Real Life Situation: January 10, 2016 - David Bowie (aka Ziggy Stardust) died from liver cancer at the age
of 69. Who is it about? David Bowie was an English rock star known for dramatic musical
transformations. He was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. A post on his Facebook
page read: “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month
battle with cancer." Legacy: Bowie left behind an impressive musical legacy, which included 26 albums.
His producer and friend Tony Visconti wrote on Facebook that his last record, Blackstar, was "his parting
gift. The RLS can be linked in the TOK course in the Area of Knowledge: the Arts, since Bowie is an artist
So out of the RLS the Topic Extraction: Legacy’s after death
Knowledge Question: To what extent does the tragedy of an artist or leader’s death influence an
individual’s social and cultural perspective on their legacy?
Deconstruction: KQ: So the questions imply that > Death of an artist or authoritative figure > changes
perspective > leaves them a legacy. The change of perspective focuses in the social and cultural sense I
will answer to what extent it does that
Key terms: History: the study of past events Arts: the study of expression or application of
creative skills and imagination that have the possibility to be produced in different forms such
as paintings, dance, film, literature or music Human Sciences: the study that focuses on human
beings, such as psychology or economics. Emotion: a strong feeling, such as joy or anger
Development 1
Claim: Death of an artist or an authoritative figure
triggers emotions like grief that influences individual’s
perspective that causes the individual to feel empathy
towards the deceased
Example: David Bowie
Explanation: Due to Emotions, since his death triggered
emotions of grief for his fans, which lead to memorials and
tributes and sales in his art. Impacts of his death: Tributes
for him His work’s sales increases Domino effect: making
him more famous, leaving a well-known legacy behind
Evidence is found in Social Media, news, celebrities response,
sales numbers. Ex: Memorial Concert Planned for Carnegie Hall,
Lady Gaga paid tribute at the Grammys. Economic side: Since the
death of the artist, the sales of his final album, Blackstar, have
skyrocketed. On January 11, 2016 - Blackstar sold 64,000 copies —
an increase of 893% compared to its first three days of release,
according to Nielsen Music. So far, Blackstar has sold more than
120,000 copies since the day of release. It's on track to become
Bowie's first No. 1 album in the USA. In addition to album spikes,
Bowie's digital song sales also surged since his death.
Best-sellers this week include Space Oddity (36,000 downloads),
Under Pressure (31,000), Let's Dance (27,000), Changes (21,000),
Fame (19,000) and Heroes (18,000). Additionally, radio airplay of
Bowie's music jumped 1,134% from Sunday to Monday (400 spins
to 5,000). I personally didn’t know who David Bowie was until he
died.
Counterclaim: Death of an artist or an authoritative figure
doesn’t always trigger emotions that changes an individual’s
perspective to feel empathy towards the deceased
Example Adolf Hitle, Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born
German politician who was the leader of the Nazi
Party (NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to
1945, and Führer of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945.
He was effectively dictator of Nazi Germany, and was
a central figure of World War II in Europe and the
Holocaust. He was an authoritative figure.
Explanation: His death had the after effect that his
country rejected him as a hero
Evidence: Germany’s perspective before his death:
Love and worship, seem as a hero Germany’s
perspective after his death: Rejected him as a hero
Rebut: His death still trigger emotion
that changed an individual’s perspective
on him and ultimately his legacy
Development 2
Claim: The death of an artist or
authoritative figure causes
cultural and social movements.
Once they are dead, their death
influences people’s perspective on
an issue people and they start
movements. Their death gives
them a legacy.
Example: Vincent van Gogh. Vincent Willem
van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist
painter whose work had far-reaching
influence on 20th-century art.
Explanation: Before his death: Unknown
artist, Sold one or two painting when he was
alive, His art not worth a lot, Not appreciated.
After his death: Lead the post-impressionist
movement, Now has paintings worth millions
Evidence:Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers - $74.5 Milion
Counterclaim: The death
of any individual can
impact a change in an
individual’s perspective on
a cultural and social issue.
Example: Alan Kurdi, Alan Kurdi was a
three-year-old Syrian boy of Kurdish
ethnic background whose image
made global headlines after he
drowned on 2 September 2015 in the
Mediterranean Sea, as part of the
Syrian refugee crisis.
Explanation: It changed the perspective view on the refugee crisis, it was a wake up
call for the European countries. His death symbolizes the tragedy of the refugee
crisis in Europe. The picture inspired countries to be compassionate and open their
borders. He risked his life just to receive safety in Europe.
Evidence:Prayer events and moments of silence were held by various organisations
including those held by NGOs. President of Defend International "called on the
international community to share equitably the responsibility for protecting, assisting
and hosting refugees in accordance with principles of international solidarity and
human rights"
Rebut: Once the boy died, he
became a symbolic
authoritative figure on the
refugee crisis
Connection of KQ and
Developments
Conclusion: Topic: Legacy after death KQ: To
what extent does the death of an artist or an
authoritative figure influences an individual’s
social and cultural perspective of their legacy?
Death > changes perspective > leaves them a
legacy Death of an artist or an authoritative
figure triggers emotions that influences
individual’s cultural and social perspective
towards the deceased, which ultimately impacts
their legacy The death of an artist or
authoritative figure causes cultural and social
movements. Their deaths have impact on types
of movements, which ultimately impacts their
legacy. What do we as a society do to the legacy?
They become history
Link to RLS: David Bowie’s death triggered emotions of nostalgia which
influenced people’s perspective on his legacy Social and cultural impacts:
Tributes, Sales increased, He became more famous. Personal Connection: I
didn't know who David Bowie was until he died
Introduction: The presentation will goes as following: I will present the RLS. From the RLS I have
extracted a topic to which I have developed a KQ. I will explain the KQ and define important key terms
related to the topic. I will than answer the KQ in two parts, development 1 and 2. Each part has a claim,
counterclaim and rebut. And in the end I will have the conclusion, summarizing the points and link it
back to the RLS.