Musical Analysis: U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
For my musical analysis I chose U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” having some familiarity with the Troubles from a previous class on British political history. The song title itself references the shooting of thirteen Irish civil protestors on Sunday, January 30, 1972, but the lyrics address the broader period of the Northern Irish Troubles.
I think what is most historically significant about a song depends from work to work, but in the case of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” I feel the authorship and context were most critical. The members of U2 were raised in the Republic of Ireland but the violence of the Troubles was not limited to the North. This firsthand experience makes the band a valid witness to the period and lends the song value as a historical account. As for context, U2 may have written in retrospect to Bloody Sunday but not to the greater Troubles – violence was still a very viable threat. The song assumed life as a protest to the sectarian conflict, banned in some countries as too volatile in content. In a sense, U2 became a part of the history of the Troubles when the band activated politically and initiated a call for peace between factions.
Songs acquire historical significance through different values – for U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” it was obtained through band members who claimed a stake in a current ethnic conflict and dared to speak out against violence.
Here are the lyrics, if anyone’s interested!
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)Just a little project update.
I still need to post on my musical analysis, but I thought this would be a good place to update on my project, just so I have a place to reference to!
I originally proposed a broad examination of Sino-Soviet relations during the 1950s and how the Odd Couple alliance brought Socialist Realism to Chinese propaganda posters. At Dr. Fernsebner’s suggestion, I’ve decided to focus the topic a little further – and looking through the primary sources, the posters, I may have found a direction to take.
In the posters the audience can witness the Big Brother-Little Brother relationship of the Soviet Union and China. The newly formed People’s Republic of China needed a Communist role model and Moscow was prepared to accept the role – the two nations signed the Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship in 1950. A critical feature of the alliance was the encouragement of economic development as China relied upon Soviet backing as it strove for financial stability. Here are a couple of representative images of Soviets during the 1950s:
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)Introductory post!
Hi all! Here’s my little introduction …
My name is Kerry – I’ve been at UMW for almost two years now, but I am actually a senior – just a community college transfer as well. History is my concentration – I secretly wish I could double major in historic preservation or art history, but since I’ll be going on to graduate school after this spring, I figure the point is moot! I hope to get my M.A. in library science, which is partly a reason for taking this course – the more familiarity with library resources, the better. I’m not planning on being a librarian, though, but an archivist, and that leads to my second reason for enrolling into this class: I’m working on my senior thesis this semester and the extra help on research strategies definitely couldn’t hurt.
Oh, and I did need the one credit to graduate. 
But I figured I’d save that for last!
Picture Analysis
Chairman Mao Inspectes the Guangdong Countryside
毛主席視察廣東農村 Mao Zhuxi shicha Guangdong nongcun
Chen Yanning 陳衍寧
1972, Beijing
http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/e… – the twelfth picture in the list.
Immediately our attention is arrested by the figure of Mao. The Communist leader dominates the foreground of the poster, creating the focal point of the painting. Where the vanishing point of the dirt path would draw, the Chairman is centered – all roads lead to Mao. Despite his anti-religion policies, Mao is portrayed as a figure of almost Christ-like proportions, a leader surrounded by his devoted disciples, emphasizing his role as the savior of China. As evidence of his relatability to the Chinese peasantry, Mao is dressed simply, clutching a farmer’s hat in his right hand.
The poster also identifies the primary momentum behind Mao’s revolution: the peasantry. Here are his foot-soldiers, their smiling and eager faces gazing enraptured towards their leader. Both men and women alike gather at Mao’s side, equal as comrades in the sight of Mao. No signs of dirt-spattered poverty are evident in this picturesque scene: the peasants are clean-faced and dressed in laundered clothes – clearly healthier and happier for Maoist policies. Several of the laborers, drawn closest to Mao, proudly sport red pins to indicate their Communistic devotion. In the distance, even more farmers race to greet their leader, surging forward through the waist-deep grass.
Turning to the image background, we observe an idyllic Chinese countryside, one which clearly has benefited from Maoist rural reform. The color palette is full of life, composed of a vibrant intensity: brilliant blue skies streaked with white clouds, set against lush green and golden grasses. Progress is not limited to the natural, though – tire treads mark the road beneath Mao and his followers, evidence of a society which blooms not only agriculturally, but industrially as well. In the distance further hints of civilization are discernable: brightly-colored buildings, and possibly power lines.
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comments (2)A little bit of film, a little bit of art
Alright, since I’ve been a bit sluggish on updating this blog, I thought I’d dive right into doing a little more research on the topics I posted … so far these two links have been helpful:
On wuxia film: http://www.wu-jing.org/News/M03/2003-01-…
On Chinese Socialist Realist art: http://chineseculture.about.com/od/artin…
It’s the latter link that interested me most, though. Through it and other sites I’ve been browsing, I’ve been learning about the influence the Soviet Union had on the early years of the PRC, a fact which Benson makes mention of in her book – the Chinese drew on the Soviets as a model, even into the cultural arena of artwork. When the Soviets and Chinese split in the late 1950s, the style of artwork was affected as well, assuming more traditional Chinese qualities. It would be interesting to trace the development of the style, limited to the 50s, which seems to be the strongest era of Soviet influence – or I may look at how the style changed pre-Soviet influence to after the split.
The New Woodcut movement was influential in developing the image of the new PRC, as well, and it might be helpful to include it in my research. Much of the woodcuts depicted Chinese peasantry, which was apparently a point of contention between the Soviets and the Chinese – the former disagreed with Mao’s dependence on the peasantry as revolutionary forces. I could include this in my research, if I continue examining how the Chinese artwork reflected and rebelled against Sino-Soviet relations.
Also, if anyone is looking for just a general site on artwork during the Maoist period, this might be interesting: http://www.asiasociety.org/chinarevo/
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)Possible paper topics!
Here are the two topics which I’ve been drawn to the most:
1. The rise of the wuxia genre in Chinese film since the 1980s and its popularity in both the East and West.
I’ll admit, I’m a fan of Hero and House of Flying Daggers (not so much Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to be honest) – I’m curious as to how this genre developed in Chinese film and how it’s come to appeal to Western audiences – and how is it regarded by the West versus the East?
2. The role of socialist realism in Chinese artwork during the early years of the People’s Republic of China.
One of my other great loves, outside of history, is art – particularly artwork with an obvious agenda. I’d love to examine how the CCP utilized artwork to promote their own policies or ideals – what did the subject matter and how it was depicted say about the Chinese government during the early 1950s and its policies?
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)A little introduction
Hey all,
My name is Kerry – I was born in New England, raised in Virginia, so a bit of a regional hybrid. I transferred to Mary Washington in 2007, fresh out of community college with delusions of studying English literature – within the first couple weeks of classes, though, I ended up declaring myself as a history major. I started my college career longing to be a librarian, then switched to a museum curator, and have settled (for now) on an archivist. This is my last semester at Mary Washington, if all goes according to plan, and in the fall I hope to start graduate school in pursuit of a Master’s in Library Science.
My real passion is English history of any flavor, particularly the Victorian and Edwardian eras. I realize, though, that the States doesn’t offer much in the way of archiving in English history, so I’ve been developing a more practical interest in World War II and the history of the CIA with the hopes of securing a government job in the future.
I know basically nothing about Chinese history but that isn’t to say I don’t have an interest – I’d love to see China as more than “that place with the rice and kung-fu movies.” I’ve never done much in cultural history but certain aspects – e.g., film, art, museums – definitely appeal to me.
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)