U2 Song Response

Well, once I got past actually having to listen to U2 try to sing (Sorry to any U2 fans. I mean I give Bono props and everything, but yeah this wasn't one of his strongest vocal performances.) it became clear that the lyrics to Acrobat, through the use of diction, syntax, and detail, held great meaning. The meaning revolves around breaking away, most likely in this case referring to a girl breaking away from a life of opression. The diction of the lyrics portrays a vivid, harsh reality. U2 uses words like "spit", "throw up", and "choke" to prove just how oppressive of a life this girl is living in. These words do not present a very pretty picture of what this girl is going through. The repetition of the phrase "Don't let the bastards grind you down" at the end of each phrase keeps resounding the idea that no matter what, you should never give in. Syntax is also important in these lyrics. The short, straight-to-the-point style of many of the lines helps with the clearity of what is being said. There are no challenging words, or poorly worded phrases to confuse the listener. The lines are short and sweet as to make sure the audience sees the message crystal clear and without any difficulty. A third device present in the song is U2's use of detail. There are very descriptive words that U2 uses to intentionally create a vivid picture for the listener. The phrase "fire in your soul" gives me a clear perception of the personality and character of how the girl used to be. When I hear that phrase, I think of a passionate, energenic girl who would not back down from anything or anyone. However, the line "of melting in snow" sends the complete opposite idea. It shows that the girl lost her fire, and she had no strength left to keep on fighting. She just blending in and melted away with the snow.

If I could not see the numerous similarites and connections to The Handmaid's Tale, I might as well give up writing any more blogs and only study math for the rest of my life. There are so many connections that it could easily be hypothesized that the lyric writers were familiar with the content of the novel when they wrote the song. The first verse could easily have been something that Offred tells the reader about Moira. Before the days of the handmaids, Moira had "the fire in her soul". She was openly gay and a political activist. She was not going to let anyone walk over her or treat her unfairly. Even in the early days of the center, Moira was the one daring to escape. She had to have a large inferno burning inside her to capture one of the aunts, steal their clothing, and attempt to just walk out from right underneath the noses of her enemies. The fire slowly died in Moira, though, for some reason after she left the center. Offred finds her as a whore as Jezebel's. Offred knows things have changed because the Moira she knew would never allow herself to be lowered to such an awful position of fate. The old Moira would have died instead of being disrespected like she was. Seeing Moira like this is one of the hardest things for Offred because Moira was Offred's inspiration to "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum".

The second verse also connects the song to the novel. The words describe the feelings of all the handmaids. They are not being oppressed because they enjoy it; they allow their poor treatment to continue because they do not know how to make it stop. What would they do? Have all the handmaids in the city storm the headquarters of the Eyes and Guardians and take them by force? I don't think so. The handmaids knew everything was all wrong and that they should all be doing something, but they did not have the faintest idea of what to do. If they were presented with a planned, organized uprising, they would have been leading the charge; but there was no such reality. All the handmaids were like Moira in a sense, burnt out without the strength to be a catalyst for change.

noliste te bastardes carborundorum