Analyzation and Critical Review

1. Imagine
(John Lennon)
G r o u p 2 0 - E N G 1 1 8
A g a , M a r c o & C a r i n g a l , M a . L o u r d e s

2. About John Lennon
b o r n O c t o b e r 9 , 1 9 4 0 , L i v e r p o o l , E n g l a n d
d i e d D e c e m b e r 8 , 1 9 8 0 , N e w Y o r k , N e w Y o r k , U . S .
l e a d e r o r c o - l e a d e r o f t h e B r i t i s h r o c k g r o u p t h e
B e a t l e s .
a u t h o r a n d g r a p h i c a r t i s t , s o l o r e c o r d i n g a r t i s t , a n d
c o l l a b o r a t o r w i t h Y o k o O n o o n r e c o r d i n g s a n d o t h e r
a r t p r o j e c t s .

3. About "Imagine"
I n 1 9 7 1 , a m i d t h e h e i g h t o f t h e V i e t n a m W a r ,
t h e s o n g I m a g i n e b y J o h n L e n n o n w a s w r i t t e n
a n d p e r f o r m e d . I m a g i n e i s o n e o f t h e t o p 1 0 0
m o s t - p e r f o r m e d s o n g s o f t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y ,
a c c o r d i n g t o W i k i p e d i a .
I t p e a k e d a t n u m b e r o n e f o l l o w i n g t h e d e a t h
o f J o h n L e n n o n .
A d d i t i o n a l l y , i n a d d i t i o n t o r e c e i v i n g
c o u n t l e s s h o n o r s a n d s e r v i n g a s t h e g l o b a l
a n t h e m f o r j u s t i c e , p e a c e , a n d e q u a l i t y . . .

4. 1ST STANZA
T h e i d e a o f h e a v e n a n d h e l l i s
d i f f e r e n t i n a l l r e l i g i o n s .
H e a v e n a n d h e l l i s l i f e a f t e r d e a t h
a s J o h n L e n n o n ' s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n h a s
n o r e a l i t y o r p r o o f .
L i n e t h r e e o f t h e p o e m a s k s
r e a d e r s t o p u t t h e i r r e l i g i o u s a n d
p h i l o s o p h i c a l p r e c e p t s a s i d e a n d
l o o k a t t h e w o r l d a s t h e u l t i m a t e
r e a l i t y , a n d t o l i v e i n t h e m o m e n t .
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Ah

5. According to the poet, it is not
difficult to go, implying that there
is no difficulty in picturing it.
Thus, the poet invites us to
consider what would happen if the
two separating powers, countries
and religions, were not present on
earth; no one would die or murder
others.
2ND STANZA
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You

6. The third stanza is structured as
a chorus.
The poet expresses concern
that people may mistake him for
a daydreamer. Although he
believes that he is not alone in
his viewpoint, he does not
believe that this is the case.
3RD STANZA (CHORUS)
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

7. The poet discusses material
possessions in this verse. Greed
and capitalism are the results of
materialistic wants, and this divides
society once more between rich
and poor classes. Again, this desire
contributes to the world's issues.
As a result, the poet challenges us
to consider and envision a world
without conflict, class, greed, or
problems if we only give up our
need to own material goods.
4TH STANZA
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You

8. 5TH STANZA (FINAL STANZA)
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Another chorus is repeated by the
poet in the final stanza. According to
him, even if his heart belongs to the
dreamer, he will one day join him,
and the world will become one as a
result.

9. THEME, MOOD AND TONE
John tries to provoke his audience. Imagine,
he asks us in his thought-provoking song. The
human imagination has conjured up some of
the most horrific atrocities, but also some of
the most beautiful hopes and dreams. John
Lennon encourages us to conceive a better
world, and we can make it so.
The song has a more relaxed and thoughtful
tone to it. "Imagine" appears frequently in
stanzas, encouraging the listener to imagine a
more peaceful world.

10. THEME, MOOD AND TONE
Inspires the listener to envision a future free
of religious, national, and material conflict.
Because it has no political message, you can
disregard this as a song about politics. It
merely promotes harmony.
Despite its title, this is NOT an atheist song.
However, it rejects the notion that one religion
is superior than another.

11. FACTS AND TRIVIAS
As a result of John Lennon's anti-
war activism, United States
President Richard Nixon attempted
to suppress him.
The president is attempting to
suppress someone who is
dedicated to world peace.
The song's theme as a whole is that
if we stop segregating ourselves
from one another, the "world will
live as one."

12. CONCLUSION
Rather than making us feel divided, John Lennon
wants us to believe that there is no such thing as
ourselves. This, in turn, turns us into animals.
Our ability to coexist peacefully will increase as
we learn to share and replace our greed with
compassion
"Imagine," which is well-known throughout the world, brings hope to the
forlorn and motivates even skeptics...
Despite the widespread belief that peace is impossible to attain,
singer/songwriter John Lennon offers a simple solution: stop being prejudiced
and start sharing.

13. ACTIVITY
To better comprehend John Lennon's songs,
learn about his life and answer the question:
What do John Lennon's songs tell us about
him?

14. Thank you
for listening!
I m a g i n e b y J o h n
L e n n o n
P r e s e n t e d b y :
A g a , M a r c o
C a r i n g a l , M a . L o u r d e s R .