The Last Resort
Eagles
Hotel
(Don Henley/Glenn Frey)
This song presents a musical critique of
In a more general sense this song serves as a
warning to listeners about the dangers and consequences of unchecked urban
development and the importance of ecology and conservation today. Don Henley
explained in a 1987 interview, "The Last Resort, on Hotel
California, is still one of my favorite songs... That's because I care more
about the environment than about writing songs about drugs or love affairs or
excesses of any kind. The gist of the song was that when we find something
good, we destroy it by our presence - by the very fact that man is the only
animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment. The environment
is the reason I got into politics: to try to do something about what I saw as
the complete destruction of most of the resources that we have left. We have
mortgaged our future for gain and greed."
In 1992, the group Rage Against The Machine
released the song Freedom to raise awareness about Native American
Activist, Leonard Peltier who was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for
the deaths of two FBI agents who died during a 1975 shoot-out on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation. Since the trial, questions have been raised regarding
prosecution misconduct ( fabricated evidence, falsified testimony ) that
resulted in a "denial of justice and due process." Numerous
individuals and organizations have made statements of support and written
letters requesting a new trial and/or executive clemency including; The Dalai
Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Robert Redford, Sister Helen Prejean, Nelson
Mandela, Harry Belafonte, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Mother Teresa, and Coretta
Scott King.
Former Rage Against The Machine member Zack
de la Rocha discussed Peltier and the tragic legacy of U.S government policies
toward indigenous peoples in a 1995 Rolling Stone article, "I
believe in this band's ability to bridge the gap between entertainment and
activism... Leonard Peltier is a political prisoner...but he's much more than
that. He symbolizes the continuance of the
Reference(s):
Interview by: Mikal Gilmore "Don
Henley," Rolling Stone's 20th Anniversary Issue (Issue 512; Nov.
5/Dec. 10, 1987)
"Walden, Thoreau and the
Environment" The Walden Woods
Project
"Freedom Video", 1995
Rolling Stone interview/article. Rage
Against the Machine Articles/Interviews.
The Case of Leonard Peltier / Native
American Political Prisoner FreePeltier.org
Music
and Lyric Resources:
Rage Against
The Machine - Official Site
the
pretty incomplete RATM site
Referenced
and Related Works:
"Manifest Destiny" ( images and quotes )
Winfield Scott's Address to the Cherokee Nation
Emma Lazarus', "The New Collosus" / The Three Tenor's, "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears"
Rudyard Kipling's, "White Man's Burden"
“Fire on the Mountain” Constructed Response Activity
“Indian Reservation” Constructed Response Activity
“The Last
Resort” Constructed Response Activity(s)
“Darkness ( Of Greed )” Constructed Response Activity
Lewis and Clark /
“Standing Outside The Fire” Essay Writing Activity
The
Buffalo Trust ( external page )
Samuel's Memory (
external page )
Quotations
- Trail of Tears ( external page )
Cherokees History -
Quotations ( external page )
Quotes
on Wilderness ( external page )
Walden
Woods Project ( external page)
Leonard Peltier Statements of
Support (external page)
PBS - THE WEST (
external page )
YouTube – “The
Last Resort” (external page)
YouTube
– “Freedom”
(external page)
YouTube –
“Freedom Live” (external
page)