Although we may not always realize, rhetoric surrounds us every day. From the books and magazines that we read and the television we watch, to the music that we listen to, we are constantly being exposed to rhetorical texts and thoughts. The lyrics in music, which most everyone listens to every day, is probably the most common form of rhetoric to which we are exposed. Every song has a meaning, and many try to find an answer to a burning question. The song “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”, by U2, is a prime example of lyrics which are trying to convey the scary truths of war in order to find a solution to stop the bloodshed.
In the song, a single person is speaking out of his disgust with the world, particularly with the way it has turned a blind eye to the careless acts war and corruption, especially happening in Northern Ireland. During this time….(Insert about the history that coincides with the song).
The song begins, “I can’t believe the news today, Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away”. This statement tells that there has been horrific news, news so horrific that the speaker wishes that with the blink of his eyes it would be erased entirely from this earth, just disappear in that instant. The question is then laid before the listener directly after, “How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?” The “song” is referring to the desperate attempt to stop the violence. The question is asking, how long is it going to take? How many lives must be lost, before the world realizes the damages it is doing to innocent souls? Here, symbolism is used to represent the battle with the “song”. In the second verse of the song, imagery is used to visualize the poverty and desolate conditions resulting from the war; “Broken bottles at the children’s feet, Bodies strewn across the dead end streets”. (Figure of speech) along with imagery is used in the final line of the verse to accentuate the power that the war has culminated; “It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall”.
The music video of this song is a live performance, at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado. The performance is in the late evening, in an amphitheater with flames burning, surrounding the performance. There is a certain mist in the air. This sets the mood for the song as dreary with a need for intense urgency. There is a clear passion exemplified from the band, especially Bono, the lead singer, who makes his enthusiasm for the cause apparent. Bono also holds and waves a white flag throughout the performance, representing the need to surrender differences and war like actions. He also interacts with the crowd, inviting them to sing along. The performance is one not to be forgotten.
“Sunday, Bloody Sunday”, by U2, is a song regarding the need for people to live amongst one another and set aside any differences, peacefully. The song uses several different forms of figurative language to emphasize the realities of dispute and turbulent differences. “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” is a prime example of lyrics using rhetoric to convey the scary truths of war in order to find a solution to stop the bloodshed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1CCMqm1EBg
Lyrics:
Yes
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away
How long, how long must we sing this song?How long? How long?
'Cause tonight we can be as one, tonight
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end streets
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
'Cause tonight we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
And it's true we are immune when fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
The real battle just begun to claim the victory Jesus won on
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday
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Michael Jackson-Ghosts (for the shortened music video)
Or Michael Jackson Ghosts Full Version [1/4] then click on [2/4], [3/4], [4/4] for the rest.
This is the full version and explains more of it. (really long but very good)
Lyrics
There’s a ghost down in the hall
There’s a ghoul upon the bed
There’s something in the walls
There’s blood up on the stairs
And its floating through the room
And there’s nothing I can see
And I know that that’s the truth
Because now its onto me
I don’t understand it
Hey
I don’t understand it!
Aaow
There’s a tappin in the floor
There’s a creak behind the door
There’s a rocking in the chair
But there’s no-one sitting there
There’s a ghostly smell around
But nobody to be found
And a coughin and a yawnin
Where a restless soul is going
Don’t understand it
Hey!
Don’t understand it
Hey.
And who gave you the right to shake my family?
And who gave you the right to shake my baby, she needs me
And who gave you the right to shake my family tree?
You put a knife in my back
Shot an arrow in me!
Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy
The ghost of jealousy
There’s a tappin in the floor
There’s a creak behind the door
There’s a rocking in the chair
But nobody’s sitting there
There’s a ghostly smell around
But nobody to be found
And a coughin and a yawnin
Where a restless soul is going
Don’t understand it!
Yeah yeah!
Don’t understand it!
Your just a dog gone!
Aaow!
And who gave you the right to scare my family?
And who gave you the right to scare my baby, she needs me
And who gave you the right to shake my family tree?
And who gave you the right to take intrusion, to see me?
And who gave you the right to shake my family?
And who gave you the right to hurt my baby, she needs me
And who gave you the right to shake my family tree?
You put a knife in my back,
Shot an arrow in me!
Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy
A suckin ghost of jealousy
Aaow!
And who gave you the right to shake my family?
And who gave you the right to shake my baby, she needs me
And who gave you the right to shake my family tree?
And who gave you the right to take, intrusion to see me?
And who gave you the right to hurt my family?
And who gave you the right hurt my baby, she needs me
And who gave you the right to shake my family tree?
You put a knife in my back
Shot an arrow in me!
Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy
The ghost of jealousy
Aaow
Dog gone
But there’s no doubt about it, piece of mind
Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy
Essay draft #1
When things start to change in your life because of something you can’t control. The effects of what is happening are as plain as the nose on your face, but you don’t know what is causing them. In the song he talks about hearing and seeing things going on but nothing there to make it all happen. He constantly asks. “Who gave you the right to shake my family? Who gave you the right to shake my baby, she needs me.” But he knows that the thing he sees and hears is really there because it is coming onto him. He then asks “Are you the ghost of jealousy.” Jealousy is like a drug, once it settles in it is hard to overcome and it grows stronger causing emotional pain for yourself and most of the time others as well. The way he explains what it is going on puts you in his place and you can feel the kind of anger and frustration he feels. His words are strait and to the point affecting you deeply. The song makes me think of my past and how jealousy has harmed relationships and caused pain.
I believe that the way he is describing “the ghost of jealousy” as if others were making fun of him and label Michael as an outcast. The more the people picked and accused him of many things caused his immediate family to separate and be labeled as an outcast for being related. His problems then were taken further and it effected more than just his immediate family known as his “family tree”. It was never just one person that caused problems for Michael it was just anyone and everyone. I think that Michael is saying that everyone that outcast him did it because they were jealous of what he had.
The music video is actually segments of a much larger music video/ short film. In order to understand more of this particular song in the video you have to watch the beginning where it kind of explains what is going on. The song I chose is more of a part in the film where Michael releases a lot of anger. In the beginning a small mob of angry parent invite themselves into Michaels home when their kids are telling them to just leave him alone. They then threaten him to leave town because he is not like everyone else. Michael does not let them leave and lets them know he is not scared and plays tricks to frighten them back. He is telling the people how dare you tell me I am weird and don’t belong here and the things I am doing are not right. I have never hurt anyone or done anything wrong. You don’t know me but your kids do and they enjoy being around me. Don’t try and scare me by the threats or the accusations that you make. I will then give you a reason to be scared.
Michael introduces his family stating he is not alone in the house and out come ghost from the walls the stairs the chairs the floor just like in his song. I think the ghost are a symbol of how all the problems killed his family. Michael goes through many transformations from human to a skeleton a monster and he enters a mans body to freak him out. I think that he made the monster jump into the mans body making him do things he cant control then forming his face to make him look like a monster was to give him a taste of what its like do not be able to control what someone else is doing to you and how you feel to be the monster everyone is afraid of. It was meant to give them a taste of their own medicine.
I think that the ghost of jealousy is not really a ghost, it is the group of individuals that are causing problems for no reason so it must be because they are jealous. Michael Jackson didn’t understand why people were saying the things they did. He didn’t understand why what they were saying were effecting him and his family, tearing them apart. This video was a message to help people understand his frustrations and the destructions it has all caused. His imagination in this video is astonishing and the way he expresses it catches your attention making it hard to walk away.