Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say 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

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Audience: John Lennon fans who want world peace. Most likely hippies. It was written in 1971 after he left the Beatles, so his audience was people who loved the Beatles which were in their college age years, but some are probably older at the time this song came out.

Argument:
WATCO Abandoning religion, government, and materialism on world peace.
Claim: Giving up religion, government and materialism will make it possible to have world peace.
Reason: Because by giving up you religion, government, and materialism there will be nothing to fight over.

Goal: Get the audience to give up their differences (religion, government, possessions) and strive towards world peace.

Relevant: This song was extremely relevant for its time. The country was in the middle of the Vietnam war. Much of Lennon's audience will either be drafted or have friends who are drafted to go fight in the war. Many people wanted peace, and this song voiced that opinion.
Ethos: Since John Lennon was in the Beatles, he already had a strong fan following when he came out with this song. They knew he his talent was legitimate and many cared what he had to say. Also, his repeated use of the word 'you' connects him with his audience. If he had sung about how he had imagined all the people...the listener would have had a harder time imagining what he was saying.
Pathos: This song appeals to the audience's feelings of desire for peace. The actual music is easy on the ears, and very calm. It is a beautiful song that isn't screaming in their face. The listener can hear the peace he is talking about.

Effective: I think this song probably was effective for his audience. Much of his audience actively looked for ways to avoid fighting in the war, many didn't work because possessions didn't really matter (all you need is love!) and religion was considered bogus.