John Lennon’s Beliefs

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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...

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...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).

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