Change is in the Air
Albert Einstein once said, “War cannot be humanized. It can only be abolished.” While war can sometimes be used as a way to deal with problems, this comes at the cost of thousands of casualties. Bob Dylan wrote and performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1962, just as antiwar conception about the US’s involvement in Vietnam began to spread. At the same time, unrest due to racial tensions simultaneously led to the Civil Rights movement. This song provides a deeper view of humanity and questions the necessity of the war. By using a variety of literary techniques — symbolism, repetition, and metaphorical language — Dylan depicts the cruelty of man, both in war and in the phenomenon of social inequality, and ultimately issues a
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He sings, “cannon balls,” which symbolize how violent war is (Line 5). The narrator wonders when the need for war will be “forever banned” (Line 6). By using a real object to portray a picture, Dylan shows the concept of war with a distinct physical form. He uses “dove”, the universal symbol of peace, to express his eagerness for world peace as he sings, “Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail/Before she sleeps in the sand?” (Lines 3-4). These suggest that for a dove to be resting in the sand, the war must be over and people must live freely. He wants to know when world peace will arrive. In the third verse, moreover, Dylan speaks even more literally to make clear his message. “Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows/That too many people have died?” (Lines 21-22). These lines illustrate how horrifying war is. Rather than speaking of violence figuratively, Dylan now remarks that the consequences of such actions is …show more content…
Most evidently, by using phrase repetition such as “how many,” Dylan highlights the importance of the subject and pleads with his audience to listen to his message. Dylan chooses to write his song by using many rhetorical questions, which invites the listener to rethink how they feel about the numerous uncomfortable realities that exist in this world. These lines also challenge the listener about their own inactions and reflect Dylan's distress. In the third verse, Dylan states, “Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have/Before he can hear people cry?” (Lines 19-20). He questions why society, preoccupied with greed, hears the crying and chooses to ignore the pain of the less fortunate and desperate. This shows that Dylan is demanding his audience to stand up for justice and for peace. Using metaphorical language in his work, Dylan repeats the lines, “The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind/The answer is blowin' in the wind” (Lines 7-8) at the end of the stanza. He does this to leave the answer to be open-ended, and uses the word “wind” to infer that the possibility of peace is always around us, but is only obtainable if society chooses to reach out for
War and its ramifications for those who are unfortunately entangled in it, is an issue that has fueled both political discussion and literary exploration throughout the previous century. Underived, authentic accounts of the experience and effects of war, from those who have served in it, can be especially enlightening for the majority of society who have had the fortune of not being intimately familiar with war. Through the examination of poems and stories written by soldiers, who were inspired by their involvement in conflict, one can obtain a greater understanding of this gruesome aspect of life, without having to directly experience it. Similarly, soldier turned poet, Bruce Weigl, has contributed his perspective on war through his literary
Today, the most difficult day in my family’s life, we gather to say farewell to our son, brother, fiancé and friend. To those of you here and elsewhere who know Dylan you already are aware of the type of person he was and these words you will hear are already in your memory. To those who were not as fortunate, these words will give you a sense of the type of man he was and as an ideal for which we should strive. My son has been often described as a gentle soul. He was pure of heart and had great sensitivity for the world around him. He had a way with people that made them feel comfortable around him and infected others to gravitate toward him. Dylan exuded kindness and pulled generosity and altruism out from everyone he touched. He was everyone's best friend.
The music is acoustic once again after he made a brief stint recording with bands and electric guitars. The melody is simple and flows throughout the piece’s seven minute length. There is minimal background accompaniment but what does exist advances the rhythm of the song. Truly it is Dylan’s voice that is the essence of the song.
“The song has to be of a certain quality for me to sing…One aspect it would have to have is that it didn’t repeat itself” (Bob Dylan). Transforming into new people throughout his life, Bob Dylan reverted to the Bible and other religious findings in his songs. Dylan is able to reveal a fulfillment from spirituality as he perceives his music as a sacred landscape. Bob Dylan brings up a theme of religion, referencing the book of Isaiah in his 1967 song “All Along the Watchtower” as he writes a story about two people at the watchtower, where the significance of life is found. Dylan’s spiritual lyrics conceived his work as a an artist through imagination and religion that creates a hallowed dwelling for him to aqurie attainment.
Legendary musician Bob Dylan also questioned the physical destruction of the Vietnam War during the early 1960s. Dylan’s poetic folk style allured audiences, due to his ability to relate and contradict America. Out of the many hits Bob Dylan has made, two songs in particular raise attention of the idea that war is physically destructive. Songs like “Blowin in the Wind” and “Masters of War” discuss the particular faults and deaths the Vietnam War. The song “Masters of War” opens up with a powerful invasive
Bob Marley Bob Marley was a promoter of peace and believed in the union of all people. He used his music as a channel to get his opinions and thoughts out into the world. “Me only have one ambition, y’know. I really have only one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together-black, white, Chinese, everyone-that’s all.”
"There is in the Welsh bardic tradition much that is absolutely fundamental to Thomas' writing: its highly lyrical qualities; its strict formal control and an essentially romantic conception of the poet's function in society." (Selby 98) These traits parallel the three themes that will be belaboured in this essay: the aural/oral appeal of Dylan Thomas' work; his meticulous obscurity; and the role of the poet in society.
Most of the lyrics of protest songs are in a narrative form that tells a story about equality. Yet there are songs that appeal at a universal level, such as the well-known ‘Blowin’ in the wind,’ which raises a series of questions without answering them. This song lets listeners explore those questions further by themselves and calls on them not to ignore the problems that exist in the world. This song represents the combination of melodious rhythm and catchy lyric is simple yet powerful.
angry it was bad; now Dylan was angry at the world. He shifted from only wanting to hurt
Some of Bob Dylan’s songs are well known threw out the world. His light on music has been a stepping stone for many to follow in the music world as well. But his peace and justice songs have had a life of their own. “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changing’” in particular will forever be linked to the progressive movements of the 1960s and used to rally people to protest for a better world.
Bob Dylan said “No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky.” Bob Dylan said this sentence to describe exactly how people live in the Oceania party. In our life everyone should have their own thought and their thought is different compared to others.But in Oceania everyone’s thought is controlled by Big Brother and their thought is only to serve for the party. In this party the worst crime is “thought crime”. In our real life there is no right or wrong about how you think and no one can control your thoughts.
Lines 55-60, He is describing his overwhelming feelings of how he wants to die at midnight without any pain, imaging the bird singing music songs that are song at a ceremony honoring
War is hell. It is something universally known to the inhabitants of the world. No matter what time period, location, or nation, war has always existed in different forms, and no more merciless that it has always been. The main victim of war has always been the common man, for he is the one who fights, who kills, and who dies. In Walt Whitman’s “ A March on the Ranks Hard Prest, and the Road Unknown”, he describes just how terrible the effects of a war are. In Whitman’s eyes, war is traumatizing and painful, but America will shine and push through the darkness.
The 1960’s was a time of war and fear for the United States and many people were turning their accusations towards the government. “Masters of War” was written by Bob Dylan in late 1962 and early 1963. The focus of this song is a protest against the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis that was happening during the early 1960’s. The song is protesting on the American government having its citizens live in fear of a constant attack and hiding behind their shroud, unaffected by anything that would happen to the people. It shook the nation with its fierce and angry tone against the “military industrial complex.” Dylan’s lyrics stated that it was not contained by declaring a pointless war and not taking responsibility for the problems it was causing. “Masters of War” is a powerful song against the government and the military. The protest song “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan highlights how the looming aspect of the Cold War affected the people of the United States and demonstrates Dylan’s view on the governments involved.
“Bob walked on to the stage in what I would later recognize as his inimitable saunter. It was awesome to watch him immediately memorize the crowd with his presence. His guitar slung over his shoulder, his Rasta locks flowing in unrestricted freedom, he generated a raw power of personality that overwhelmed his worshipers. Sounding his opening refrain “Hail Jah Rastafari!” and without another word he immediately launched into his opening song, “Concrete Jungle,” which immediately brought the crowd to its feet.”