Bob Marley

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"Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?" (Bob Marley). Much of our nation today remembers Bob Marley as a weed smoking singer that also played soccer, but he had a lot more character to him than what society viewed him as. He saved many black people because he fought for equal rights and later became a powerful leader in politics. Because of his rough youth and disengaged family, he turned to music as an escape, in which he later became very successful for. Important roles of people in Marley's life were his wife, 10 kids, and his peer, Peter Tosh. Bob Marley has a star on the walk of fame strip. Also, he had two statues, one of which is in the Celebrity Park in Kingston, and the other is at the National Gallery of Jamaica. On February 10, 1966, he married his wife, Rita Anderson. "On June 15, 1978, Marley was presented with the Third World Peace Medal by all the African delegations to the United Nations for his work on human rights."(King). To me, a hero must possess bravery and must be determined. Bob Marley was to be brave to resiliently overcome his struggles in his youth and later life, all while staying determined as he made his dream of becoming a singer and fighting for human rights a reality.

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Bob Marley is not just a singer, he is also a fighter for human rights because of his braveness and determination. Therefore he is a hero because he was a powerful politic and was brave and determined. Bob Marley is a brave person because he had to stand up against bigger people than him. Bob Marley was brave because of his political power that he gained from standing up for people, "Marley became a powerful political icon in Jamaica and in 1976 survived an assassination attempt by gunmen apparently trying to stop a free concert organized by the ruling People's National Party. After the frightening incident, Marley left for tours of Europe and the United States and produced four new albums that increased his worldwide popularity"(Edwards)This shows that he is brave because he survived an assassination and still performed four world tours and he produced four albums that made him even more popular. He was even hurt during the concerts and he would perform a ritualistic dance. Another example showing that he's brave is that, "Bob Marley quickly learned to defend himself against Trench Town's rude boys and bad men. Bob's formidable street-fighting skills earned him the respectful nickname Tuff Gong."(Tuff Gong Worldwide Inc.) Bob had to be brave because there were bigger guys than him at the Trench Town. He had to protect himself from other people like the the rude boys from the town. He was brave enough to stand up against them he got the nickname Tuff Gong. One last example of showing his bravery is,"In 1975 Marley released the classic Natty Dread album, which was inspired by the political warfare that threatened Jamaica in early 1974. The album established him as a preeminent moral authority and a political visionary alongside peers like John Lennon. Marley made public his explicit fondness for the African continent, and he demonstrated an affiliation with African resistance struggles in South Africa and Zimbabwe." (King) This shows bravery because he is putting his country in danger but he has many other famous peers. This made him a big political visionary. He also made an "explicit affiliation towards the African resistance struggles in South Africa and Zimbabwe." (King) Bob Marley shows bravery because of many reasons but these are my reasons on why he is my hero.

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Bob Marley is determined to fight for human rights and was determined to keep his career on singing. He showed determination from the beginning which is shown in this, " His early career was marked by interruptions and detours because he could not earn enough money to make a living and the band often battled for creative and financial control with record producers and companies."(Edwards) This shows how Marley did not give up even though no one would produce his songs, but he still found a way for things and he was determined to change the band's life. He wanted to make his band famous and keep making people listen to his music because it was so calm and relaxing when people were going through rough times which saved many people. Another detail on how he was determined was that, "when Bob left school at 14 years old she found him a position as a welder's apprentice, which he reluctantly accepted. After a short time on the job a tiny steel splinter became embedded in Bob's eye. Following that incident, Bob promptly quit welding and solely focused on his musical pursuits."(Tuff Gong Worldwide Inc.) Marley was determined to pursue his dream of singing at such a young age. After his welding job he never really worked much after that so he can hone is singing and guitar skills. Finally one last example of him being determined was when he was young and was in a bad environment, "Bob and Bunny grew up in an environment where violent crime was glorified by many young people as one of the few ways of getting ahead. Music was seen as another means of escape. Like most of their contemporaries, the two boys dreamed of becoming recording stars and spent their days coming up with songs and practicing them to the accompaniment of makeshift guitars they fashioned from bamboo, sardine cans, and electrical wire."(Bob Marley) This shows determination in Bob because he lives in a place where there is violence a lot and his friend and his dream of becoming "recording stars" becomes their goal. He is determined to survive in the town with singing with his friend. Bob Marley was brave and determined because he showed that being brave and determined will help you survive in tough times and make you a stronger person. Bob Marley is my hero because he was brave and determined in his life because he had to overcome struggles and other issues like human rights. He also saved many other people when he worked on the human rights. Bob Marley inspires me and others because he shows determination and bravery on how he fights for others not just him. One example of that is that, "When Manley asked Bob Marley to give a "Smile Jamaica" concert to reduce tensions between the warring gangs associated with the two parties, the singer readily agreed."(Bob Marley) This is inspiring because he wants to have world peace and doesn't want violence against the two gangs. He is inspiring them to be calm and make them be friendly. Another example is, "...a group of political refugees from Sierra Leone living in Guinean concentration camps and traumatized by years of bloody warfare in their country, found through the music of Bob Marley, inspiration to form their own band and write and record their own songs."(Tuff Gong Worldwide Inc.) This is inspiring because they are going through tough times at the concentration camp and Bob Marley made them songs that made them survive at the camp. He inspired them to make a their own band and make their own songs. He is my hero because he is brave and determined and will always live in everyone's hearts.

Work Cited

"Bob Marley." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 24. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Biography in Context. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

"Bob Marley." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Biography in Context. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

Tuff Gong Worldwide Inc. "Bob Marley - The Official Site." Bob Marley. Forefathers Group, 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

"Bob Marley." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Biography in Context. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.

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