Analysis Of In Ireland, Tuesdays Grace By Bono

Through time, several historical events have been represented by the principles of hatred, crime and inhumanity. History has told us that hatred and inhumanity comes in many shapes, whether it is due to skin colour, religion or even political persuasions. Furthermore it has told us that it easily evolves into something horrifying. But most importantly history tells us that no hatred or crime are so big that we as human beings can’t cope with it and change it for the better. In the column “In Ireland, Tuesdays Grace” Bono describes the horrifying events that took place on January 30, 1972, a day better known as “Bloody Sunday”. It is a column written by Bono, the Irish lead singer in the famous Irish band U2 and published in The New York Times …show more content…
First of all he takes advantage of him being able to write as an objective person. He grew up in a Catholic-Protestant household and therefore represents neither the Catholics nor the Protestants, this strengthens his ethos, as his stance obviously isn’t coloured by any certain religious persuasion. Furthermore the column is very much marked with pathos, Bono spreads his message by appealing to the feelings of the people. In the beginning he talks about the bishop of Derry, Edward Daly, holding a bloody handkerchief: “Every Irish person conscious on that day has a mental picture of Edward Daly, later the bishop of Derry, holding a blood-stained handkerchief aloft as he valiantly tended to the wounded and the dying”. (Page 197, line 12-15) Furthermore Bono reminds people of those who lost their lives, as he quotes the Saville report. Not only does Bono inform us by using reports and statistics, he also uses pictures to bring his message. There is a picture of a peace mural; it illustrates a poem written on an old “historical” paper as if it was a constitution. The poem says that there should be no more murder, suffer or hatred. A Protestant boy and a Catholic girl shaking hands surround the poem. It is a very strong and symbolic picture that tells the two communities that around this “constitution” they can finally make peace. One of the reasons why Bono’s argumentation is so strong is because of the structure of his column. Bono accounts for the incident to remind people of how comprehensive the damage were. He reminds them of 12 years of sorrow and unanswered questions, he reminds them of times no one thought they would get through. And last but not least he reminds them that after all, they have overcome all of this. The people, who have been influenced by Bloody Sunday, have got an apology by the government. The Saville report brought