John Henry

John Henry gave hope to the African American population because he beat the white man’s steam-powered drill in a race to see who could drill through the mountain faster. After he completed the tunnel and beat the white man’s drill, he died of exhaustion. He worked hard everyday to survive. John Henry went through a lot of hardship in his life, being prosecuted by whites, stuck in slavery, and also when digging a tunnel using only a hammer. The hardship John Henry went through showed in the ballad and it inspired others to be like him and to push through when times got a tough. The similarities between John Henry and both Nas’ songs, The Message and N.Y. State of Mind is all three talk about the hardships they have to or had to endure in their life. The hardships are different between Nas and John Henry, Nas is not a slave, but for Nas and many others in similar situations had to work hard everyday in order to see the following day. Nas talked about the life in the ghetto and the rough times that came with growing up there. Nas had to protect himself from other gangs when he lived in the city, he says in N.Y. State of Mind: “Try to cock it, it wouldn’t shoot now I’m in danger.” Some people look to Nas songs for inspiration and some even want to be like him because in today’s world it is cool to some to be gangsters. But though John Henry did not need a gun to protect him, he still had to hit pieces of steel with his hammer carefully because it could lead to his or others death if not taken seriously.