Bono: A Presentation

*Created and Presented in Fall 2016 in COMM101: Pop Culture, Mass Media, and Religion at Milligan College in Johnson City, TN by Cynthia Armstrong*

This is BONO. 

Paul Hewson was born in May 1960 in Dublin, Ireland to a Catholic Father and Protestant Mother. 

This is quite significant because at that time Ireland was a highly divided country. It is, by all means, a political divide, however it also runs parallel to a religious divide. The majority of Catholics are Nationalists, meaning they want Ireland to be a whole country again; while the majority of Protestants are Loyalists, who wish to remain with the United Kingdom. 

His parents marriage, and the various schools that he attended showed a young Paul that compromise and balance is achievable.

There are some before and after shots on the slide (above) to show these five people who have been together for over 40 years, that is quite commendable. 

So these four young men (above) in the early 1980's are balancing faith and music... what do they want to do with that? 

U2 has had a long career in the music industry, from their first international release in 1980 to their ongoing world tour of 2017. The lyrics have always held a certain level of social awareness and christian principles. All of the lyrics are, without question, personal to the band.

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(short clips of the following music videos were shown in the presentation to emphasize certain lyrics)

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1981 - the song Gloria from the Album October features Latin phrases with Catholic influences and biblical references to Psalm 30, Cols 2, and James 5. 

1983 -  song Sunday Bloody Sunday from the Album War references the 1972 Easter Massacre in Ireland when British soldiers shot at 26 unarmed civilians during a peaceful protest. 14 people died. Bono and the other band members would have been 12 / pre-teens when this happened. The song is often mistaken to be a song written in rebellion to British rule, however, it was not intended as such, and Bono is often heard opening the song by stating "This song is NOT a rebel song..."

Some songs were simply just fun little songs, but they remain deeply personal. When Bono was busy in the studio and forgot his wife's birthday, he wrote The Sweetest Thing as an apology to her. It was released in 1998 and as a present to her, all of the profits from this song go straight to her favorite charity... The Chernobyl Children's Project. 

1984 the song Pride (In the Name of Love) is written about Martin Luther King, Jr. but features lyrics that are clearly in reference to Jesus Christ and the kiss from Judas, his betrayer.

So by 1984, U2 has proven to the world that they have lasting power AND that they have a social conscience. So they were invited to be a part of the BAND AID project. 

1984 - Do They Know It's Christmastime - Band Aid, Feed The World project

1985 was a significant year for the Hewsons. Following Live Aid they traveled to Ethiopia and other countries where they assisted and witnessed the lives of the children there first hand.  They were moved and decided to take action.  Over the last 30 years they have created charities that have helped the world. 

In a Nutshell: 

ONE Advocacy Organization that lobbies for Anti-Poverty Policies 

(RED) - Major companies can fund grants to countries who wish to offer aid to their citizens

EDUN - a fashion company that utilizes sources from Africa and other poverty stricken countries to help boost their economies

Search for "Bono" on TED Talks for fascinating information on the above charities and the amazing impact they have had over the last 30 years. 

*Debt relief must be matched with wise investments.*

They are obviously great humanitarians.  So let's get back to the music career... by 1987 U2 had released The Joshua Tree which is one of the best albums in their history and in the history of rock and roll. 

The lyrics continue to have nods to christian belief... 

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is one of their most famous songs and it is one that they consider to be a gospel song, according to The Edge (as stated in the following video).  In the Rockumentary Rattle & Hum, they had the chance to present it as such. 

So Which way is Paul Hewson running? 

If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... then the proof is in the pudding... and all those other cliches.  Let's see what his children are up to.

Jordan Hewson, his eldest child, is the Activist. 

Releases Speakable , a tech company that finds articles and news of charities and allows the websites to include this button at the bottom of the page which will take the reader directly to the charities website.  

Eve Hewson, the second child, and second daughter, is the Performer/Actress. 

Interviewers often note that she is quite down-to-earth considering that her father is a "Rock-God"... She answers: 

His two sons, the youngest of his four children pictured here, are not in the news (yet) but are often found on tour with Dad or at a charitable event with Mom... that is when they aren't in school. 

So what has Bono been up to for these last few years? 

Back in 2002 he submitted a testimonial to The Message website giving thanks to Eugene Peterson for his translation of the Bible. This led to a friendship between the two. In 2016, David Taylor sat down with Bono and Eugene to discuss their love of the Psalms. 

{presentation included small clips from the following video:  at 10:17,  at 13:07, and 17:04}

https://youtu.be/-l40S5e90KY

Glamour Magazine recently announced their 2016 Women of the Year, and for the first time in history, they included a man... Bono. 

My closing slide is a song that U2 often closes their shows with on tour. It was written 40 years ago, by these folks who have been together all that time, and it is inspired by Psalm 40. 

The song is called "40" (A Song for Thanksgiving). 

-End Presentation-

For more details, see my post of my research paper.  Thanks!

Deceit or No Deceit- That is the Question

 ”Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,

 Men were deceivers ever,

 One foot in sea and one on shore,

 To one thing constant never.” (II.iii.4)

The art of deception plays a significant role in stories and works of literature throughout history. Deception is especially evident in William Shakespeare’s plays Othello and Much Ado About Nothing. The former play is a tragedy while the latter is considered a comedy. Do not be deceived by the title of comedy though, both of these plays are extravagantly filled with trickery, slander, and lies.  The idea that people, events, and things in our world are often not what they seem is at the very heart of many of Shakespeare’s plays, “[t]hus the hyperbole of tragedy stands at the opposite end of a tonal scale from the hyperbole of comedy” (Mack, 156)

Every good story has a protagonist and an antagonist- a hero and a villain. These oppositional characters are often referred to as foil characters because they reflect the extremes of the other. In Othello, the hero is the man for which the play is named… Othello. While his “foil” character is Iago. Iago manipulates the mind of Othello by taking advantage of his insecurities. Othello is a great leader, though he is not as educated or well-bred as the beautiful Desdemona, his wife. Because Iago understands people and the psychology of the mind, he uses this knowledge to his advantage. Throughout the play, Iago plants seeds in Othello’s mind, convincing him slowly that the desirable Desdemona has been unfaithful to him, with his lieutenant Cassio. Similarly, in Much Ado About Nothing, the antagonist Don John manages to convince Claudio that the lovely and beautiful Hero is not as innocent or virtuous as he believes her to be. These lies of infidelity are slanderous at best. It seems as though Iago and Don John are motivated by their envy to bring destruction to Othello and Claudio.  

This heavy theme of deception takes a tragic turn in Othello, which begins in the city of Venice, where there is control and order.  It is taken shortly thereafter to Cyprus, where there is a war being fought, less people to surround Othello, and less stability in the structure of his council which eventually leads to Othello’s downfall and the death of four people within two marriages. In contrast, the play Much Ado About Nothing is set in Messina, Sicily, after the success of a war. This story takes place in a home with the stable council of family and patriarchal dominance where the conflict is resolved with non-violence in a happy outcome of four people coming together into two marriages.

In literature, a comedy is not necessarily a humorous tale, but rather a tale with a happy ending. Much Ado About Nothing has both a happy ending and humor. The characters of Beatrice and Benedick are considered secondary characters, however the “merry war” that has been an ongoing conflict between them is light hearted and witty.  They too, fall victim to deception in this tale, however, when their companions intentionally hold conversations knowing that they each could overhear, stating that one was in love with the other. These lies are not entirely untrue, for it seems that the continued witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick has proven itself facilitative in creating a mutual loving affection. There is also humor in the night watchmen, Dogberry and his companions, who capture Don John’s men (Boracio and Conrad) and shed light to the deception of Claudio and slander of Hero by telling her father Leonato of the ruse.  Leonato, Hero, and the family decide to carry out the deception that they fashioned at the disastrous first wedding… that Hero is dead, having died at the shock of offence to her character.  Leonato and his brother do tell Claudio what the night watchmen discovered and then instruct Claudio to mourn Hero’s death, and that if he is a good and noble man, he will marry her cousin in her stead. Claudio agrees. At the gathering of the second wedding, all of the deceit is brought to light, Don John caught, and two marriages take place: Claudio to Hero and Benedick to Beatrice.

“Comic overstatement aims at being preposterous … tragic overstatement, on the other hand, aspires to be believed.” (Mack, 156)  Othello ends tragically with the death and destruction of the great leader who believed in and fell victim to the embroidered web of lies. In Contrast, Much Ado About Nothing ends laughably and over-joyously with the enlightenment of truth, the birth of new relationships, and the resolution and apprehension of the deceiver Don John. These stark and drastic differences make it hard to imagine that both tales are centered on the idea that people, events, and things in our world are often not what they seem… that at the very heart of these two contrary love stories we find deception. 

“Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.” ― Oscar Wilde

Citation Page

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Act 2. Scene 3. Page 4

Mack, Maynard. “The Jacobean Shakespeare.” The Tragedy of Othello The Moor of Venice with New and Updated Critical Essays and a Revised Biography. Ed. Alvin Kernan. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. 156. Print.

My Daddy's Hands

Have you ever stopped to think about your hands?  Just a palm and five fingers at the end of two arms.  As you look closer you see lines, which are distinctive to each person who has hands and fingers. Hands are amazing. How useful our hands are!  And yet we forget to appreciate them.

We use our hands for everyday trivial matters; combing our hair, greeting a stranger, painting a picture, and to put words on a paper that will be held as it is read. Hands have been involved in the cause and execution of historical events… some of which have changed the world.

My father was a mechanic all of his life. He had permanent stains in the folds of his knuckles, and in his fingerprints. No matter how hard he scrubbed, the mark of a mechanic was there. His hands were rough and callused. And he seemed to always have a sore or a cut caused from squeezing his hands into a machine. And yet my father’s hands were healing hands.  He would fix whatever ailments that vehicle had, and he would do it with patience and care.

On the day they were wed, my Dad took my mother’s hands into his and vowed to always be there for her, to help fix and heal whatever issues came along.

On the day that my sister was born, and later myself… he held our tiny bodies in his hands and promised to heal all of our hurts and take care of us for as long as he lived.

As we grew, he did just that.  He held our hands as we walked beside him. He cared for our cuts, scrapes, and even the emotional bruises. I can recall so many times that he would pat us on the shoulder and tell us that we were good kids and he was proud of us.  His hands, along with his arms, would wrap around us as he would say that he loved us. We would watch as he would take my mother into his arms to hug and kiss her at random moments, “just because”.  

As a little girl, I spent much of my time in the garage with him. As I grew taller, I was able to reach the pedals and all the pretty little knobs across the dash, which meant I could finally help him! When I could finally stand next to the car and see into the belly of the beast that lies under the hood... that’s when I was allowed to hold the flashlight in my hands, and help Dad see what he was doing with his. And so he began to teach me how to care for cars, the way he cared for them; teaching me that caring for a machine meant that the machine would care for you.  Dad took my little hands into his, and guided them.

I can recall a time when we were camping and had taken a 4-wheel ATV with us. I was still quite small, but just tall enough to reach the handlebars and the pedals… I was also old enough to recognize that the letters "S-T-A-R-T" meant that the engine would fire up.  Dad used his hands to propel himself up and out of the lawn chair that he was sitting in.

As children sometimes do, we continued to grow. When my heart was broken by my first high school crush, it was my Daddy’s hand that gently wiped the tear from my cheek reminding me that I would always be loved, no matter what the world did to me.

As a teenager I remember our family vacations consisted of road trips through the South. Dad’s hands would grip the steering wheel as he guided the large RV on the interstate and mountain roads, while I sat next to him, reading the map. As a family on vacation, touring museums and towns- I would purposely walk behind my parents because seeing my parents holding each other’s hand was my favorite view.

When I moved away from home, it was Daddy’s hands that took mine and my mother’s as we prayed together before I left. And his hands would wave in the air enthusiastically every time I returned for visits.  Even as adults, daddy’s hands would continue to frequently pat my sister and I on the shoulder and hug us as he told us that he was proud of us and that he loved us.

In 2006, Dad went to the ER on Thanksgiving Day due to pain that he believed was caused by kidney stones. The stones were there but there was something more.  Doctors discovered a mass on his kidney and therefore removed his kidney later that day. But his blood levels continued to show signs of cancer and Prostate Cancer was the next to appear.

The Cancerous cells then metastasized and spread across his spine and skull. The Chemotherapy he was taking affected his nerves and sat him down in a wheelchair for around a month.  His only complaint? He couldn’t reach the things that needed fixing.

It didn’t take long before Dad decided that he did not want to live the rest of his life confined to a wheel chair, and he refused to continue the chemotherapy. As the chemicals cleared his body, his strength started to come back and he was able to walk again.  Everything appeared to be well, but the threat of cancer was still very strong.

In February of this year, his hands began to grow weaker as cancer took its toll. A stroke would be the reason he would no longer use his right hand. We entered into the month of March with the knowledge that his kidney (he only had one) was failing him. In mid-March, he took his final breath as my mother, my aunt, and I stood beside him holding his hands.

An abundance of friends and family came to the funeral services to show their love and support for my family and for my Dad. He had been an important part of each of their lives and had been a guiding hand for so many. 

I walked beside my mother as she carried his urn through the cemetery that day. She looked down at it with tears in her eyes as she said to me, “I get to hold him one last time.”

Here is a song that my sister and I both love.  "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn.