High School
Worksheets
Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Reading Comprehension for February 6
Ever since Bob Marley was first recognized for his reggae music in the 1960s, people have had widely different opinions about the Jamaican singer with the long dreadlocks. Many young people, and many more parents, had no interest in Bob Marley's music or his message because of his use of the illegal drug marijuana. People in his home parish of St. Ann, Jamaica, pointed out his association with street criminals. Others praised Marley as the first Jamaican musical superstar. His peace-keeping efforts gained him high praise both in Jamaica and internationally.
Bob Marley was born Nesta Robert Marley in 1945 to a black Jamaican mother and a white British father. Although his parents married, his father soon had little to do with the family. Nesta, who soon became better known as Bob, moved into Trenchtown, a shantytown near Kingston, with his family when he was a young teenager.
It was in Trenchtown that Bob Marley learned about music and the Rastafari movement, the two things that he would always be known for. Rastafari was a blend of religions that traced its origins to Ethiopia. One if its rules was that members were never to comb or cut their hair. Rastas were easily recognized by their long dreadlocks. They preached a message of hope, especially for the poorest people like Bob Marley and his neighbors in Trenchtown.
