside experts on art and ethnomusicology. Their mission was to examine the origins and history of the song, its uses at the institution and student alum, the popular culture, and how to educate the community. This process was strenuous due to the different opinions and experiences of so many. I learned how The Eyes of Texas was brought to represent The University of Texas in 1903. The cultural significance of the song is why we celebrate it as a school. It was created as a parody by students for the president. Later, it was used for various protests on and off campus including, academic freedom, suffrage, and workers' rights. It represents a declaration of overcoming the negative barriers of history and how it was incorporated to fight for rights. The significance of this research was to determine what we do next to educate our community. Building the community is a crucial factor and it starts with having difficult conversations rather than staying silent. The significance of these events depicts the importance of the song culturally. It helps celebrate the meaning behind our school song and the growth we have made as a community and what additionally needs to be done to improve inclusion. These conversations will spread knowledge and help come together as a community.  

Cultural significance is thematically shown in the history of baseball and The Eyes of Texas song. As I listened to the lecture by Dr. Reddick, I connected what he was saying to what I have learned in America Through Baseball. The history behind baseball and The Eyes of Texas song are upsetting and disappointing. Although, we use it to learn from and to create changes to form a better community. In baseball, we saw how the MLB was segregated and the process it took to evolve to an inclusive league. Gerald stated, “It is an important fact to note about professional baseball that virtually every significant league that came along to threaten the Major Leagues was, at first, fought against, then integrated into the Major League structure” (1). The history in baseball shows the difficulties that were endured to get to the Major League Baseball structure, we have today. We use this history to understand what minorities went through and use this information to continue to create inclusiveness. The cultural significance of these events assists the process of achieving inclusion. We use this history to educate the community about what happened in the past. We understand the changes we need to make from what we learn. In the research about The Eyes of Texas, we learned how the song was used to protest and support students. The history behind baseball and the song shows the strength it took to fight for a better community. The cultural significance of these two events has changed how our world is structured. It is used to inform the community and make it inclusive to all.