Text written by WikiBrother Diogo Tomaz Pereira
On September 3rd, Iron Maiden released their 17th studio album: Senjutsu Iron Maiden 's music in my History classes. Wars, myths, legends, characters that marked eras—in short, the band's songs are incredibly rich tools for contextualizing and addressing various historical themes.
After the announcement of the new album, my social media feeds were buzzing. Students were sending me messages trying to guess the themes behind the announced titles. Several theories emerged. I was even practically pressured to have a lesson planned for the week following September 3rd about one or two of the lyrics. Poor things, I didn't make it.
I've been listening to Iron Maiden since I was eight years old. I perfectly remember my brother coming home with the Best of the Beast , after trading a Planet Hemp for it. I had no idea what it was, and neither did he. But the illustrations immediately caught my attention. That little black book was so rich in detail, images, Eddies… that I was soon trying to copy some for the covers of my school notebooks. I have shirts, books, all the albums, I've been to four concerts… I needed to enjoy this album, then I'd think about taking it to my classes.
After listening to the entire album extensively, I consider it the best since Brave New World and practically tied with it in my admiration (remember: this is my opinion). The feeling I had and still have when I listen to it is that of listening to a rock opera or the soundtrack of an epic film: sometimes it reminds me of Mad Max , The Lord of the Rings , other times it seems like a perfect soundtrack for games like Ghost of Tsushima or Call of Duty. Things that only a nerd can explain.
Comparisons to older albums are also inevitable: “Stratego” could very well be a song from Powerslave (1984) ; “Death of the Celts” is a part two of “The Clansman” and “Darkest Hour” strongly reminded me of “Tears of the Dragon” from Bruce Dickinson . In fact, if I had to explain this album, I would say it's a combination of The Chemical Wedding (1998) and The X Factor (1995).
READ ALSO: 'Senjutsu': Review with everything about Iron Maiden's best album in almost 30 years!
But, going back to lesson planning, which song would be chosen to work with the students? The initial idea was "Death of the Celts," of course, there's no shortage of historical content there, but "Senjutsu," besides being a fantastic song, is good material to work with Sun Tzu 's *The Art of War *. The song's title doesn't have a very simple definition, as it's translated from Japanese as "tactics," "strategy"... Etymologically, "sen" can mean "wise man, hermit, or magician," while "jutsu" means "art, path, means." In short, the song begins with war drums announcing the start of attacks and invasions from all sides.
“Beat the warning the sound of the drums
Set the beacons afire for them all
Call to arms all the men far and wide
Have to fight now for dynasty pride at stake“
“Send the warning with the sound of the drums.
Light the flames of the beacons for them all.
A call to war to men everywhere.
They must fight to defend the pride of the dynasty.”
“The invaders repel from the north
Keep out nomads who come from the plains
Northern grasslands awash with them all
Blocking the tribes that invade from the south of us“
"The invaders repel from the North.
Beware of the nomads who come from the plains.
They flood the northern pastures,
blocking the tribes that invade our South."
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The oldest military treatise in human history, The Art of War , was written by General Sun Tzu around 500 BC. Unfortunately, little is known about the general, however, events mentioned in records from around 100 BC have helped us to know him better. The teachings contained in his book, which has 13 chapters, apply to any conflict.
To better understand his work, it's necessary to comprehend that until 500 BC, war was considered something sacred, a ritual. There were rules and codes that had to be obeyed before each conflict. The climate, for example, was taken into consideration; therefore, fighting was avoided in the summer due to high temperatures or during periods of intense winter cold.
In ancient China, large battles were considered primitive. There was no military organization. When the chosen moment arrived, soldiers charged haphazardly against the enemy. Starting with General Sun Tzu, things began to change. The art of military strategy and tactics was elevated to a new level. Organized states possessed specialists in all areas, including civil engineers responsible for building trenches and tunnels. Even military equipment evolved, contributing to a new method of warfare, for example, in China. In fact, the lyrics contain a reference to a great wall, probably the famous Great Wall of China.
“Hear them coming – Ready now we wait
Must be steadfast – Must be patient“
"Listen to them coming – Ready, we must wait.
We must be firm – We must be patient."
“Must believe in – That we can win
What will save us – The great wall“
"We must believe – That we can win.
What will save us – The great wall."
[…]
“Now under siege have the real strength to hold them now
Have to believe that we can repel them
Faith in the years our ancestors taught us
Have the belief that we can protect the wall“
"Now under siege, we have the true strength to contain them.
We need to believe that we can drive them out.
Faith in the years that our ancestors taught us.
We have the belief that we can protect the wall."
Texts like Senjutsu and works like The Art of War are fantastic tools that contribute to a good lesson in History, Sociology, and Philosophy. The first six chapters of the book address characteristics at a strategic level, emphasizing decision-making, analysis of the enemy's strategy, and calculations of combat power. In the following seven chapters, the analysis moves to the tactical level, with aspects related to offense, defense, and the outcome of battles.
The opening sentence of the first chapter shows us the importance of war to the State: The Art of War is of vital importance; it is a matter of life or death, a road to both security and ruin. Therefore, it is a subject of study that cannot, in any way, be neglected.
Studying past societies and how they viewed the world is fundamental to dealing with current issues. Our way of life is steeped in history. By studying the past, we sharpen our understanding of the present, allowing us to see and comprehend the contradictions that arise.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
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