The Legendary Bob Marley

The Legendary Bob Marley

Bob Marley is a name most people know but his accomplishments and dedication to music is often overlooked. Bob was more than just a reggae artist, he was an inspiration to the country of Jamaica. He was a role model to the poverty stricken island and gave hope to many people. Bob was born on February 6, 1945 in his grandfather’s house. He was the son of a poor farm girl and a British naval Captain. Soon after his birth Bob’s father, Norval Marley, left his mother. He remained responsible and provided financial support and occasionally came back to see them. In the 50’s a depression hit Jamaica and Bob followed his mother to West Kingston also known as Trenchtown. It was in Trenchtown were Bob’s love for music began.

Bob Marley’s music has given people everywhere hope for a better tomorrow. His life and involvement with the Rastafarian movement left an impact on the world that is still felt today. He sang of peace speaking out against slavery, poverty, and oppression. His philosophy was to send a message through his music that all people are equal and should unite together to make this world a much better place for our future generation.

“Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny“(Stephens 2). When Bob Marley said this he was referring to the battle with the Americans and the Indians of the west, where slaves from Africa were forced to fight. He wrote the song “Buffalo Soldier” as a tribute to the injustice of the war. They were brought to America and forced to fight against the Native American Indians. The Indians called them buffalo soldiers because their hair was tightly woven and to them, it resembled the curly and matted buffalo’s coat. In the line “Stolen from Africa, brought to America

Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival”, Marley sings about how the African slaves kept resisting the best they could from being captured in Africa. The resistance continued when they were put on ships for Jamaica and America. The Africans were forced from their homes, families, and forced to live a life without freedom. They continued to fight after their arrival. The song Buffalo soldier helps many learn the way history truly happened. Jamaicans are still affected by past injustices (Dorsey 5). The majority of this population are the descendants of African slaves, forced to leave their villages some two hundred years ago to labor on Jamaican plantations for white masters.

Could You Be Loved is another song written by Bob Marley after he witnessed the terrible Jamaican school system, people living in poverty which caused the oppression of both the Jamaican and African people. Bob Marley wanted the world to know about the educational injustice taking place in The Jamaican School System. This is one of the many messages Bob Marley tried to spread across in this song. He sang of how many children could not afford to go to school because of certain rules preventing them. In the line,” Don’t let them fool you or even try to school you” Marley is writing about how the Jamaican school systems have a policy that says shoes must be worn in school. Many families in Jamaica cannot afford shoes, so their children were unable to attend school and receive an education. For the chorus of the song, Could you be loved, he wrote “Could you be loved….and be loved.” This had a very strong meaning. Are people capable of giving love and receiving love as well? The Jamaican School System showed that those who could not afford to go to school, cannot

go to school( Dorsey 3). So as a country who’s weekly income was less than fifty dollars many children could not afford to go to school. This showed that many children were not given the love to be educated and to have a much better life and so why should they show any love greater than what they were shown. Bob Marley’s result to this problem is that if you show people as much love as you want to be given you will be given the same amount in return, like the famous saying goes- “Treat others as you want to be treated.”

Bob Marley saw the enormous amount of hatred that was shared around the world and felt that he should try and spread his knowledge of love. So he wrote the famous song “One Love” in 1964. He wanted to let people know that there was very little love where he came from. We should all try to change into more loving human beings and maybe then will hatred meet its end. “Peace is man’s ultimate goal, a goal that seems unattainable when you think of terrorism and war.” (T.J. 1) Many people have given up hope for world peace and a hatred free world. What Marley wants to say with this song is that there is still hope for us and only until we change our ways will we figure this out. Even if most of the world has given up hope does not mean that you have to, and who knows maybe