For this activity I wanted to reflect on how cultural identity and social values can be expressed through music because I feel that a song says a lot about what a society thinks and feels that is why I chose Firework by Katy Perry a song that has always seemed very beautiful to me and that brings a strong message about believing in oneself and not giving up ideas that seem very connected to the way many people in the United States think although the activity asked for collaborative work I did it individually and even so I found it important to share what I think about how this song reflects certain values that are repeated in American culture personal freedom confidence in one’s own abilities and the belief that with effort and attitude one can move forward when I listen to the lyrics I feel that it uses direct and emotional language that quickly reaches people simple words that awaken encouragement and invite listeners to recognize their own value and precisely that simplicity in the vocabulary makes the message universal and easy to adopt for anyone who listens to it the song came out in 2010 at a time when many people were coming out of a difficult economic stage and I think that its message of hope and overcoming found resonance precisely because people needed something to remind them that they still have something valuable to give thus Firework not only works as a catchy song but also as a small cultural reminder that pushes toward action and resilience from my point of view the most visible values in the song are self-esteem perseverance and confidence in one’s own worth when she sings you just gotta ignite the light and let it shine she is encouraging everyone to let their inner light out instead of hiding it and that is something that emotionally moves those who listen to it in the music video that message is reinforced by showing people who feel different rejected or sad but who gradually accept and value themselves which makes me think that the song also talks about the need for recognition and opportunities for everyone an idea that in American culture is often presented as the possibility of moving forward if one has the will also according to Philip Riley 2007 language and culture are deeply related because the way a community speaks and creates metaphors reflects its way of seeing the world and in Firework the metaphors of light and explosion work as symbols of an optimistic mentality and individual drive on the other hand Vera Da Silva Sinha 2020 states that identity is built with the signs and meanings we share and I think music is one of those powerful signs that help to form a collective identity because it brings together emotions norms and expectations in something that can be sung and repeated for me this song became a clear example of how art transmits values many people say they listened to it in difficult moments and that it gave them strength to keep going and that shows the power of music to connect language feeling and social practice in American culture this connection is very present in songs movies and speeches that promote freedom personal effort and pride in one’s own story even so I think it is also important to see that this message has a critical reading the idea that everything depends on individual effort can make social factors that make people’s lives difficult invisible so interpreting Firework from a critical perspective helps to understand both the positive side of personal empowerment and the limitations of that vision if it is used without taking social context into account to finish I think Firework clearly shows how language and music can strengthen a cultural identity transmitting values of hope self-esteem and personal action and at the same time invites us to reflect on how these messages should be accompanied by actions and social conditions that allow more people to truly shine.