Bob Dylan And The Vietnam War

As a very prestigious award, the Nobel Prize for Literature holds high expectations for their candidates. The candidacy of such a prize can only given “to those who… shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind” (Allén) and the winner must fit into the rule that “the person shall have produced… the most outstanding work” (Allén). Bob Dylan came from a very humble background, yet has managed to rise to the top with a “career that began in the early 1960s with songs that chronicled social issues like war and civil rights” (Biography.com). Bob Dylan received the Nobel Prize of Literature because his music peacefully protested against the violence of war with its lyrics that include poetic devices such as repetition, similes, paradox and

This song can be analyzed as “a strong condemnation of the people responsible for the atrocities of war and for the deaths and the blood that it brings, with particular reference to the Vietnam War.” (Wordsinthebucket.com). Using very judgemental lexicon to refer to those in charge of the Vietnam War (1954-1975), it expresses aggression and indignation by the repeated use of the word “you” as a targeted word. “You that hide behind walls, You that hide behind desks” (Dylan) exhibits the absence of the “sense of forgiveness” (Wordsinthebucket.com). During this time of war, all people felt the sorrow and the horror that repeatedly showed itself as death. Families lost their children in war while the government or the higher ranking individuals watched only to know how many more men to send off as replacement. Most of those who returned came back with both physical and psychological scars which would follow them forever. In this world, war is not infrequent and so this song

Bob Dylan used his musical fame to communicate with his audience the inequity of this world and accomplished this by fitting literary devices to convey his theme. In his song, “Masters of War”, he uses many literary terms one of which being repetition. Dylan repeats the word “you” as a way to single out those in power and intimidate those guilty, “Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death planes You that build all the bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks” (Dylan). By doing this he also establishes to the listeners who he blames and inaugurates the attitude towards the “you” as indignant, offended and shows the “you” as repugnant. He also repeats “I see” throughout the song. “A world war can be won You want me to believe But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain Like I see through the water That runs down my drain.” (Dylan), he uses this “I see” to confront those in power by saying that what they are doing to these soldiers and the people he can see as clear as “the water that runs down my drain” (Dylan). By saying this, he lets them know that he can see how they’re taking advantage of everything and now, because of this song, everyone else will too. Dylan also uses strong imagery to communicate his points. Dylan writes, “And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the