Throughout the song, “Working Class Hero,” John Lennon utilizes
ethos by making himself seem as if he knows everything about the working class
and that people should trust and listen to him. Due to his knowledge,
people should believe him. At the end of the song he says “A working class hero
is something to be. If you want to be a hero well just follow me,” which
establishes a relationship between him and the audience because he makes
himself seem credible.
Through his lyrics, Lennon uses ethos to relate to the rhetorical
situation at the time. He makes the audience realize the truth in the world around
them. By saying, “they hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool,” Lennon
explains how at the time if you did not think and act the way everyone else
did, you were punished; if you tried to aspire, there would be consequences. The
listener gets the impression that Lennon believes people should be allowed to
do whatever they want without being punished.
I agree that John Lennon builds credibility by trying to relate to the audience. He makes it apparent he knows the struggles, and he sympathizes with the working class. However, I think you should have talked about Lennon's background for ethos. John Lennon grew up fairly poor, and was considered lower class. He understands the lower working class' struggles. He also has credibility as John Lennon, a famous singer.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that credibility can solely be determined based on lyrics. John Lennon can write tis song, but it would not be credible unless he was an actual working class hero himself. At the time that he wrote this, the song was relevant to many, but I do not see the ethos in this song considering that Lennon was a man with plenty of money. Maybe is he had grown up in a working class family (I do not know if he did or not) he would be more credible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike's comment regarding John Lennon's personal experience in relation to his song. Anybody could sing a song about the struggles of the working class, but it takes a certain qualification in a person for the message to be heard. I am curious about Lennon's upbringing and if he shared difficulties similar to those of the people he sung singing about. Also, I am wondering if there were any stylistic elements to the tune of the song itself that made its message more trustworthy.
DeleteI agree with Mike's comment regarding John Lennon's personal experience in relation to his song. Anybody could sing a song about the struggles of the working class, but it takes a certain qualification in a person for the message to be heard. I am curious about Lennon's upbringing and if he shared difficulties similar to those of the people he sung singing about. Also, I am wondering if there were any stylistic elements to the tune of the song itself that made its message more trustworthy.
DeleteI agree with Mike and Emily, although John Lennon seems to understand what the working class was going through it can only be through observation. The line “they hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool” is relevant to John Lennon's life because he was known for voicing his opinion which was often controversial but it does not apply to him in the aspect of being from the working class.
DeleteI agree with everyone commenting. I think that examining his extrinsic ethos would enhance this analysis and also enhance the understanding of the piece of music itself.
ReplyDelete