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Davonda Holloway
ENG 111
Ms. Kyesha Jennings
7 November 2014
Researches have found that suicidal rates amongst the gay community is comparatively
higher than others in the general population. Homosexual teens and young adults have the
highest rate of suicide. Every year 1 million people commit suicide due to being bullied because
of their sexuality. On December 7, 2010, English recording artist, Marsha Ambrosius released a
single from her 2nd album "Late Nights and Early Mornings" entitled "Far Away." The single
was nominated for best R&B Song and Performance. Throughout both her song lyrics and
video, Marsha encourages individuals to respect homosexuals despite one's opinion.
Ambrosius initially wrote the song after a close friend committed suicide. Because some
homosexuals are in such a bad place in their lives, her motive is to prevent and help someone
from committing such an act. The video begins with Marsha being accompanied by her male
friend, walking in the park. " So sad to see you gone so soon, I know that you're not coming
back. In the beginning everything was cool, towards the end of it all its all bad." Being that the
lyrics in the beginning do not align with the actions in the video, this causes individuals to
remain indulged.
Typically, when one thinks of a couple, individuals assume it includes a male and a
female. In the video Marsha and her friend looks like a typical couple enjoying a day in the park.
As they are walking, they see many individuals in the community. Being that nothing looks out
of the ordinary, everyone begins to engage and converse with the two. A group of guys wave, a

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women speaks, and children embraced them. This scene portrays the abundance of respect
you receive when you are following the aspects that society has deemed normal.
As the video progresses Ambrosius opens the door at her home for her male friend. As
he enters, he greets her by hugging and kissing her on her cheek. As time progresses they each
share a glass of champagne and prepare dinner. All of a sudden they are interrupted by an
African American male . As he walks in, he hugs Ambrosius and then hugs and kisses her male
friend. After welcoming one another, they enjoy the rest of their night by drinking champagne
and conversing. This scene shows that Marsha accepts the gay community and doesn't treat them
any less then human.
When society has deemed something as normal, anything beyond that is not accepted.
For example, while Ambrosius and his partner went for a walk in the park, they noticed an
African American family. As the couple attempted to approach the family, the mother
immediately seized her children away from them. This scene depicts discrimination as a learned
behavior, not an instinct. As they continued to walk, he notices his friends congregating on the
sidewalk. As he went to speak, they immediately began ignoring him. . Because he had a male
partner, he was now deemed as different. Generally when individuals notice that others aren't
accepting of situations, it is automatically agreeable. For example his friends continued to
indulge with one another rather than one of them attempting to converse with him.
There is an obvious connection between this narrative video and the song lyrics. For
example, the lyrics of the song, " I knew that something was wrong babe." The moment she
sung those lyrics, her friend's eyes immediately began to fill with fear. At an instant, he began to
get attacked by the same individuals he considered as friends . Although Ambrosius wasn't
present when the event took place, her instincts informed her concerning a dispute.

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As the video ends, it shows the devastating phone call Ambriious received . Her close
friend had committed suicide due to society not accepting his lifestyle. The video exhibits, him
laying on the couch with an empty pill body in one hand and his phone in the other.
Unfortunately, he was unable to deal with the harsh comments and disrespectful acts. On the
table was a suicidal letter, it read, " We live in a vicious world filled with vicious people.
Ultimately, ." Ambrrious used this letter to describe how disapproving and rude individuals in
society can be.
Through this video Marsha Ambrious portrays the controversial issues of homosexuality.
She revealed the many different feelings individuals portray while dealing with bullying and
disrespect from other s. There are many reasons bullies target certain people, which is why
individuals should began to take action There are several ways that bullying can take place
including verbal, physical and indirect bullying. Physically being bullied usually entails some
sort of physical assault or attack, or can also include having one's personal property destroyed or
stolen. Verbal bullying arises from name calling that may be done because of a person's gender,
sexual orientation, minority status, race, religious, etc. Indirect bullying is one of the most
common types of bullying is the type of bullying that many people may do without even
realizing it. Indirect bullying includes spreading stories behind his or her back as well as
exclusion from social groups. Unfortunately, Ambrosius' friend experienced each type of
bullying from many different individuals. When it comes to bully prevention, it is important to
remember that gay bullying statistics will never decrease if action isn't taken. It is why
important for teens to report incidents they are victims of, or even if they witness a bullying
event take place. "It's time we become more aware in this world. Take responsibility to make a
difference."

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Works Cited
Far Away. Youtube,6 Jan 2011. Web 7 November 2014.