Analysis on Little Boxes

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one                 5
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses 
All went to the university,                                 10
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky             15
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,                         20
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business                          25
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,                   30
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

This is "Little Boxes" written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962. She talks about the conformity of life in her time. Everyone who goes to college and "university" will become successful like everyone else. They all become "the same" such that they will all live in houses that look different in the outside, but will have television sets and washing machines. Back in the 1960s, a lot of families owned electronic appliances.

It is commonly said that only rich people play golf. Also, she mentions the professions doctors, lawyers, and business executives; all very successful people. Therefore, Malvina is probably trying to say that all all the people who come out of college are successful and they raise families. In line 19, Malvina said that they all have pretty children; they as in the business executives and the successful people. 

As the song finishes up, Malvina said that the boys go into business and marry and raise a family, notice that she said boys. She may be saying that only boys were successful. Maybe that was her view of society. In the end, she emphasizes that "they all look just the same."  She has said this line many times. She might be saying that all the successful people will live similar lives and their children will follow in their footsteps.

On the Reservation

Reservations in the United States were set up for Native Americans a long while back. In the early days of the United States, much of the land to the west of the thirteen colonies was thought to be uninhabited. Though, as people moved to the West, they met tribes of Native American  and began to take over the Native American's land. The Native Americans were friendly at first but soon became hostile.

War between the Native Americans and Americans broke out and Native Americans lost. The war ended with Native Americans put on reservations and Americans took all their land. Native Americans were moved from reservation to reservation because of greed. Americans would occasionally find oil reserves or gold on the reservations and demand the Natives to be removed so that they can retrieve the minerals. Native Americans fought back but they lost anyways and are relocated in the end. After being relocated so many times, Native Americans soon ended up all over the United States.

Native Americans still live on reservations today, but there are some that moved into American cities. Native Americans on reservations still do what they used to do. They pass down their traditions to their children and this preserves their culture and traditions. Native Americans live on lands that are not even a quarter of what they used to own. What would life be like for them if European settlers never came to America?