Anglais: seat and form of power

SEATS AND FORMS OF POWER

Introduction

I’m going to talk about the notion of seats and forms of power. First of all I would like to give a definition of power. Power is the ability to control others and to make things happen despite obstacles, resistance, or opposition. It can be exerted by many ways, non violent or violent, by a persons, groups or governments. This, of course, leads to conflicts between those who have power and those who don’t, that we can call “counter power”. In relation to the notion, the topic of my presentation would be the power of art. Because I think today, we live in a society who is inevitably influenced by arts with: painting, photography, literature, movies… so we may wonder : How can art contribute to denounce the violence ? In order to illustrate the notion, I have chosen 2 documents: “Zombie” by The Cramberries in 1994 and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 in 1982

Both songs were written following the conflict in Northern Irland called “the troubles” between the Irish Republican Army and Ulster Volunteer Force. The conflict began in the 1960’s and lasted 30 years, and this period was particularly violent to people there, because of the attacks, demonstrations.. “Zombie” by Cramberries was written after the attack in Warrington in England that killed two children and it’s a call for peace with the chorus: "What's in your head, Zombie ..." The persons referred are the arms manufacturers, but also those who use them: "They are fighting with their tanks and their bombs and their bombs, and their guns" But the word zombie may also apply to people who have lived like zombies in fear (attacks, bombs ...), and thus no longer living like "normal" people. It’s a metaphor. And it denounces violence which is very present with the lexical fields of it and the verbs in be+ing .

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was written after the death of peaceful protesters, killed by the British Army in Derry in 1972 they also claim peace, and denounces violence too, with the themes of violence, anger and sadness, the important drums represent the army motivation. And in the 3rd verse, they denounce the media that normalize violence in everyday life, and making it difficult discernment between fiction and reality, making violence to the point that it no longer shocks

Conclusion

Both songs show the commitment of the artists face to the problem, and uses music to express what they feel through their freedom of Art Expression. Art does not show people what to do, but engaging with a good work of art can connect you to your senses, and mind. It can make the world to think, engage, and even action. And finally songs are moral to all those people who make war, like to tell them that they will remember for life of all the deaths they have caused.

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