Introduction

Dear readers,

Thank you for checking out our blog! We are a group of four undergraduate students currently studying rhetoric at the University of Maryland, College Park. While studying different movements of the 1960s, something that caught our interest was the use of music and the effect it could have on an entire generation. We decided to study two songs written by The Beatles that were released around the same time, but targeted two completely different social movements. The first song we chose, “Revolution” was released in 1968 and caught the attention of the anti-war movement. The second song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, was released in 1967 and really was interpreted as a song about drug use, being that it was released at a time The Hippie Movement was at its height. Together, these texts both convey a message to their audience and had major effects on society. As college students in the 21st century, we are very well aware that our society is hugely impacted by popular culture especially in the form of media and music. We felt that these texts showed the same impact many songs may have on our society today, and that there is much more meaning behind a song then just its title.

The two texts we have chosen may seem completely different but when we began to analyze the meaning behind the two, we found that they actually share some common meaning. Both of these songs had a strong appeal to pathos and kairos, and through these appeals, they were able to similarly affect their listeners. Our blog points out the connection that both songs promote peace and love and because they are both songs, they used similar tactics to do so. The 1960s were a time period full of changes and meaningful movements that had effects on society for years. During this time, it was a challenge for people to stand out amongst the many others trying to make a difference but, The Beatles didn't necessarily have this problem due to their huge popularity and credibility. By analyzing these texts, we were able to see the similarities between the two and how, although intended for different audiences, they generally had the same effect on those who listened.

As you read through our blog you’ll notice how the songs, although they were written in the 1960’s, are still relevant today. The idea of revolution is not a new concept and it’s still applicable today. War continues to plague our world, and the impacts of war in turn affect society. The whole population will never fully support a war because of all the negativity associated with it, therefore, The Beatles antiwar song “Revolution” will remain applicable to today’s society and the future. In regards to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which was released during the hippie movement, the song was interpreted as a description of the effects of drug use on the mind.This song can relate to today because people still continue to use drugs and have similar experiences as to what is shown in the songs. Also, the movement towards the legalization of marijuana today can be associated with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. After reading our blog we hope that reader have a better understanding of the 1960’s and how it parallels today's society, nearly 60 years later.

While their kairotic situation played a big part in the Beatles’ relevance, their talented writing style was what kept them so famous. The way that the Beatles craft their songs appeals to the emotion and imagination of its listeners. In “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds”, they use abstract language to challenge their listeners’ imagination. Whether the song is about the use of drugs or a child’s picture, people can make the lyrics their own using their personal experiences to influence their imagination. In “Revolution”, the words appeal to the emotions of people who are affected by the war. Their lyrics about peace and encouragements that everything will be okay are inspirational and strike a lot of emotion in those with a close connection to this issue. In both songs, pathos plays a key role in the song’s connection with its audience.

As English 101 students, we made sure that our blog, which is now a piece of literature, had some elements of rhetoric within it.  The logos of our blog was chosen methodically, so that we could relay the information, and our opinions, in the best way possible.  Our first few posts are about kairos and the major rhetorical arguments within the songs so that we establish a clear background of the era.  Then, we proceed to discuss pathos and ethos, to further develop our rhetorical analysis.  We finish with a few posts about the target audience so that we can come full circle about the atmosphere of the era.  Concluding our blog with a post that describes the audience allows our readers (you guys!) to come back to the idea of how important the time period was, and how the two songs fit into it.  From an aesthetic aspect, the majority of our posts all contain a GIF, a mini video, of The Beatles, or of something that pertains to the era.  These fun and colorful additions to our blog build upon the fact that The Beatles were fun-loving and radical.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy the blog!

The Beatles' "Revolution" Audience

By the time "Revolution" was released, the Beatles had already built themselves a solid fan base. They began releasing songs early in the 1960s, so by the time the 1968 anti-war song was released they had already attracted a lot of hippies and people with similar mindsets. "Revolution" opened a new range of listeners that broadened their audience. Along with their previous fans, anyone who felt negatively towards the war or had personal ties to the effects of the war started listening to the Beatles as well. The Beatles used this song to attract more people from different movements and to make a more political statement than they had before.

Logos; or the Complete Lack Thereof?

When writing "Revolution" John Lennon, wasn't focused on providing listeners with several facts and statistics on the war and why people should be against it, he wanted to voice his opinion on the issue of war and hoped that his listeners would agree. The Beatles had such a strong appeal to ethos with their audience, that focusing on logos was less important. Also, by focusing on several cold hard facts the song could actually have a lesser impact on the listeners. In an interview with Rolling Stone Lennon explained that while writing this song:

"I had been thinking about it up in the hills in India. I still had this 'God will save us' feeling about it, that it's going to be all right (even now I'm saying 'Hold on, John, it's going to be all right,' otherwise, I won't hold on) but that's why I did it, I wanted to talk, I wanted to say my piece about revolution. I wanted to tell you, or whoever listens, to communicate, to say 'What do you say? This is what I say.'"

John Lennon wrote this song with the assumption that listeners would be familiar with the current kairotic moment of a time in which people were fighting for peace not war. The Beatles audience wanted to know what stance they should be taking during antiwar movement. Lennon is able to effectively create such a tenacious argument through this song without an appeal to logos, because he focuses primarily on pathos, ethos, and the popularity of the group along side their large following.
-Gina Cole

Logos and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Rebecca Tomilchik

Logos is the rhetorical term used to demonstrate the logic of a piece of literature.  Through reasoning, research, statistics, charts, etc., logos appeals to the logic of an audience.  In the case of the Beatles song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” it is challenging to pinpoint the logos, since it is basically about tripping on acid.  In my opinion, the best way to attempt to describe the logos of this song is to explain how there isn’t any; the lack of logos makes the song more logical.  “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is a piece of creative fiction, a song meant to make people smile and reflect on life.  For example, the lack of logos is exemplified by the stanza:

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore

Waiting to take you away

Climb in the back with your head in the clouds

And you're gone

Although there is no technical logic to this song, such as graphs or statistics, there is a certain element of organization that pertains to the era itself.  The nonsensical lyrics serve to demonstrate the free-spiritedness that The Beatles were attempting to emulate through “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”  The 1960’s were considered to be a hectic time of revolution and protest, and the only logos that was apparent was the need to change society.

Audience- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Rachel Stern 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released during a time when many people in society were falling under the influence of The Hippie Movement, and the fascination of experimenting with drugs. Even though The Beatles released many claims that this song had nothing to do with LSD or any drugs for that matter, the audience’s response was what led many to believe these speculations. An important part of 1967, noted as “The summer of love”, had a huge impact on the way this song was interpreted. During this summer, many young people were falling victim to popular culture and the glamour and lure of drug use. Many artists released music during this time and would preform at festivals where people gathered to bond and let loose. Many felt that they connected to this song and that the lyrics were representative of some of the effects of using LSD. Although The Beatles didn't deliberately write this song about drug use, the audience it was released to at the time played a huge role in the way the song was interpreted and would be remembered. 

Ethos in “Revolution”

Natania Lipp

Part of the Beatles’ fame comes from their ability to establish themselves as credible and likable. In “Revolution,” they establish ethos by building onto their already well known track record, and by maintaining a confident tone and vocabulary. However, they do not present themselves as more highly esteemed than their listeners. The song gives off the feel that everyone is in the same situation together. When they say “Well, you know we’re doing what we can” they make their personal intentions seem like a group effort. This language helps bring people together with a common sense of home for the future, and a renewed understanding of the importance of peace. The way that they use their words also maintains clear confidence in what they are saying. The Beatles' way of staying calm and confident throughout the song reinforces that words that they say.

Major Rhetorical Argument/Stasis for “Revolution”

Natania Lipp

In “Revolution” the Beatles challenge the importance of money, destruction and even government policies in their search for peace. They say, “you can count me out” to the idea of destruction, and instead claim that, “you have to wait”. They argue for passive strategy towards achieving peace by using evaluation/value. The Beatles question and discard the importance of money and destruction, and they put their value towards waiting for peace without taking physical action. They bring this concept to their listeners with a cool and confident tone so that their laid back words compliment their upbeat tune. Their use of stasis #3 is convincing because they bring people together in hope simply by changing the value that other people put on physical things. 

Pathos- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Rachel Stern

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has a strong appeal to pathos. The first major point is that this is a song; songs tend to have an appeal to pathos because people find themselves connected to a song, whether or not they realize the meaning. One of the definitions of pathos is that it is focuses on the emotions (or imagination) in the audience, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds directly plays into the imagination of the listeners. Throughout the song there are countless lyrics that raised speculation, while also allowing listeners to picture images and experiences in their minds. Lines such as, “a girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and, “Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” are just a few examples that show how the word choice really impacted the way people interpreted it. Also, because this song was released during a time when The Hippie Movement and fascination with drug use was at its height, it had a huge impact on society as people felt they could personally connect to the lyrics. 

Ethos of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Rebecca Tomilchik

Ethos is the rhetorical term used to describe the credentials of an author.  Basically, it explains why the author is a trustworthy and credible source of information.  In the case of the song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, the ethos of this piece comes from the past experiences and reputation of the members of The Beatles.  This band is incredibly well-known, and its music is still very popular today, which speaks to its extrinsic ethos.  Extrinsic ethos comes from the track record of the author(s).  The Beatles have released around 27 albums, almost all of which have been incredibly successful, which allows you to confidently say that they are a popular band that has captivated the minds and ears of millions.  Furthermore, The Beatles were also known to experiment with hallucinogens, such as marijuana and acid, so they are able to easily create songs that reflect those experiences.  On the other hand, the Beatles have intrinsic ethos as well, which is demonstrated through presentation.  When it comes to songs, it can be challenging to identify intrinsic ethos since songs, this one in particular, are not educational or informative documents that need to have a reliable author.  My approach is to look at the creative aspect of the song, such as the tune and lyrics.  To put it plainly, it’s a good song!  For example, the following stanza exemplifies the talent of the band members:

Picture yourself in a boat on a river

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies

Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly

A girl with kaleidoscope eyes

These lyrics are clearly well-crafted, which contributes  to the intrinsic ethos of the song and of the writers.  Although it is challenging to define a song’s writers as “credible”, as ethos dictates, it is possible to establish the trustworthiness of The Beatles through their past experiences, drug use, and musical talent.  

Pathos in "Revolution"

John Lennon articulates his lyrics in a specific way to appeal to the listener's emotions through pathos. He reassures the audience that there will be an end to this war through the repetition of the verse, "Don't you know its gonna be alright." The Beatles were also able to effectively persuade their listeners to be apart of the antiwar protests through their music. Lennon creates a sense of animosity towards the government in the lines, "But when you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell is brother you have to wait." which in turn influences the listeners to take action. He argues that the audience's tax dollars should not be spent on a destructive war that they don't support. These lyrics are used to evoke a sense of togetherness among listeners, and encourage that supporters stand together to create the changes they want to see. The Beatles are able to create a strong emotional response due to the fact that this was their first song that addressed political issues. The song initially came as a shock to their listener's, but eventually the message of peace not war arose and heightened the support of the anti war movement because the audience understood how passionate The Beatles were on this issue and they wanted to support them.
-Gina Cole

Kairos in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Rebecca Tomilchik

Kairos is an important rhetorical term that describes the appropriateness and time period of a piece of literature, photograph, etc. that one is writing about.  The 1960’s attends to the Kairos of The Beatles, as that time period was crucial in molding the music written by the famous band.  The song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” was released on June 2, 1967 to the American public as a part of the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.  This song fit perfectly in the revolutionary era known as the sixties due to what was going on in the United States at the time.  This decade was categorized by social revolution; changes in gay rights, women’s rights, African American rights, new technology, and pop culture.  “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” exemplified the changing attitude towards drugs in the sixties.  Many people believe this song was inspired by psychedelic drugs, as the initials of the song spell out “LSD,” but it was actually written after John Lennon was presented with a drawing done by his 4 year old son.  Although it is important to note that the artists were believed to be greatly impacted by LSD and other hallucinogen use.  With lyrics such as “... where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” and “Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers that grow so incredibly high,” it is fairly obvious that the artists were inspired not only by their artistic tendencies, but by psychedelics as well, which was also the case with other bands of the time, such as the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.     

Major Rhetorical Argument; Stasis Theory

 Rachel Stern 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released by The Beatles in 1967, a time when The Hippie Movement was in full swing. Originally, The Hippie Movement evolved from influences of The Beatniks from the previous decade. The appeal to stray away from the mainstream was very convincing for many young Americans, and musicians who wanted to share their feelings on peace and love eventually caught on too. The Beatles were one of the many bands who used their music to spread messages and had a strong influence on society. When Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released, John Lennon claimed that his son Julian was the inspiration behind it, based on a drawing he made in nursery school. Because of the attitudes of many in society at this time, the song was interpreted as a reference about LSD, and it was even connected to Alice and Wonderland. Although they claimed this song was not written for this purpose, John Lennon had admitted to using LSD many times before, which led society to believe that this song was written with that exact purpose. Overall, I think The Hippie Movement and fascination with drug use in America during this time definitely influenced the true meaning behind this song. 

Kairos in The Beatles "Revoltuion"

"Revolution" was The Beatles first political song written in response to the Vietnam War. The song was released in 1968 during the time of heightened political protest against the Tet Offensive. In an attempt to mitigate the United States support of South Vietnam, the North Vietnam forces launched a series of attacks on South Vietnam cities. News coverage of these brutal battles between North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the United States was reported to the U.S shocking and destroying the citizens support of the Vietnam war. The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the Vietnam War. "Revolution" was written in the heart of the anti war protest, John Lennon creates a song that mirrors the rhetorical situation of the time period. The Beatles deliver the message that they don't support the Vietnam war nor do they think a violent war overseas is the solution, they sing, "But when you talk about destruction, Don't you know that you can count me out." They were able to effectively convey their opinions on the war to their audience of predominately youthful audience that were also advocates for peace not war.
 -Gina Cole