Preview

John Lennon - Imagine

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
587 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
John Lennon - Imagine
Social criticism examines literature in the cultural, economic, and political context in which it is written or received. Keeping this definition in mind, it is necessary to understand the political, cultural and economic environment in which Lennon the above famous words.
"Imagine" was released in 1970. The late 60's was the time of the Vietnam War and also the time when the peace movement was at its peak. Anti-war demonstrations were a common sight on every street corner. Anti-communist sentiments were at an all time high following the war. The countless lives lost by both sides made plenty realize the fruitlessness of war and prompted them to spread the message of love, unity and peace.
Due to ubiquitous demonstrations all over the world, there was social unrest. Compulsory military service added to the social unrest. Fathers and Sons left to fight the war without much hope of returning back alive thus adding to the civil unrest. As always, any period of social unrest has an adverse affect on the economy. Due to the huge war expenses and lack of man power to run the economy, the late 60's and early 70's experienced an economic downturn in the United States which was felt throughout the world.
By the end of the 60's, The Beatles had acquired a worldwide fan base and legendary iconic status among the youth of the world. John Lennon, the most prolific and famous of the Beatles, wasn't averse to making political statements through his music. He knew that he had the power to spread the message of peace to millions and also knew that people would sit up and take notice of his music. "Imagine" is one such effort in getting closer to those elusive goals of peace and unity.
In the first verse of the song, Lennon tells us how important it is for us to live in the present moment rather than worry about what is waiting for us upon our death. Even though it is normal to worry about our death, Lennon urges us to pay more attention to the sky above us rather than

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Zinn Chapter 14

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    h. As soon as the war started the economy started to suffer as well. Because of the increasing violence US was losing money in their trades.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the immediate postwar years there were widespread fears of a return to a depression economy. But, fueled by cheap energy, increased workers productivity, and government programs like the GI Bill of Rights, the economy began a spectacular expansion that lasted from 1950 to 1970. This burst of affluence transformed American society, and particularly drew more women into the workforce.…

    • 4151 Words
    • 119 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    To attract other people to their cause, the concert promoters use popular musical artists to entertain and educate the masses on the anti-war efforts of the 1960s. Finally, John Lennon, an ex-band member of the popular rock group The Beatles, recorded a song called “Give Peace a Chance” in 1969. The popular song is essentially a live cut, recorded by crowding several people into a Montreal recording studio. Backed only by Lennon’s guitar, a tambourine, and the chants and claps of people, the song asks the listener to ponder the main chorus, “Give Peace a Chance.” While many of the lyrics are controversial in their approach, Lennon alludes to several popular key figures, including the aforementioned Bob Dylan. One verse alludes to the urgency for the United Nations to end the war when Lennon Sings, “regulation, integrations/meditations, United Nations/Congratulations.” The song is an effective and artful protest of the war, since everyone sings in harmony, showing how many people can find a common ground in their protest of the Vietnam War. In essence, the song is perhaps the simplest anthem of the late 1960s, appealing to everyone affected by the…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    October 9, 1940, a man was born in Britain that would one day take over the world. He was not a great ruler or dictator, nor was an activist or religious leader. He was a normal boy who grew to be one of the best singer song writers of our time. This is about the troubled personal life of one of America’s most beloved musicians, John Lennon.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a correction to the wartime effort, inflation and unemployment increased because there was not a need to mass-produce products for war, and America had to return to "normalcy". The amount of labor unrest increased during this time period, which is very obvious by the increase of labor strikes.…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Lloyd George Coalition

    • 4874 Words
    • 20 Pages

    • Inflation rose at the end of the war. Prices and profits rose but wages lagged behind. This caused industrial unrest; between 1919 and 1922…

    • 4874 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the soldiers were returning from the war, people had a sense of settling down and enjoying life. New businesses were found therefore creating more jobs in turn people had more money to spend and creating a high demand on a lot of products such as cars, newspapers etc. Such businesses that brought the economy in an upswing was that of oil and gas, hydro electric power, newsprint, and mining. There was a demand of oil and gas since people can afford cars and need gasoline and lubricating oil for their cars. The demand for electricity also high because people are starting to buy and use electric appliances such as lamps, telephones, radios, and electric stoves. In conclusion due to the attitude of the people who want to make a happy life they also brought the economy up by creating businesses and jobs.…

    • 670 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the book Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt, Holling’s sister Heather listens to music such as the Monkees and the Beatles usually when she is just sitting in her room. Heather listens to this music because she has interest in world peace, and these two bands made very happy music. The Beatles never were much for striking music like the Rolling Stones. For example, Mick Jagger had a very striking voice and the guitar was always hard hitting. The Beatles could only play a few chords and their band was mostly about the harmonics and hollow-body guitars. So, Holling’s sister listens to the more mellow bands like most people who thrive for peace would. This essay is going to employ one of the most famous bands of the 60’s rock music…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Time Period 8 Study Guide 1. The economic growth following World War II was caused primarily by the efforts of the president and the federal government in response to fears about another Great Depression as 1946-1947 put America into a postwar recession. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, otherwise known as the GI Bill of Rights, allowed the 15 million veterans returning from the war to continue their education through government grants. The federal government also allowed veterans over $16 billion in loans in order to start new businesses. The GI Bill allowed millions of workers to learn new skills and become better educated and started new businesses while reducing the competition for jobs in society.…

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    For as long as most anyone can remember The Beatles have been known as one of the greatest bands in history. Though the British band has its roots in a land far from the United States, they too crossed the pond during the so called British Invasion in the 1960s prior to the official start of American involvement in the infamous Vietnam War. It came as no surprise that all those Brits influenced the music here in the states, but soon enough our culture influenced them as well. From his songs in Meet the Beatles to SGT. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and eventually into his solo career, John Lennon grew to express not only his emotion and feel good rhythms through his music but his political as well as philosophical beliefs.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Imagine” by A Perfect Circle are both powerful songs with powerful videos. However, even though they are the same song I feel as though the two contradict each other in many ways. I feel as though in Lennon’s song, he is trying to convey a message of peace, and say that if people want to get through dark times, if they try hard enough they can. In contrast, I feel as though A Perfect Circle’s version is conveying a message that people need to change. By showing those dark images, I feel as though Leonard is trying to convince people to be better and saying that no one should want the world to be that way, so we need to change and be good people to avoid reliving the dark past that our country has had. John Lennon’s “Imagine” and “Imagine” by The Perfect Circle have the exact same lyrics, but because of the imagery, tone, and its heaven vs. hell themes, they can be viewed as completely different songs.…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    The Beatles were a rock group formed in 1960 in Liverpool. They were the most successful and critically acclaimed acts in popular music history (Unterberger, 2009). It could be argued that the Beatles were one of the best things to happen in the twentieth century, let alone the sixties. They were seen as being youth personified and as being unmatched innovators being bigger that Jesus and rock & roll itself. They sold more than a billion records, breaking numerous records along the way and even after the split in 1969 the Beatles carried on making history and the Beatles album of Number One hits going onto to become the best selling album of the 2000’s hitting number one in 35 different countries (RollingStone).…

    • 2570 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the first paragraph I think that John Lennon want us to try thinking his way, like if there is no heaven and hell. Heaven and hell for me seems like the thing that devide people in two groups, good people and the bad one. Because good people of course would have good attitude only to reach the heaven which they want. So I think they do a good things also only to reach the heaven, may be they don 't really want to do the good things, they just afraid if they are not accepted in heaven. Moreover the hell would only makes us fright to do bad things. We…

    • 848 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ap Us Vitenam Dbq

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the early years of the 1960s, inflation remained at about the same rate, 2 percent. However, between 1967 and 1969 the percentage of inflation rose to 6 percent. Lyndon Johnson proposed a 10 percent “war tax” to stop the inflation, but in return he had to accept a $6 billion funding cut to his “Great Society” programs. These programs included laws that upheld civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, aid to education, and his "War on Poverty." Even though inflation was stopped, and it was minimal to begin with, there was still public concern for the economy. As with almost every war, there was a downturn in the economy. George McGovern suggested a cut in the military budget due to the “appalling waste of money and manpower” (Doc. H)…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    John lennon imagine

    • 1265 Words
    • 6 Pages

    One characteristic of Lennon’s song that must be analyzed is the characters. Because it is in the form of a song, the speaker is John Lennon. He speaks his goals of world peace and freedom through his music. The audience, therefore, would be the listener. The more direct audience that Lennon is speaking to is the people who want world peace and can imagine a world free from strife.…

    • 1265 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays