Analysis Of Hurricane By Bob Dylan

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Recommended: The role of music in protest

Hurricane by Bob Dylan is a protest song for the reason that a man named
Rubin “Hurricane” Carter is accused of murder because of alleged acts of racism and profiling, leading to false trial and conviction. Dylan is trying to persuade the audience to believe that Rubin has been falsely accused by telling a story about the situation.
Dylan’s argument is effective because he uses facts from the time and setting of the story. The story takes place in Paterson, New Jersey in 1966. At this time, racism in the 1960’s was a battle between white people and colored people. Propaganda had to play a big role in changing people’s minds. It was also widely reported that Carter being found guilty of the murders was racially motivated. In the years …show more content…

An example of racism in the song is the line “If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street ‘Less you want to draw the heat”. Here he is stating that police specifically profile black people.
He also especially wants to bring attention to the falsely tried innocent man who was wrongly framed. He wants to clear his name and explain the chances of him being a boxing champion were ruined due to false testaments.
Dylan interviewed Carter to get his side of the story after him already serving eight years in prison. Carter had published an autobiography called “The 16th Round” proclaiming his innocence. The book is what drew Dylan’s attention to release the story to the public through his celebrity influence. The two talked for hours, recognizing their philosophies to be near the same. After collaborating with lyricist Jacques Levy, the song was created.
After Dylan’s song started to become more popular to the public, Carter was awarded a retrial, where he was released on bail. Then later that year, Carter and John Artis were found to be guilty again and re-sentenced to life in …show more content…

"Rubin 's in South America fighting for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley 's still in the robbery game". This quote shows how much it bothered Bob Dylan that Rubin Carter is suffering for a crime another man committed. The police believe that they have the right person, but instead they have imprisoned an innocent man and the criminal is still committing crimes. The lyrics "Four in the morning and they haul Rubin in Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs The wounded man looks up through his one dying eye Says "Wha 'd you bring him in here for ? He ain 't the guy !", emphasizes that even though the victim claimed Rubin Carter wasn 't the correct guy, the police weren 't bothered by it and still arrested him, because he is black. It was an act of

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