Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan - Essay Example "Blowin' in the Wind" was a fantastic piece of talent for the era. The song puts forward questions of moral principles on the earth at the time, warfare, coercion, privileges, etc. The first stanza of the song "How many roads must a man walk down Before you can call him a man" raises the matter, that how difficult it becomes to get respect. It is fundamentally a protest song, which talks about the protesters of the era and how much they suffered to get heard. The poem also mentions about a white dove sailing seas. The dove is considered as a widespread mark for peace. Dylan uses it to show people's anxiety and unrest and their search of peace in that era of war. He compares this situation with a white dove flying around to find a peaceful and safe place. The symbol dove as used in the poem may also be viewed as a biblical reference. Dylan asks even the most tragic and painful questions beautifully as he asked "How many times must the cannon balls fly /Before they're ever banned." Thi s line translates his concern for the people who died or may die due to the war and when would it be ceased forever. In the next few lines he answers his question and declares that the answer can't be seen but it can be observed. He thinks that society can evaluate the answer it is in the surroundings (i.e., in the blowing wind). The second stanza begins with the words "How many times must a man look up /Before he can see the sky" Dylan asks that how much time it would take for men to find out that war doesn't worth the loss countless lives. Dylan goes on with the rhyme of the poem and writes "How many ears must one man have / before he can hear people cry" one more biblical reference can be observed in this line, in Isaiah 6:9 it is stated that those who refuse Jesus Christ will fundamentally be deaf to the humanity but if they get Jesus and unbolt their heart then they shall hears. Isaiah replies to this by stating "Lord, how long" It is about the similar query Dylan inquires about in "Blowin' in the Wind". After this line of the song there is an evident anti-war speech. The losses of soldiers in Vietnam were increasing and the protesters merely wished for a pullout of troops to protect lives. And once again Dylan follows the same rhyme by declaring that the answers are blowing in the wind. The last verse begins with the wordings "How many years can a mountain exist /before it's washed to sea" This is a symbol that entails if the world keeps on fighting and participates in wars; just how extensive will it be until we have ruined ourselves The replication of nearly each verse opening with "how many" pushes the urgency of change on the readers. A further reason for this is to illustrate how exhausted his generation was of the Vietnam War. "How many years can some people exist /before they're allowed to be free" is one more anti-war metaphor. Dylan is declaring that people being sent away to take part in the war and not be able to do what one selects has gone on for very long. The line that tracks this is "How many times can a man turn his head /Pretending he doesn't see" which is yet again an pacifist line. This means that the governments do not pay any attention to the dangers and