Is a Working Class Hero Really Something to be?

Growing up, I've continuously gone my own way. I have always been very independent with my thoughts, opinionated in my views, and distinct with my actions. Even though I am faced with the same pressures of every young adult in today's society, I will never change my beliefs just to fit in or make someone else happy. What John Lennon explains in his song, "Working Class Hero," is what happens when we try to please others. We feel constrained to living our lives by parents, teachers, and the government. Lennon claims that these authority figures "torture and scare you for twenty-odd years, then expect you to pick a career," and concludes with his compelling statement.. "When you can't really function you're so full of fear." I think this lyric is extremely powerful, portraying work as something we are told to do in order to keep the system going. Lennon repeatedly says with sarcasm "a working class hero is something to be," and society is permanently filling our brains with this same old mantra. I think John's reiteration of that phrase is meant to come off as satirical, because we are constantly being reminded that our only respectable option is to become a working class hero. Lennon sneeringly tells us that "there's room at the top they're telling you still. But first you must learn how to smile as you kill. If you want to be like the folks on the hill." Once again, Lennon uses what seems like mockery to portray work as necessary in order to fulfill the "American Dream" while putting a huge emphasis on capitalism. Nevertheless, I believe that "Working Class Hero" is meant to depict work as a task projected onto us by the goverment that can result in a bloodthirsty, power hungry game.