Zanara Forney

Professor Reynolds

English Composition II

20 February 2022

‘Zombies’ Analysis Final Draft

In the late 1960’s, an ethnonationalist conflict began in Northern Ireland. The conflict,

known as The Troubles, lasted for 30 years, and violence occasionally spilled over into England

and mainland Europe. During this time, over 3,500 people died, and thousands were killed and

injured by the IRA, a group dedicated to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and

unifying the country. On March 20, 1993, a bomb was planted in a litter bin in Warrington city.

When it exploded, not only were 12-year-old Tim Parry and 3-year-old Jonathan Ball killed, but

dozens of people were injured. The deaths of the two young boys inspired the lyrics to

“Zombies” by The Cranberries. The Cranberries, an Irish alternative rock group, wrote and

performed the song as a protest to the violence going on at the time. And their work inspired

rock band Bad Wolves to record a cover in 2018, as a way to pay homage to Dolores O’Riordan,

the lead singer of the Cranberries. Both the original and cover of Zombies honor the lives

affected by The Troubles. However unlike The Cranberries’ version, which uses sad and tragic

imagery, Bad Wolves’ version uplifts and celebrates instead.

In the Cranberries’ music video, the main characters are the young boys who are affected

by the violence of war. In order to evoke a sense of pain and tragedy into the audience, or fans of

the Cranberries, the video uses pathos in the imagery. One example of this is the black and white

color scheme shown throughout the video. The use of black and white in film can make the

scenes feel both real and unreal. In this case, the “Zombies” video shows the realness of the
tragedy, all while showing the disbelief that human beings can be capable of such violence

towards others, especially children. The monotone-ness of the black and white also shows the

sense of sadness that the characters in the video are feeling. There is no color in their lives, and

like the colors the future seems bleak. Another example of pathos being used in the imagery is

the scenes with the young boys and O’Riordan. The boys are covered in silver paint, and they are

sitting beneath a cross in clothing similar to Jesus Christ. The children are praying, and

O’Riordan is painted in gold while standing over them to protest their deaths. The way that the

children are depicted shows that just like Jesus, their lives have been sacrificed to hatred and

ignorance. The music video also uses sound to display pain and tragedy. When O’Riordan sings,

one of the techniques she uses is screaming. It is hypothesized that the first evolutionary purpose

of screaming was to startle a predator. In the video, the prey are the young boys, who have fallen

victim to the predators, the IRA. Screaming also signifies fear. O’Riordan uses her voice to

portray the fear that the main characters felt as they watched the violence around them. She

screams for those whose voices weren’t heard.

In the music video by Bad Wolves, the main characters are the band, who are performing

a tribute to O’Riordan. In order to display imagery that honors her to their audience, or fans, the

video uses pathos to evoke a sense of respect and upliftment. In the video, there is a woman who

is dressed similarly to O’Riordan’s character, with gold paint covering her body from head to toe.

But the use of the gold showcases O’Riordan in a different light. Instead of contrasting against

silver like the Cranberries’ version, this version of O’Riordan in gold seems to champion her

instead, like a golden trophy or medal. She is celebrated for her work while she was still alive,

while being paid homage to by using an impactful image that helped to spark a change. The

woman representing O’Riordan in Bad Wolves’ video also wipes the paint on her body onto a
glass wall, and writes the date of O’Riordan’s death. This shows the mark she left on the world,

and how her legacy cannot easily be erased, even through death. While tragic, the use of gold

paint throughout the video also shows beauty, and honors O’Riordan for her advocacy.

Both “Zombies” by the Cranberries and Bad Wolves use imagery to bring awareness and

pay respect to the lives affected by The Troubles. But while one video uses tragic and painful

imagery to spread their message, the other video uses celebratory imagery instead. None of the

lives lost are forgotten, and the two videos use different types of pathos in order to spread this

message.
 Works Cited

Roos, D. (2021, November 12). ‘How the troubles began in Northern Ireland’.

History.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from

https://www.history.com/.amp/news/the-troubles-northern-ireland

Johnston, E. (2017, November 2). ‘The story behind the song: The cranberries - zombie’.

loudersound. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-the-cranberries-z

ombie