Acrobat

I think U2 is primarily singing about the current struggles due to religion in Ireland. The Irish are becoming increasingly tired and worn-out of fighting as indicated in the line "When I first met you girl, you had fire in your soul. What happened your face of melting in snow". U2 is using snow as a symbol for the lack of passion and coldness now experienced by the Irish people; "she" is most likely meant to be the country itself. The song contrasts the ways in which the people can handle the hopelessness they are feeling by saying you can swallow or throw it up, but basically if you choose to swallow then you are succumbing to the violence and suppression. U2 says "I know you'd hit out if you only knew who to hit" probably referring to the fact that there is no real right answer to the Irish situation. The English government is being oppressive and the Catholic minority is supporting the IRA which is using sheer violence and terror to try to break from Britain. Protestants want to remain loyal to Britain. "Yeah I'd break bread and wine, if there was a church I could receive in" is an obvious allusion to the religious struggles of the country.

This song is somewhat similar to The Handmaid's Tale in that it relates greatly to and is critical of religion. The song says don't believe what you hear or see, you can feel the enemy. Those lines reminded me of the Eyes and how the people in The Handmaid's Tale are all suspicious and therefore keep their thoughts to themselves in fear of being arrested or worse. This must be similar to the situation in Ireland, in which no one knows who can be trusted. "And I'd join the movement if there was one I could believe in"-this line reminded me of the "underground" network that Offred joined and how it had taken her so long to trust Ofglen because she didn't know what her true opinions were.

We

A) The Benefactor which ruled the OneState society in We was an allusion to God. Most people believed in him entirely whether or not they had actually seen him and trusted in him wholeheartedly, similar to many religions today. Although there is no proof of the existence of a higher power, a relatively high proportion of society worships one and dedicates a fairly good deal of time in correlation with religion. The faith in the Benefactor exhibited in We is directly related to the faith many people have in religion in our present society. The book's description of D-503's encounter with the Benefactor could be taken as somewhat of a stab at the undying trust in a higher power. D-503 is so intimidated and expectant of a huge and powerful man towering over him that he does not even face the Benefactor because he attaches the almighty beliefs of the people to the physical appearance of the person. This draws connections to many religious people who bow down to and fear a God that they don't know exists. When D-503 finally does look at the Benefactor, he laughs realizing how ridiculous his assumptions had been. This is somewhat mocking religion in that it ridicules how people are so awed and obedient to someone or something that they know nothing about.

The fact that the word "His" is capitalized in reference to the Benefactor is an obvious biblical allusion as well. It seems to me that Zamyatin is relating this warped world to one that could occur if we continue to place such trust in religion. He may even be suggesting that the religious communities who devote extreme trust and energy into a higher power are similar to the conformist society displayed in We.


B) "Has it really never entered your head that they...needed you only as the builder of the Integral?" (214).
-->The scene in which D-503 speaks to the Benefactor was particularly interesting because it displayed yet another manipulative person in the society. I-330 is unmistakably canniving and sneaky, but this passage points out that the Benefactor is just as manipulative. Clearly, the Benefactor had to be manipulative in order to gain so much power and trust among society, but this scene displays his nature on a personal level. The Benefactor is attempting to trick D-503 into abandoning his revolutionary plans and turning in his comrades by turning him against them.

Although it is pretty clear that the Benefactor is using his knowledge of I-330 to gain D-503's full trust and cooperation, what he tells D-503 is accurate. I-330 is certainly using D-503 for nothing more than his insight to carry on with her plans. D-503 knows this deep-down but loves I-330 too much to confront her and expose their false relationship. It is ironic that the two most manipulative characters in We end up competing for attention to get what they want: I-330 wants a revolution and the Benefactor wants supreme control and absolute order among his subjects.