BILLY JOELThe Down-Easter Alexa

Corey Morgan, Brian Reis, Ben Ferrantella, Wilkelson Gedeon

IntroductionIn this presentation we wish to familiarize

you with “The Down Easter Alexa,” a song sung by Billy Joel. We choose this song because we thought it successfully portrays what we have learned about working so far in this course by connecting it with text and vocabulary we have learned.

Annotations Right from the beginning of the song we learn about

the fisherman's passion for fishing and love of the water. We learn he has a boat he calls Alexa.

We understand the fisherman is hardworking. His job affects others because he needs to provide for his wife and children

He is not very wealthy, he has bills to pay and a fishing boat to maintain. He is willing to still work hard.

He is living the American Dream by selling his home just so he could own his fishing boat.

He sacrafices his house for his job, family and community.

-Continued annotationsHe was a bay man like his father was in the

past. It is important for him to carry on the tradition.

The man is trying to live the American Dream as a fishermen.

Being a fisherman is the only thing he knows and loves to do.

Lyrics- by Billy JoelWell I'm on the Downeaster "Alexa"

And I'm cruising through Block Island Sound, I have charted a course to the Vineyard

But tonight I am Nantucket bound.

We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday Left this morning from the bell in Gardiners Bay,

Like all the locals here I had to sell my home Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone.

So I could own my Downeaster "Alexa" And I go where the ocean is deep

There are giants out there in the canyon And a good captain can't fall asleep.

Lyrics ContinuedI got bills to pay and children who need clothes

I know there's fish out there but God only knows, They say these waters aren't what they used to be But I got people back on land who count on me.

So if you see my Downeaster "Alexa" And if you work with the rod and the reel,

Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis And I still have my hands on the wheel.

Now I drive my Downeaster "Alexa" More and more miles from shore every year

Since they told me I can't sell no stripers And there's no luck in sword fishing here.

I was a bayman like my father was before Can't make a living as a bayman anymore,

There ain't much future for a man who works the sea But there ain't no island left for islanders like me.

The American Dream–noun 1. the ideals of freedom, equality, and

opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.

The fisherman is living the American Dream because he is doing what makes him happy. He is able to make a living based on what he loves doing most, fish.Although the man is faced with many challenges he continues fishing for a living and recognized he has to work harder.

The Fisherman and Assembly Line•In Assembly Line, the basket maker knows that he can make enough money to live a luxurious life, but he tends to his farm and lives a very independent, hardworking lifestyle. He believes in putting his heart and soul into each basket.•In the Downeaster Alexa, the fisherman sacrifices his time with his wife and kids to fish on his boat. Both men make sacrifices to do what they love most in their lives.

Balance And SacrificeThe man in “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” is forced to make many sacrifices for his job. -Sells his house in order to have enough money for his boat ‘Alexa’.-Looses time with his family because forced to work long hours.-Constantly on the water in order to support his wife and children.

Body This song talks about the journeys of

the fisherman. It begins with him reminiscing on all the places he once fished. “I have charted a course to the vineyard, but tonight I am Nantucket bound.”(Joel)

“Like all the locals here I've had to sell my home. Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone…” The man has had to make many sacrifices for his work. When he realizes he is not making enough to support his family, he begins to work that much harder.

The fisherman then sings how he wishes to one day own his boat ‘Alexa’ to travel to new places, to continue his journey.

-Continued BodyThe song continues with: “They say these water aren’t what they used to be, but I got people back on land who count on me…” The fisherman is finding it hard to make a living fishing since it has become hard to find fish and he still has his wife and children to take care of.

“Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis, and I still have my hands on the wheel.” The fisherman refuses to give up on his love for fishing. The fishing community he once knew has disappeared and it is no longer a profitable job.

-Continued Body• “I was a bayman like my father

was before, can't make a living as a bayman anymore. There ain't much future for a man who works the sea, but there ain't no island left for islanders like me…”

• The fisherman knows that he can’t make a life being a fisherman like he was before, but he doesn’t know what else to do because it is the only thing he knows how to do. However, he never gives up his passion to live as a fisherman.

ConclusionIn conclusion, we believe this song can be a

rule of thumb when it comes to working. The fisherman is in a profession that he loves and is able to do everyday. He is hardworking and dedicated about fishing. He is very appreciative for what he has: his ‘Alexa’ and his family.

Work Cited“American dream." The American Heritage® New

Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 18 Mar. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/american dream>.