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Essay / Analysis of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon
The song Imagine was composed by John Lennon in March 1971 and was originally inspired by a book called Grapefruit written by Yoko Ono. At that time, the Vietnam War played a big role in society because a few years earlier, in 1968, the horrible Tet Offensive had taken place. It was at this time that North Vietnam attacked the American base at Khe Sanh. This resulted in the deaths of 205 American soldiers (including 1,600 wounded) and the deaths of over 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers. For North Vietnam, the attack was a catastrophe with between 10 and 15,000 soldiers killed, although it was an important victory on a psychological and propagandistic level. The war was between communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong and South Vietnam and the United States. It was a war that lasted from 1955 until Ho Chi Minh and his North Vietnamese troops took control of South Vietnam and American forces withdrew in 1975. Many people died during the war , approximately 2 to 3 million people. Souls all over the world started protesting against the war after seeing images and films of the war on television. This even caused difficulties in diplomatic relations between Sweden and the United States. Many people protested because they saw how many soldiers and civilians were dying, and also believed that the United States should not have intervened in the conflict. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe meaning of the song – is to send peace to the world John Lennon uses repetition and repeats the word “imagine” everything throughout the song. He does this because he wants the listener to imagine a place where everyone is the same. “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can” Here he poses a rhetorical question to the listener that makes you think if it is actually possible to imagine no possessions. Imagine a place where you should put aside your selfishness and greed. He also hopes that one day the world will become one, which is hyperbole since he doesn't mean that the world should literally be one. “I hope that one day you will join us and the world will become one. » He also tries to tell us that we should live for today and not worry too much about the future. “No hell below us. Above us, only the sky. Imagine all the people living for today… Aha-ah…”. Hell symbolizes something bad and the only thing that is above us is heaven which is the symbol of something great. John Lennon is trying to tell us that we shouldn't worry about going to hell, which goes against religion. “There is nothing to kill or die for, and no religion either.” So basically we shouldn't think too much about what will happen in the future and just live for today and make the most of it. The message of the song could also be associated with these groups and events, for example, Band-Aid, 1984. This was a group of elite British and Irish musicians, led by Bob Geldof, formed to organize a fundraising event in Ethiopia. They recorded the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” ". They received considerable support across the world and encouraged a sense of solidarity on a global scale. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, there were also a group of well-known musicians/artists who collaborated on a fundraiser for starving people in Africa, titled USA, 157, 1-18.