Which U2 song is the best to teach ?

[MissMaCo]

I've just got my English teacher diploma and in september I'll be teaching...

When I was studying English at the end of 13, our English teacher brought a U2 record (I already was a fan, so you can imagine how I felt !) and we studied Sunday Bloody Sunday. We did a gap filler exercise ( it was too easy for me !) and then we talked about Ireland and the religious conflicts there. It was really interesting to deal with the Irish issue via a U2 song.

A few years later, we studied Pride and therefore MLK and the Blacks protest issue. Very interesting as well.

And, now, I'm the English teacher and I'm wondering : which U2 song is the best to teach ? I mean, apart from these 2 songs. Which one is the best to tackle a political or historical issue with French students ?

Thanks for your help !

Marie

 

[gareth brown]

A Day Without Me- for the suicidal ones...
Exit- for issues on gun-related things...

all I can think of right now that are actually useful...

 

[Eirinn]

New Year's Day: evidently anti-war, triggered by the introduction of Martial Law in Poland in 1981.

 

[radioskugga]

mothers of the disappeared
love is blindness

 

[bayernfc]

I was thinking more along the lines of Please. ... again dealing with the religous issues in Ireland.

 

[Sherry Darling]

Hi

I'ved used "Peace On Earth" with a short story for 9-10th grades about "the troubles" called "The Sniper".

For the Bruce fans, I've also used Badlands to go along with Born to Run . Always thought "Thunder Road" and, from our lads, RTSS would be great for interp, metaphor, and especially poetic imagery.

"she brings me white (something) pearls, stolen from the sea, she is raging, she is raging...."

And from Thunder Road by Brooooce!
"and in the lonely cool before dawn, you hear their engines roaring on, but when you get to the porch, they're gone on the wind, Mary climb in, it's a town full of losers, I'm pulling outta here to win!" Great personification and imagery, plus the suspense and character creation. Does she go? Why or why not?

Okay, enough teacher babbling Man, do I miss the classroom.

SD

 

[Numb1075]

Numb.

 

[dandy]

"walk on" is about aung san suu kyi's plight to bring democracy to burma, issues that the western media don't pay much attention to. you could easily weave that into a fascinating class.

 

[isabelle_guns]

ONE

 

[Blue Room]

I think the most straight forward song lyrically about the troubles in Ireland is North and South of the River. I would agree that Peace On Earth is another one as it is directly inspired by the Omagh bombing.

"One" as mentioned above is an interesting choice. It has taken on alot of different meanings since it was released. However, Bono wrote it about the struggle between a couple in a relationship, not about any social issues or conditions. Its one of those great U2 songs that just took a life of its own. In A Little While would be another example of a song like that. Originally about a hangover, but became more spiritual about a person passing away based on what happened with Joey Ramone.

 

[zoopop]

Discotheque....Maybe someone could figure what the songs about. Just playing, I would go with Please. I think that is one of U2's most underated political songs. It has a very strong message in those lyrics and U2 took great pride playing that song everynight at the Popmart. I forgot the exact name, but U2 played it at a rally in Ireland that brought two polical figures together which no one figured it would.

 

[DaveC]

Please is good. (Troubles)
New Year's Day is also good. (Solidarity/Poland under Communism)
Sunday Bloody Sunday is prime. (Bloody Sunday, Londonderry (I think), 1972)
MLK and Pride would as well be good. (a lesson about MLK)
Walk On (Aung Sang Suu Kyi)
stretching a bit here but...Tomorrow (loss)
Seconds
One Tree Hill (New Zealand)
Mothers of the Disappeared (Chile under Pinochet)
Zooropa (consumerism)
Peace on Earth (Omagh Bomb)

I can't think of any others now but I'm sure more will come to me.

 

[OzAurora]

)
Zooropa (consumerism)

I was going to mention this song- I used it once in a uni assignment for a sucbject that I did called 'Rocking the world: The politics of popular music" I did my major assignment on U2 and how they have used their music as a political platform and through my research I found it really interesting the meaning behind Zooropa- its not obvious and it is not as 'in your face' as other U2 songs that have a political theme.....

 

[SWlondnr]

Throw away the books and go to a U2 gig!

 

[intedomine]

running to stand stilll

 

[Badyouken]

Discuss the lyrics of The Wanderer.

 

[jick]

Babyface.

 

[11o´clock]

I know I´m answering very late, but........maybe I can help you a little.

Where the streets have no name.
Bad (maybe)
Crumbs from your table
Bullet the Blue Sky

 

[LemonMelon]

Big Girls Are Best. Most people don't seem to get that.

 

[the tourist]

Mothers of the Disappeared
Bad
The Fly