Payne-Waldock 1

Jocelyn Payne-Waldock

Prof. Sobocinski

ENG 1101-547

9 February 2020

Rhetorical Analysis of the song ¨Imagine¨ by John Lennon and the cover by Avril Lavigne

¨You may say that 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¨ (John Lennon, ¨Imagine¨). The lyrics in the song ¨Imagine¨,

written by John Lennon, support the main claim of world peace throughout the song. In the

music video by John Lennon, insight is given into a simplistic world without any hunger,

fighting, worry, or religion. In the music video by Avril Lavigne, she demonstrates what life is

like for people living in poverty who are hungry and dying. Although ¨Imagine¨ by John Lennon

and the cover by Avril Lavigne share the same theme of world peace, they appeal to different

audiences and each of the videos have different characteristics that lead to the same theme.

The original music video of ¨Imagine¨ by John Lennon starts off with a couple walking to

get to their home, which resides in the middle of the woods. Once they arrive, we see that the

house is practically empty except for a large white piano. While Lennon plays the piano, his

significant other opens all the blinds to let light into their home. She then joins him at the piano.

The music video is very simple and shows how a simplistic life is a happy life. The cover of

¨Imagine¨ by Avril Lavigne takes a very different turn while the same theme remains. In this
music video, Lavigne shows clips of death, poverty, religion, fire, and worry to really drive the

point home. She shows what living in these situations can do, and why we desperately need

world peace.

While both music videos share the same theme of world peace, they appeal to very

different audiences. The original music video by John Lennon is so simplistic, it does not target a

specific audience other than John Lennon´s fans and an age range around 20-60, so the audience

for this video is anyone and everyone who sees it. On the other hand, the audience for the music

video by Avril Lavigne is mainly directed towards the younger generation, women, and people

who have gone through a rough time in life. In this music video, there are several young women

represented whereas the original music video only showcases John Lennon and his significant

other. Lavigne´s music video also appeals to the younger generations by including the trendy

clothing and hairstyles that appeal to young girls and teens.

The main rhetorical appeal that is used in each of these music videos is pathos. In the

original music video, John Lennon uses pathos to create the overarching message of the video by

showing how life would be without all the violence and fighting in the world. He showcases a

simplistic life that is built off love, without any of the materialistic things that our world revolves

around. In the video, you notice that in his house, there is barely anything except for a piano to

make music. In the cover by Avril Lavigne, pathos is used to create the claim of the video by

showing clips of violence, poverty, fire, religion, and death to spark an emotion in the viewer.

There are some very vivid clips of unconscious children being carried away, people sleeping on

the street, and cars on fire to really get a reaction out of the viewer. Lavigne also adds in clips of

herself with undereye bags, ratted hair, and bleak emotions to show that even she goes through
hard times. Both music videos call for a change, although they both have very different ways of

getting to the same point.

¨Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed...¨ (John Lennon,

¨Imagine¨). These song lyrics play a very important role in the message that Lennon is trying to

get out to the world. Imagine a more simplistic world, where people´s lives didn´t revolve around

the materialistic things, and instead they revolved around love. Lennon does an amazing job

showcasing this claim in his music video. ¨Imagine there's no countries, it isn´t hard to do.

Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too¨ (John Lennon, ¨Imagine¨). These song lyrics play

a very important role in the message that Avril Lavigne is trying to showcase. Lavigne's music

video focuses more on death and religion and she uses that to really drive the claim home.

Although ¨Imagine¨ by John Lennon and the cover by Avril Lavigne share the same theme of

world peace, they appeal to different audiences and they both have very different ways of

showcasing and supporting their claim.

 Works Cited

Lennon, John. “Imagine.” Imagine, Ascot Sound Studios, 1971, track 1.

Genius, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOgFZfRVaww.

Lavigne, Avril. ¨Imagine cover. ¨ Imagine, 2009,

YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJrwTgFt3Ek