John Lennon

Look to the right, now to the left. How about your classmate or your co-worker, are they heroes? They most likely are or could be, yet no one seems to notice. John Lennon was one of those overlooked heroes in our world. John led a hard life full of challenges, but he overcame the obstacles and persevered. John Winston Lennon was born on October 9th, 1940 and he lived with his aunt in Liverpool most of his life. His dad abandoned him and his mother when he was a baby. Lennon's mom was irresponsible, and couldn't handle a child, so his aunt helped her greatly. John’s mom was the one who introduced his to the music world and taught him how to play the banjo and the guitar. After she died, Lennon continued to build off the skills she had taught him and pursue his career in music. He was the ringleader of the popular band, The Beatles, and composed most of their songs. After touring the United States with the Beatles, Lennon moved to New York and lived there the rest of his life. On December 8th, 1980 he was tragically shot dead by Mark Chapman. Lennon's legacy will not only continue, but his heroic actions are still being revealed. The true definition of a hero is someone who helps society with no reward in return. Someone who cares for others, holds strong beliefs, and makes a change in the world. John Lennon worked tirelessly to achieve success. Lennon overcame the toughest of obstacles, worked extremely hard, and wouldn't accept no for an answer. He spread peace, love, and positivity through his music which inspired society and created a better environment, ultimately making him a hero.  

Lennon Playing https://www.guitarplayer.comAt a young age, John’s mom got him a guitar, taught him chords, and he fell in love with making music. Later on, he got a banjo and learned how to play that as well. “John's feelings for his mother remained warm, and he saw a lot of her: she was entertaining and became a rock 'n' roll fan; she taught him his first guitar chords”(Middleton 2). As you can see he loved his mom and she truly was his inspiration. Even after she died he pursued music for the rest of his life, always keeping her memory in mind. The pain he felt when his only parent died, was unbearable yet he pushed through the sadness and continued to honor her with every note he wrote. After the Beatles, he wrote solo music and it was just as popular. It is very hard for people to do things that remind them of someone who had died, but Lennon wanted to create a legacy for his mom. She was the one who introduced him to music in the first place and without her, he would not have obtained the fame and the life he had.

 Having a hard life like John, most people would not accomplish so much. With him not having a father figure his whole life other than his uncle it must have been hard for him. “Born in Liverpool, England, and raised in a middle-class home that lacked a father and, eventually, a mother (she died in a car accident), Lennon was largely raised by his Aunt Mimi, who warned him that, although playing the guitar was fine, it was unlikely to earn him a living”(Fischer 1). His dad was nonexistent in his life and the only time his dad tried to contact him was when he became rich and famous. John didn’t want anything to do with him because it was hard for him to grow up without a father figure. His family was poor and he used to get teased for it which created angry feelings against his father for abandoning them. His mom was his main supporter of him and his music, and after she died his aunt was not so supportive of this career. She was skeptical because she didn't think going into the music industry was the best choice and that he could make a living off of it.  John’s early life was very hard, especially for a child. Growing up without a dad and eventually without a mom, he lacked the support he needed. Even after the tragic events in his childhood, Lennon was able to endure the hardships and create a good life for himself. Lennon inspires many people because of his determination to succeed even with the obstacles he faced. The way Lennon built an amazing life out of barely any support, and a guitar, is what inspires others and makes him a hero.

The Beatles on Tour http://www.realclearlife.com“All you need is love,” “Here comes the sun” and “Come together” are all Beatles songs that have positive messages. John knew the importance of spreading happiness. Since he had a hard life, Lennon wanted people to experience the joy that he missed out on. He knew how it was to not have parents or anyone to support him. “Like the other Beatles, [he] had adopted the shoulder-length hair, exotic clothing, and love-and-peace discourse typical of the counter-cultural hippies”(Middleton 11).  After the war in England, people were happy the war was over but a lot of soldiers died. The Beatles were anti-war because they believed that people should love everyone. That's why their message was love and peace because that was what people needed at the time. The Beatles were beginning to become huge all over America too. Lots of their songs were number one and everyone seemed to love their music. “During 1963 the Beatles' popularity spread throughout England, and they reached #1 in the Melody Maker chart with ‘Please Please Me.’ In 1964 their records, including ‘She Loves You,’ ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand,’ and ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret,’ were released in the United States. ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ reached #1 in the United States. Their revolutionary artistic and commercial leadership in the world of rock music thereafter was unchallenged” (Gale 7).  Not only were the Beatles’ songs popular, but they also took rock music by storm, creating a new style that can still be heard. John wrote most of the songs for the Beatles and was one of the most famous members of the Beatles. He truly believed in making music to better people by spreading peace, love, and positivity when times were hard. Becoming a big success and being able to spread it around the world is what a hero does. John never wanted more than a good life so he helped get others the life he wanted when he when he was little.

John Lennon had to work hard to be successful. He persevered and didn’t take no for an answer. After the war he spread peace, love, and positivity, making him a hero. John grew up with no father and no mother for most of his life. When his mother was alive she taught him to play guitar. He instantly fell in love with music and Lennon later went on to become a huge success.  He wrote and sang songs with a positive message. John Lennon used his fame to spread peace, love and positivity, which overall helped society as a whole. He did this by pursuing his musical dream even when his mother, the one that got him into music, had died, which inspired people everywhere to follow their dreams. The world can be cruel sometimes, but you just have to persevere. Other times “All You Need is Love.”

Works Cited

"John Lennon." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, Gale, 2013. Student Resources In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2419200712/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=ee3cafeb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2018.

"John Winston Lennon." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Research in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631003892/MSIC?u=powa9245&sid=MSIC&xid=e76b90f5. Accessed 29 Mar. 2018.

Middleton, Richard. "Lennon, John Ono 1940 – 1980." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Jan. 2010, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=51816900&site=brc-live.