Chapters 11-19
Welcome to our selected annotations of “Book Two: Human Sacrifice” in Say Nothing, written by Patrick Radden Keefe. The title of this section reflects the various ways of understanding human sacrifice demonstrated throughout the Troubles. Keefe continuously explores the generational obligation prevalent in Nationalist discourse to fight and sacrifice oneself for the cause of a free and united Ireland, represented by the actions of Bobby Sands and Dolours Price. He also examines how this ideology culminated in the belief that others who thwarted these actions had to be sacrificed as they could not be trusted, represented by the disappearance of Jean McConville. The past and present are constantly linked within this context, culminating in many interwoven themes seen in this section such as birth and rebirth, gender roles, peace, and power. The media and other forms of art and literature also played powerful roles in shaping and showing the reactions and implementations of those themes. This is important to understanding the livelihood and experiences of people during the Troubles both within and outside Northern Ireland, demonstrating the connections between this seemingly divided population.
Annotations:
- Chapter 11, page 145: The Freedom of the City by Brian Friel
- “It did not strike any of them as the least bit incongruous that they might go to see a play on the night before a bombing.”
- Chapter 14, page 178: Terence MacSwiney:
- “‘It is not those who inflict the most but those who suffer the most who will conquer,’ MacSwiney declared.”
- Chapter 16, page 213: Bobby Sands
- “‘I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world,’ Sands wrote on a scrap of toilet paper as he commenced his strike. ‘May God have mercy on my soul.'”
- Chapter 16, page 218: Margaret Thatcher:
- “‘Mr. Sands was a convicted criminal. He chose to take his own life. It was a choice his organization did not allow to many of its victims.’”
- Chapter 17, page 220: Dolorus Price’s Development of Anorexia
- “In December 1982, a year and a half after her release, she published her story…about anorexia, in which she noted that as an illness it was really all about control…”
- Chapter 19, page 257: Blue Ribbons
- “In hopes of raising awareness, they wore the blue ribbons, as a symbol of remembrance for the disappeared, and sent ribbons to prominent figures…”
- Dolours Price and the London Bombings
- Media Portrayals of the London Bombings: Martin Huckerby
- Bloody Friday
Timeline Entries:
- Election of Bobby Sands to Parliament: April 9, 1981
- Milltown Cemetery Attack: March 19, 1988
- Provisional IRA Bombings of London
A Reader's Guide to Say Nothing 