The Jamaican Hero

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He is an iconic figure and an inspiration to millions of people around the world. His name is Bob Marley. Marley had a profound impact on the world’s culture that still has a lasting impression today. His music inspired people everywhere to maintain a sense of calmness, and enticed the Jamaican people to keep peace during the country’s tough political and economic times. Marley also inspired many of the future reggae musicians, and his legacy still stands to this day. His songs become well-known for its messages of universal love and Biblical prophecies, and inspired people across the world to spread the message of peace and harmony. Bob Marley was a charismatic leader, who used the power of music and his religion to influence and change his country and eventually the world. He had a lasting impact on the world that still exists today.

No doubt, “One of the most important and charismatic champions of human freedoms in the 1970s, Marley emerged from humble beginnings and an early life of austere poverty in Jamaica to bring reggae music to international popularity” (King 4). Marley suffered from a very tough childhood, as the country he was born and raised in was in political and economic torment at the time, and suffered from the harsh rule of Great Britain. Marley’s mixed ancestry embodied his homelands tormented colonial past. Until 1962, the country of Jamaica had been ruled by Great Britain, whose original founders had driven the Spanish from the island in 1655 (Dolan 19-20). Marley grew up in these harsh conditions, but he managed to get through them. “Marley possessed qualities that seemed to help him through the harsh conditions. Very small, and generally soft-spoken, he managed to exude an aura that deterred people from m...

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...to unite a nation in tough, impoverished times, in an attempt to unite the unstable nation of Jamaica, and later, future countries that endured the same economic, political, and social difficulties. Marley helped a troubled nation bind together during tough political times, simply with the power of music and his religion of Rastafarianism. He brought the issues to light, where other countries and people could observe the troubles of this little island country called Jamaica. Marley was raised in a very unforgiving country, and in a way, raised himself. With little money and family help, with friends, and with the message of love and peace, Marley rose above all these troubles to eventually become a legend that cannot be duplicated. Bob Marley is the definition of charismatic, and his impact on the world during and after his life will not ever be reproduced again.

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