13 - zeitgeist

Zeitgeist

Original Source:

"Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South American and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promise land of racial justice."

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]." Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014. <http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html>.

Definition*:

the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc.

*All definitions are from the source found in THIS post.

Second Source:

Troye Sivan wrote a song that collectively summarized the major pop culture events that took place in 2013. The word Zeitgeist is found in the title of the video he uploaded with his song, which can be found on YouTube.

The 2013 Song - Zeitgeist 2013 (A Musical Zeitgeist) | Troye Sivan

Sivan, Troye. "The 2013 Song - Zeitgeist 2013 (A Musical Zeitgeist) | Troye Sivan." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.

Commentary:
I found this word to be interesting on first look due to the fact that in is derived from a different language. Zeitgeist is a German word. King employs the word to compile the history of all people and their ability to gain and earn their freedom, in this case, the African Americans gaining their freedom to be who they are without being discriminated against. In the second source, found in the title of a song about the year 2013 is fitting because it complies all of the main pop culture events that occurred that year.