It is important to analyze protest songs as having a rhetorical objective because of their incredible power to influence people who hear them and learn from the oppositional views presented in the songs. The role of a protest song is to express values, ideas, social movements, and to reach a larger audience than would be possible if it were just spoken as a speech. These types of songs have the ability to connect and evoke emotions such as hope, anger, fear, etc. and they link an individual’s idea to a community of people.  By forming a larger group that has shared ideas, one's voice becomes stronger than if it were just individual (Quirk 6). Protest songs were not studied as having a rhetorical function until the 1970s when the Vietnam War stimulated a lot of anti-war protests. John Lennon, a former member of the iconic band, The Beatles, joined forces in the fight for peace during the tumultuous era of protest during the Vietnam War. He used his own talents as an artist and took on the role of being a political activist through the use of his music. This paper analyzes the song “Imagine”, by John Lennon, as an example of a powerful form of rhetoric through the use of political protest music during a historical time period, and how it continues to be an anthem for peace today. Lennon’s use of his own ethos in delivering a political message in a popular medium resulted in a link to a large audience that is still apparent today and is evidenced by the many monuments dedicated to Lennon and his song “Imagine” as well as the amount of events and performances that continue today as homage to him and this iconic protest song, which are all examples of a type of public memorializing which remains powerful today.
 

John Lennon was, and still is, a well-known musician, but he also took on the role of being a political activist during the peak of his popularity during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, which can be seen through his music. A lot of his views were influenced by the current events of the time; in particular, the Vietnam War, which Lennon vehemently opposed.  At the time, Lennon and his wife, Yoko, would perform “bed-ins” as part of their activism. This consisted of them staying locked in their room for days at a time in order to get a point across (Schrieber). While anti-war marches and other protests took the streets all across the United States, Lennon used his own artistic talent to voice his own views.  A strategy of activism for Lennon was the use of political protest songs. A protest song typically has two elements: it identifies a social problem, and asks for a call of action (Quirk 8).  The point of the song “Imagine” is clear right away:  world peace. However, in order to achieve world peace, according to John and the song “Imagine”, it is actually quite controversial. “Imagine there’s no heaven”, the opening line of the song, and then he asks us to imagine no countries, possessions, religions. These are all beliefs and aspects of our world that are most near and dear to our hearts. Lennon seems to be taking a strong political stance: anti-establishment. This is where the song gets controversial. A church even asked Lennon if they could use the song but change the lyric from “no religion” to “one religion”, however Lennon said no, because that would defeat the whole point of the song. The whole point of the song has been disputed for many years, and will continue to be disputed because as Laura Ulster put it, we live “in a world of unending conflict over exactly the things he mentions in the song-our borders, our religion, our possessions-we want to imagine it too”. (Ulster) The key word: “unending”. These conflicts will always continue.
 

Upon close examination the song “Imagine” has a controversial message, but since it is a political protest song it is extremely persuasive. Scholars have identified three persuasive elements of political protest songs (Quark 8). First off, the music is repetitive. This is apparent in the song “Imagine”.  Lennon makes use of the scheme anaphora; he deliberately repeats the word “imagine” at the beginning of verses 1, 2, and 4. Not only is this word, “imagine” the title, but because it is repeated multiple times it becomes the focal point of the song as well. Lennon wants the audience to simply just imagine the world without all of these things. Secondly, as Quirk stated about effective protest music, the “music emphasizes the non-discursive because it operates on a physiological mode which affects the human body” (Quirk 8). This means that music directly affects our bodies in ways that a speech cannot. Music can use different melodies, rhythms, and instruments that help evoke an emotional connection to the audience. Musically, the song “Imagine” is remarkably simple. Combining this simplicity with the timeless lyrics, and the soft melodic piano, makes the song one of the best of the century. Lennon purposely made the overall style to be sweet and soft because he wanted to not only put people in almost a dream-like trance and really think about the world without religion, possessions, war, etc. but also to alleviate the true feelings Lennon displays in the song: antiestablishment. Lennon stated, “Imagine is anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic... but because it is sugar-coated, it is accepted” (Larkin) . Lastly, good protest music is based on personal experiences (Quirk 9). The listener can interpret the song in numerous ways. For example, a religious person may understand “Imagine” as anti-religious and find it offensive. Whereas another person may hear “Imagine” and its message can be simply heard as a peaceful song that raises hope. “Imagine” fits all the persuasive elements of a political protest song, which may credit why it became such a famous song that endures to this day.

 
“Imagine” is a compelling political protest song, but Lennon also made use of his own ethos to connect with a larger audience, he was one of the first celebrities to utilize his fame in order to advocate for political causes (Kane, 108)  Lennon had previously been a part of the most famous band at the time, The Beatles, which already made John Lennon a household name.  During the time Lennon wrote “Imagine” in 1971, his fame was at an all-time high. Just a year before he had been named “man of the year” by Rolling Stone magazine, and anthropologist/sociologist Desmona Morris chose Lennon as “man of the decade” (Edmonson, 132). Lennon did not need to provide concrete facts because people already believed him. He did make use of fallacies to undermine his argument. The phrase “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”, is an example of ad populum. He is saying he is not the only one who dreams of world peace, and since everyone else believes it, so you should too. Lennon also used a causal fallacy by saying that all these establishments such as religion, borders, and possessions are what is preventing world peace because establishment is what causes war. However there are zero statistics or facts that are used in this song to support this argument, but because of his own use of ethos he did not necessarily need to use logic. Lennon’s fame helped to establish his credibility, and since he already had a major fan base, the song “Imagine” was already positioned to be a hit.

 
John Lennon left a huge political mark on the world with his song “Imagine” not only at the time that it was first published, but also the influence of this popular protest song continues on around the world today. The fact that Lennon’s song “Imagine” continues to have such a powerful influence today is evidenced by the presence of countless monuments and homage performances of “Imagine”.  There are monuments around the world dedicated to the song, such as the monument at Liverpool airport, which has the line “above us only sky” on the ceiling, and Yoko’s monument in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park in New York city has a mosaic of “Imagine”.  Artists of every genre from Liza Minnelli, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Lady Gaga and more have covered the song “Imagine”. Not only that, but also these artists have covered this song at major events such as the Olympics, New Year’s Eve, and concerts for world peace and hunger (Ulster).

 
Public commemorative monuments, especially those that pertain to the Vietnam War, are arguably powerful rhetorical pieces. Blair states that monuments “are rhetorical products of some significance.” Monuments take pieces of history such as events, individuals, places, and ideas that are “sacralized” by a culture (Blair 263). In this case the monuments dedicated to Lennon and his song “Imagine” are living proof of the power “Imagine” had as a political protest song. The hope for peace that “Imagine” demonstrates is at the core of cultures all over the world. Without hope for a better world there is no sight of a better future.  Memorials make use of the modern form while also referencing history. While they remember the past, they are also a celebration of the future. Lennon is asking the listeners in Imagine to consider what the future would look like without countries, possessions, religions; and the memorials are living forms of the song.

 
Memorials and monuments are forms of architecture that have rhetorical significance for societies and the many memorials and monuments dedicated to Lennon and his song “Imagine” are examples of the power that the song has as a memorializing tool. As Jencks states, architecture is “a form of social discourse”. Memorials invite discussions, emotions, different interpretations of symbols and metaphors; “the presence of a structure is itself a message” (Blair 267). The Lennon wall in Prague is a popular tourist attraction. This memorial is dedicated to Lennon because from his use of “Imagine” as a political protest song he became a symbol for freedom of thought. Czechoslovakia was a very different place In the 1980s. Communist authorities deprived the citizens from artistic expression. Memorials, such as this one, often provoke painful memories of marginalization, racism, and injustice (Gallagher, 93). Looking at the John Lennon wall, the eye is overwhelmed with the colors, and street art. Freedom of speech is something we take for granted in the United States; the wall is a stark reminder that this has not always been the case for everyone. However, it is also the harsh reality that this fight for peace is never ending. In 2014 people awoke to the famous Lennon wall completely painted over with the message “War is over, if you want it”. A group of art students wanted to drive home a message that while one war ends, another continues. The students left an explanation for what they did, stating “Twenty-five years ago, one big totalitarian wall fell...Students of art schools are expressing their commemoration of (1989) and opening room for new messages of the current generation” (Chandler).   While “Imagine” was a powerful protest song, the memorials dedicated to it continue to elicit conversation of our troublesome past, whether it be freedom of expression, anti-war, equality, and how these issues continue today.

 
The compelling lyrics of “Imagine” connect to the oppressed, but also to those in power, highlighting why it is such a remarkable protest song that reaches a range of listeners. Again, the more people who can agree on a political stance, or ideology, the greater the potential for change. The memorial “Parque John Lennon” that is located in Havana, Cuba is a statue of Lennon on a park bench, and the lyrics from the song “Imagine”: “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. While the wall in Prague symbolizes protest against the oppression of the communist government the statue in Cuba was revealed at a ceremony by Cuban president Fidel Castro. It was surprising to many that Fidel Castro, the communist leader of Cuba from 1976-2008, allowed a memorial dedicated to John Lennon’s song “Imagine” considering many interpret it as an anti-establishment protest song. Castro stated at the ceremony  “I am a dreamer, who has seen some of his dreams become reality.” This exemplifies the idea that protest songs, and memorials do not have a single interpretation and evoke many different responses. Memorials dedicated to the song “Imagine” and John Lennon are located all over and are continued forms of rhetoric for the political protest song, “Imagine”. They represent not only how powerful “Imagine” was at the time it was released, but also how “Imagine” continues to be an integral part of cultures all over the world today.

 
Additionally, the memorials devoted to commemorating Lennon and the message of “Imagine” continue to be duplicated in events and performances as tributes to “Imagine” and Lennon. “The rhetorical power of the memorial is multiplied by its reach. It has enormous drawing power, and it is ‘reproduced’ and ‘replicated’ in popular culture products, thus expanding the range of possible impact” (Blair 263). In this case, homage performances are rhetorics of monuments. Today, “Imagine” is considered to be an International anthem for world peace (Larkin). Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, once said “in many countries around the world-my wife and I have visited about 125 countries-you hear John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ used almost equally with national anthems”.  One of the most well-known memorials in the United States is the “Strawberry Fields” memorial located in central park NYC. Created by Ono, Lennon’s wife, it consists of a garden and a large mosaic with the word “Imagine” as the focal point (Dalton).  This memorial marks an important place that connects the rhetoric of memorials and how they inspire the re-creation of the song “Imagine”. September 11th, 2001, is a familiar date for every American. In response, parades of citizens from downtown gathered in Central Park west at the Strawberry Fields for shedding tears. This memorial reminded those of hope, to “Imagine all the people living life in peace” the influential words that Lennon once sang. The gathering at Strawberry Fields inspired artists to cover the song “Imagine” as a response to the unfortunate events.

 
“Imagine” has developed into an international hymn that vocalizes the emotions that the memorials continue to evoke. In the weeks following the attack of the Twin Towers the song “Imagine” quickly rose to the top of the charts, becoming the song of the year…30 years after its release. The events of September 11th left a need for attention to the broken hearts, and fear many faced in the weeks following.  On September 21st a telethon America: A tribute to heroes aired. Neil Young choose to perform the song “Imagine” instead of one of his own songs, because he could not think of any of his own songs that would comfort people in the way that the song “Imagine” would. It had been made clear through the gathering at the Strawberry Fields memorial that people turned to “Imagine” to find optimism in its lyrics, so Young continued the rhetoric the memorial evoked by covering the song. The same day Young sang “Imagine”, CBS had Tori Amos perform Imagine on the ‘Saturday Early Show’. She described “Imagine” as “a song about sanity” and that “'Imagine' is the one thing that can bring me to a place where I can get logical, think, breathe. Yes, the song is an anthem. But it's also oxygen” (Fricke).  Whether “Imagine” was performed because it provided comfort, or sanity, it stuck out as an influential song in the period after September 11th.

 
Through the dissection of the song “Imagine” by John Lennon it is clear that rhetoric is not confined to just speeches, but can take on many artistic forms that may have more influence than a speech ever could.  John Lennon took on the role of a political rights activist during a historical time period when the movement towards peace started because of the opposition to the Vietnam War. Lennon was one of the most famous musicians at the time, and he made use of his own ethos to create an impactful political protest song that touched lives all over the world. While “Imagine” was written to address the issues at that time it continues to be an anthem today. Memorials dedicated to the song “Imagine” and Lennon are powerful forms of rhetoric that continue the influence of “Imagine” and its message, however it may be interpreted. They open up the conversation about the issues going on today, and they will continue to open up conversations about whatever the future entails. The memorials have inspired artists to continue singing “Imagine” to address different events, highlighting the true power political protests songs like this one have.

 

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