John Lennon’s Beliefs

1321 Words3 Pages

John Lennon was born on October 9th 1940 in Liverpool, England 1. His father left the family to sail the seas before Lennon’s earliest childhood memory and his mother was taken away by a car accident when he was 18 2. A year after his mother’s death, the Vietnam War took place, which is The United State’s longest military dispute ever. The world famous band, The Beatles, debut on 1961 not long after the start of the war and through this band, Lennon was able to demonstrate his feelings to the people across the world. "Revolution," performed by The Beatles, was created in 1968, when the anti-war demonstration was on the move. After the separation of The Beatles in 1969, Lennon composed the song "Imagine" (1971) 3. This song proves that Lennon is a Peace-Loving-Atheist and a "Voluntarist" 4 that believes in the scheme that people’s ideas can change social reality; however simultaneously admits that there are constantly wars going on in the world. As a result, he could be a mixture of all four, Realist, Liberal, Marxist and Constructivist. On December 8th 1980, approximately five years after the end of the Vietnam War, Lennon was assassinated by Mark Chapman 5. It is not for certain that the word assassination could be used on a singer, song writer who also published books. However there is no doubt about the fact that Lennon touched many people’s hearts around the world and maybe was even praised as an almighty figure.

In the 1960s, the anti-war movement grew rapidly in America. The party reached the summit in 1968 by collecting members of various age ranges throughout the country 6. The song "Revolution," produced by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, expresses the irony of the political group. Although the party is against...

... middle of paper ...

...create a peaceful world, “I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one,” 12 which is the same theory as constructivism – people’s ideas can change the social reality.

All four theories, realism, liberalism, Marxism and constructivism, could be seen in Lennon’s music. He knew the world around him was full of people who followed realism and Marxism, because of the continuous violence over possessions; however he held mostly on to a constructivist view point with a liberalist heart, by desiring peace and trying to help people around him see peace without violence in this lyrics. He believed that his music and lyrics could change the mind of people from, revolution with violence (Marxist) and war thought as the human nature (realist) to people’s ideas being able to change the social reality with peace made by no violence (liberalist and constructivist).

Show More
Related

  • The Day The 60's Died Analysis

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    The rise of the new Republican party can be seen through the Presidency of Richard Nixon and more specifically the events chronicled in the documentary film, “The Day the 60’s Died”. This film demonstrates the growth of the antiwar movement on United States college campuses at the height of the Vietnam War .

    Read More

  • the distinctive views of the sharon statement and port huron satement

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1960’s, there was a rising tide of protests that were taking place. College students began to stand up for their rights and protest for a stronger voice in society. The United States was going through a tough period marked by the Cold War against communism and also the war in Vietnam. From Truman to Nixon the United States government involved the country more and more in Vietnam. Nixon announced a new policy in 1968 called Vietnamization. (Foner, 4th edition, pg.1028) This policy would bring American troops back home, but it neither limited the war nor ended the antiwar movements.

    Read More

  • Sixties: Years That Shaped A Generation Summary

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    The documentary “Sixties: Years that Shaped a Generation” illustrates a period in United States history defined by cultural movement. Several citizen led campaigns were developed to challenge long established American institutions and traditions. This age of defiance, cultivated a counter culture which stood against social injustice, racial inequalities, and the war in Vietnam.

    Read More

  • The Students for a Democratic Society of the late 1960’s

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1960’s was a happening decade. It was a time when many people came together for a common good and stood against injustice. The 60’s is often recalled as the era of the peace sign, one ridden with hippies, marijuana and pacifism. While true of much of the era, some of the movements calling for immense social change began as non-violent harbingers of change and later became radicals. The reason for this turn to radicalism, as seen in the case of the Students for a Democratic Society, and as suggested by the change between this organizations earlier Port Huron statement and the later Weatherman Manifesto, is due to the gradual escalation of the Vietnam war.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Imagine By John Lennon

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Imagine there 's no heaven, it 's easy if you try," (John Lennon, Imagine). The first line of one of the most sensational, emotion filled songs causes the listener to think. This song is considered one of the most beautiful and meaningful pieces to the world. John Lennon, singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the Beatles, is remembered as a leader in efforts to reach world of love. Although murdered in 1980, his music is still relevant today. His songs described a world without war and he hoped for reconciliation. The song "Imagine" is an example of this.

    Read More

  • Creedence Clearwater and the Vietnam War

    2825 Words  | 6 Pages

    To the persistent individual, though, there is a body of music in existence that merits regard. It is powerful music written by the youth of America, youngsters who did have a stake in the Vietnam War. There can be little question about the origins of the power which American protest music conveyed: those who wrote such music lived each day with the real knowledge that they were losing friends in, and could possibly be forced themselves to go to, Vietnam. One such group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, made its contribution to this genre near the end of the Vietnam War.

    Read More

  • The Case of the Chicago Seven

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    The late sixties was a time of turmoil in the United States. It was a transition period between the psychedelic sixties and the revolutionary seventies. The youth of the United States was becoming increasingly aware of the politics of war, the draft and other general misuses of governmental power. With the Democratic National Convention being held in Chicago during 1968, political tensions were running high throughout the city. Numerous protests were held during the time surrounding the convention in protest of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s policies on the Vietnam War. Most notably, the group of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, David Dillinger, John Froines, Lee Weiner and Bobby Seale...

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Song, You´ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, by The Beatles

    1963 Words  | 4 Pages

    To understand Lennon’s attempt at displaying his raw emotions through this song, one must also understand the influence behind Lennon’s decision. Bob Dylan influenced all of the Beatles in a significant way in their early Beatlemania years: Dylan introduced the Beatles to marijuana, mistaking “I can’t hide” for “I get high” in “She Loves You”. While the Beatles experimented with several energy drugs, they had not yet used marijuana, and they soon discovered that it bestowed the group with the ability to relax and escape from the stress of dealing with Beatlemania. After ...

    Read More

  • Counterculture During the Vietnam Era

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Songs of peace and harmony were chanted throughout protests and anti-war demonstrations, America’s youth was changing rapidly. Never before had the younger generation been so outspoken. Fifty thousand flower children and hippies traveled to San Francisco for the "Summer of Love," with the Beatles’ hits song, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" (listen) as their light in the dark. The largest anti-war demonstration in history was held when 25,000 people marched from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, once again, showing the unity of youth.1

    Read More

  • The Sixties: A Decade of Rebellion

    1641 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans” (Kennedy 916). With these words, John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address in 1961 described the 1960’s decade. This era in American history encapsulated a belief in the power of young people to change the world, a desire to help others globally and accept their differences, and a war that would eventually destroy all that America stood for. It was a time for new ideas in all aspects of life. This shift in thinking is apparent when looking at the happenings in society, the younger generation, and the media. The sixties were the beginning of many great revolutions in society.

    Read More

  • 1968: A Year Of American Transformation

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane sang, "Now it's time for you and me to have a revolution" from their album Volunteers. After a period of unprecedented conformity, the sons and daughters of American society decided to convert the country. Ranging from developments in race relations to a newfound sense of artistic expression, America swirled with the winds of renovation. Perhaps it is easiest to look back at dusty pages for pivotal periods in the nation's history, however proof of transformation exists a mere 38 years ago; 1968 was a year worth remembering.

    Read More

  • The History Of Woodstock

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the turbulent era of the 1960s, youth excelled boundaries and expectations to adequately improve the world. Throughout this time, many individuals were trying to juggle the conflicts between racism, sexism, and the turning point in the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive. This battle occurred in 1968, and was a watershed moment in the Vietnam War that ultimately turned many Americans against bloodshed. “The total casualties – dead, wounded, and missing in action – had grown from 2,500 in 1965 and would top 80,000 by the end of 1967” (Willbanks 6). Destruction from the poignant fighting convinced rising numbers of Americans that the expense of United States’ commitment was too immense. The Anti-War movement gained momentum as student protesters and countercultural hippies condemned this kind of violence. As a result, many American citizens attended a three-day concert, Woodstock, because they desperately needed a place to be rescued from the brutality and turmoil. A young member of “The Beatles,” John Lennon, created music that was essential for the success of antiwar uprisings, as well as Woodstock attendees who justify the purpose of attending. Woodstock abruptly became a compelling icon; a turn of events where even all of the world’s calamities could not conquer the notions of peace, harmony, and cultural expression driven by young Americans to assert their voices as a generation, by genuine music and proclaims made by Woodstock celebrators.

    Read More

  • Lunatics Taking Over the Asylum: Cultural Chaos in 1960s America

    7167 Words  | 15 Pages

    The 1960s formed one of the most culturally complex periods in America’s history, and the analysis of this era is just as problematic. During this time, American society experienced an outpouring of filmic, literary and musical texts that challenged traditional institutions such as the Christian church, the government and the family unit. It would be naïve to argue that this period witnessed the first or the last instance of subversive propaganda targeted at young people, for the many dissenting voices herein did not emerge by random chance. The formulation of a more politically aware youth culture in America and, to a lesser but still important extent, Great Britain, was a gradual process that had been taking hold for considerable time, not one that exploded into being when Bob Dylan or John Lennon began writing protest songs.

    Read More

  • Fortunate Son

    2086 Words  | 5 Pages

    The 1960s was the era of rebellion. It was a time when views of many people started to change dramatically as unexpected things were happening from the Cold War to the assassinations of nation’s leaders. So within this disturbed era, many citizens started to rebel and question the authorities saying that they were ruining the country. The younger generation, especially, stood firmly in front to lead the action to change the ideas of the older generation. One of the main methods they used to speak their opinions was through music and we can see the power it had on the people through one of the main protest anthems called “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969. The song speaks out to the elite controlled America and becomes one of many instances of the younger generation questioning and rebelling against the authority in the late 1960s. They send people a message that the citizens of United States do not live in a fair world and the authorities are not doing their jobs. By creating images through the comparative and descriptive lyrics such as who “waves the flag” , and “some folks are born with silver spoons in hand”, its repetition of the chorus “it ain’t me” and the instrumentation of the song which sounds like the cry of the working class to signify that the Vietnam War is a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight, this song by the Creedence Clearwater Revival shouts to the world that the elite-controlled America is unfair as it can get; and becomes a big part of the counterculture movement. However, contrary to the message of the song, challenges to authority and privilege did not come exclusively from the working class. Rather, members of the upper class were also involved in opposition movements, for instance vi...

    Read More

  • The Beatles and the Anti-War Movement

    2380 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Beatles are probably one of the greatest sensations the world has ever seen. No other band has ever had a larger effect on their fans and listeners as The Beatles, ever since they started to take over the ears of the world during the birth of “The Beatles Revolution” (not to be confused with The Beatles song “Revolution”) in 1963. A lot of their songs were based on their continual efforts to promote the concept of world peace. No other song written by John Lennon is more blatant in this promotion of peace than the song “Give Peace A Chance.” Songfacts.com says, “This song was recorded in 1969 during John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s notorious “bed in” in which they stayed in bed for eight days in an effort to promote world peace. This song quickly became an anti-war movement anthem when a large number of people thought America should not have been fighting the War in Vietnam.” Lennon directly states in the third verse of “Give Peace A Chance,” “(Let me tell you now) / Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout / Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation, / Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations / All we are saying is give peace a chance / All we are saying is give peace a chance” (“Give Peace A Chance”).

    Read More

More about John Lennon’s Beliefs

Open Document