Essay On 14

14
What the photos have in common with other well known pilgrimages, especially religious pilgrimages, is the fact that they represent the location or the desire to attain fulfillment in one’s journey. Pilgrimage is very important to a pilgrim as it denotes the attainment of significance or completion to the pilgrim’s journey or quest. Pilgrimage in this refers both to the journey and the ultimate destination. The reasons people take pilgrimages vary from person to person, but the ultimate goal is fulfillment or accomplishment. Pilgrimage to a pilgrim is akin to self actualization under Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
My pilgrimage journey would be based on one of my favorite musicians, John Lennon. The journey would begin in Liverpool, England where Lennon was born. The first place to visit would be the Liverpool Maternity Hospital in Merseyside, where he was born. From there the next destination would be 251 Menlove Avenue, Woolton where Lennon grew up. That would complete the first destination. The second destination would be Hamburg, Germany, taking the same route the Beetles took on their journey from Liverpool. The tour of Hamburg would culminate at The Indra Club, the venue of the Beetles’ first performance in Germany. This would mark the end of the second destination.
The third destination would be Memphis, Tennessee, the home of Elvis Presley. The purpose of the journey would be to revere and express gratitude to Elvis as he influenced Lennon. Indeed Lennon stated that without Elvis there would not be Beetles, and by extension John Lennon the musician. The final destination of the pilgrimage journey would be New York. The first place to visit would be the St. Regis Hotel, where Lennon and his wife first lived in New York. The next place to visit would be the Dakota at the place where Lennon was shot. The final place to visit would be the Strawberry Fields memorial, where his ashes were scattered. This would mark the end of my pilgrimage.