"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
Nice work, Gina! Is there any lyric or moment in the song that you can connect directly to the Tet Offensive? That might strengthen this reading. Also, maybe link out to the Tet Offensive for students who aren't familiar with it?
ReplyDeleteReally good post.
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ReplyDelete"Revolution" is a revolutionary song that inspired mostly young people to become vocal and active in the fight against the quagmire that was the Vietnam War. The message in the song was clear: the war was causing damage both directly and indirectly to all Americans and to the lives' of others overseas. Personally, I thought this song did not have much in terms of specifics. Rather, it touches lightly upon most of the reasons why the Vietnam War was detrimental.
ReplyDelete-Brendan Xu