If I were able to snatch Roger Williams’ iPod today, I feel like he would have an amazing playlist. One of his top songs would be “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour. I could see him listening to this song getting fired up, possibly when writing something similar to his work, “The Bloody Tenet of Persecution” in which he writes about his views on religion. In Williams writings it is clear that he believes in the freedom of worship,“The Bloody tenet of Persecution” he writes, “is the will and command of God that, since the coming of His Son, the Lord Jesus, a permission of the most Paganish, Jewish, Turkish or anti-Christian consciences and worship be granted to all men, in all nations and countries” (Williams).  This is his way of telling his society that he is against the idea of uniformity in religion, and that society has no right in deciding what one should believe in. This is exactly why he would enjoy “Cult of Personality.” The song is about the idea that any person giving up their beliefs to follow in anothers' or an organizations’ ideals is dangerous, not only to themselves but to the society as a whole. "Cult of Personality"  is about just that and how when everyone buys into one idea it ruins the society and its diversity. It is a bold song sending a direct statement to its listeners just as Williams did with his writings; a set of the song’s lyrics go, “A leader speaks/that leader dies/you don’t have to follow me/only you can set you free”(ll.25-27). This is like the message that Williams tried so hard to get across to his society about religion and that just because a person of power in a society, such as Winthrop, says something that they believe in, it does not mean everyone else must also believe it to be true, for only you can decide what it is you really believe in.  

Another song that would be found on Williams iPod would be Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down.” I feel as though this would be on his playlist because the tone of the song is calm, yet it still has a strong message of standing up for what you believe in. I think that this was a tactic of Williams at time such as in his, “A Letter to the Town of Providence” where he states his strong opinions but not quite as boldly as in “The Bloody Tenet of Persecution”. Instead in the letter Williams used a metaphor of a ship and its passengers to represent his point, writing, “There goes many a Ship to Sea, with many a Hundred Souls in one Ship, whose Weal and Woe is common” and “all the Liberty of Conscience that ever I pleaded for, turns upon these two Hinges, that none of the Papists, Protestants, Jews, or Turks, be forced to come to the Ships Prayers or Worship; nor, secondly, compelled from their own particular Prayers or Worship, if they practice any” (Williams).  Williams letter also goes along with the idea that, “all are equal in CHRIST, therefore no Masters, nor Officers, no Laws, nor Orders, no Corrections nor Punishments” (Williams). “Where Williams was fighting for people of all religions to be treated equally, because whether they did not believe in his god, they are still god's children and should not be treated differently because of this” (Wester, Williams: “A Letter to the Town Providence”). In the end Williams was enevitably fighting for separation of the church and state, so both of these songs represent people looking to stand up against the flaws of society and stand their ground.

The second iPod that I would love to get my hands on would be that of Caroline Kirkland. I imagine that “Society” by Eddie Vedder would be on her recently played list. Kirkland would find this song relatable of her own experience as well as having a connection to her writings. In “A New Home – Who’ll Follow” Kirkland writes about society’s social and conventional issues. This is portrayed in her story when she writes, “Who-ever comes into Michigan with nothing, will be sure to better his condition; but wo to him that brings with him any thing like an appearance of abundance, whether of money or mere household conveniences. To have them, and not be willing to share them in some sort with the whole community, is an unpardonable crime” (Kirkland 114). This statement works well with Kirkland’s ideas in “A New Home – Who’ll Follow” and the song “Society” where Vedder sings, “there's those thinking more or less/less is more but if less is more/how you're keeping score?/Means for every point you make your level drops” (ll. 21-24). In Kirkland's story she uses a humorous approach to pointing out the flaws in the community and its conventions’ where as this song is more straightforward but brings a bit of humor with its line, “Society, you’re a crazy breed” (l. 8) which seems to embody Kirkland’s idea of bring up a real issue but lessening the offense with comical relief, which is also played upon by her wonderful usage of imagery.

Kirkland’s “A New Home – Who’ll Follow” is full of imagery which gives her readers a “sensory experience” (The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms) while reading her story. This is why I feel “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles would be on her iPod list. This song uses imagery throughout its lyrics as Kirkland does in her writing. Kirkland and The Beatles both have a common gift of creating another ‘realm’ in which their audiences can experience their work on a whole other level. “Kirkland’s writing illustrates the concept of social realism by her unique and thorough descriptions of Mrs.  Polly Doubleday” (Wick, Kirkland). For example Kirkland describes Mrs. Doubleday’s physical characteristics, “the sharpest eyes, the sharpest nose, the sharpest tongue, the sharpest elbows, and above all, the sharpest voice that ever "penetrated the interior" of Michigan” as well as her actual character “She is possessed with a neat devil; I have known many such cases” (Kirkland 117). Within these few lines her readers feel as though they know ‘Mrs. Doubleday’ or have a mental image of what she is like; which is how a listener of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” feels right away about Lucy and her “kaleidoscope eyes” (l. 4) There is a wonderful new level that romanticism brings to a reader and Kirkland does just that.
 
Overall I feel as though both Williams and Kirkland could have enjoyed each other’s company and taste in music. Even though neither wrote of the same issues or in the same style; they do have the common thread of standing up for equal rights in a society which had flaws and wished to point out those flaws through their writing. Both were leaders in their own way making statements to their society’s of the time, and standing up for what they felt was right. Kirkland could most definitely enjoy Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” and the idea of standing up for what you believe in, such as having reactions to society whether it pleased the society as a whole or not. As well Williams could enjoy “Society” just as much and I am sure he would have related to the fact that society is a “crazy breed” (l. 8).