Your answer should be no more than 1800 words and should be written as an essay.
Guidance Notes
The question rather loosely talks about ‘1960s counterculture’ and in order to answer the question satisfactorily you will need to decide what you mean by both the ‘1960s’ as well as the term ‘counterculture’. Although you do not need to write much about either, this is an important starting point for your discussion.
Next, you will need to examine the lyrics to identify what Mitchell thought in 1971 about the period through which she had just lived. This will be quite a lengthy task as you read through the lyrics in detail, trying to uncover her meaning. There are several references to counterculture in these two songs, although they are not always spelled out in detail. You will need to isolate the various themes she addresses and then use those themes to structure your essay.
The question asks you to consider how the music reinforces the message of the lyrics. In order to understand how it does so it will be useful for you to listen to both songs several times. Note down the kind of style used in them and think about how you would describe it. You are not asked to use technical language, but you will notice qualities in the music that might be described, for example, by terms such as ‘slow’, ‘reflective’, ‘stop-go’.
When discussing the various topics Mitchell addresses make sure that you quote specific examples as evidence for your argument. It will also be helpful to consider using quotations from other material you have studied in order to show how Mitchell targets certain themes that others have identified as important elements of counterculture.
You will find relevant material in the following places
The precise dates that have been used to define ‘the 1960s’ are discussed in A113, Chapter 13, Section 3.
A discussion of ‘counterculture’ will be found in Chapter 14, Section 4.
Aspects of ‘counterculture’ as it affected music are discussed throughout Chapter 15, but Section 7 is devoted to the music of Joni Mitchell. The two songs that form the basis for this TMA are discussed very briefly in this section, but you can go much further. Nevertheless, Sections 7.2 and 7.3 will give you something of a head-start in showing you the sorts of themes you might address in your answer.
You may find relevant material elsewhere in the module. You can draw on resources outside the module too if you wish, but this is not expected and you can score highly without doing so. Be sure to cite all your sources properly, whether these are module materials or not.
Remember, in all your assignments for this module, you should acknowledge where you have made use of other people’s work (such as a chapter from one of the module books) in your answer.