ANALYZING VISUAL TEXTS Alqahtani 1

Wejdan Alqahtani

ENG 1201

15th July 2020

Analyzing Visual Texts - John Lennon’s Imagine

Introduction

The song ‘Imagine’ written and performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono has become one of

the most important works of socially conscious music and art to have been produced in the 20th

century. The song encapsulates messages unaffected by time such as peace, social harmony,

cooperation, tolerance, unity in diversity and so on. The song itself can be applied to all these

various themes due to its highly universal nature. In this paper, we will be looking at two versions

of the music video produced for the song - one originally by Lennon and another from UNICEF

which was produced in 2016. Both versions have similar characteristics in terms of the central

themes present and the rhetorical appeals int eh sense that they both seek to appeal to our collective

social consciousness by using the factor of ‘ethos’. However, there are also several ways in which

they differ, which is what we will be exploring in this paper. The original version of ‘Imagine’ by

John Lennon primarily employs themes of peace and cooperation in the social context of the

Vietnam war and doing away with war and large scale violence by demonstrating for peace in the

masses. The social context of this song has changed over the years in the UNICEF version in which

the performance appeals to social problems in the 21st century such as discrimination, diversity,

inclusivity and social equality while retaining the main idea from Lennon’s version.

Imagine - John Lennon and Yoko Ono

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There are only two human subjects depicted in this music video, performers John Lennon and

Yoko Ono. The music video’s central theme is world peace, harmonious co-existence in society,

and doing away with war. The primary reasoning behind these themes is our strive for world peace

and social equality. The music video features the performers in a plain white room with a plain

white grand piano being used, which is symbolic of peace. Yoko Ono is seen to be opening the

curtains in the space to expose more of the room to sunlight, which signifies a transitionary phase in

society from social unrest to a state of peace and harmony and that this process must be brought

about with social cooperation and collaboration. The audience for this video was primarily anti-

establishment, anti-war activists and younger generations belonging to lower and middle class

families in America and around the world.

Analysis

The visuals of the music video are made to go along with the highly insightful subject matter

of the song that prompts the viewer to pay attention to both the words being sung and the message

being conveyed by using the music video as a performance art piece, something that had been

previously observed in the works of Yoko Ono. The gradual fading in of light into the room by

opening the curtains present are symbolic of how we must, through collective action and unity,

battle violence and come together to demonstrate our support for peace. This kind of symbolism is

typical of instances of ‘pathos’ being used which invokes the emotional aspect of the viewer. The

white coloured theme is also a rhetorical statement on peace, which is extremely important in the

music video. These factors perfectly encapsulate the context of the song and the music video which

are highly exclusive to the Vietnam war era when violence was at a high and how various groups of

people across the world were protesting in support of peace.

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Imagine - UNICEF World Version

The subjects depicted in this video are primarily celebrities from different parts of the world,

from different backgrounds and cultures. The music video features prominent icons of pop culture

from different nationalities and identities, which is primarily a reference to the increasingly diverse

world that we find ourselves in today. The central theme of the music video remains diversity and

how we must be able to find unity in diversity.

Analysis/Relationship

Similar to John Lennon’s music video, this video employs themes of social urgency and seeks

to appeal to the viewers using ‘pathos’. The central theme is leaning towards racial and cultural

equality, embracing diversity, and calling for unity. Though the primary message has remained

same from the original video, this version is centred more towards diversity and inclusivity than

anti-war sentiments or discussions of peace against violence. By having people from different

backgrounds, the music video hints at the importance of coming together to foster an inclusive,

healthy environment that is equitable for all. The primary difference between Lennons’ original and

this version is that the context of the song and the message has changed. They both have to do with

coming together for social betterment, but are different in the means of coming together, and the

cause for coming together. While Lennon’s version tackles peace and cooperation to tackle

violence, this version tackles discrimination and cooperation to create inclusiveness. The audience

is similar to Lennon’s original music video - general and broad and does not appeal to any

particular group of people.

Conclusion
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The original version of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon primarily employs themes of peace and

cooperation in the social context of the Vietnam war and doing away with war and large scale

violence by demonstrating for peace in the masses. The social context of this song has changed over

the years in the UNICEF version in which the performance appeals to social problems in the 21st

century such as discrimination, diversity, inclusivity and social equality while retaining the main

idea from Lennon’s version. The central theme of both the music video remains the same, but the

newer version is more in tune with the issues facing the world today. The factor of context therefore

becomes extremely important in this case. Despite the dissimilarities, both the music video resonate

an equally important and an equally universal message with the audience.

Works Cited
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Garofalo, I. " Imagine": An anthem for peace and solidarity, 1971-2018. MS thesis. 2018.

"Imagine (UNICEF: World Version) - YouTube." N.p., 2016. Web.

Lennon, John, et al. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Apple, 1970.

Lennon, John. "Imagine - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (w the Flux ..." N.p., 1971. Web.

Nichols, David. "Review of John Lennon: Imagine." History Australia 6.2 (2009): 50-1.