Blowin In The Wind Analysis

On April 16, 1962, audiences were captivated by the release of Bob Dylan's

newest hit, "Blowin' in the Wind". Dylan's song was released during the time of the Vietnam War, which people refer to as a time of depression, chaos, and confusion. "Blowin' in the Wind" raises questions of morality in the world at the time: oppression, war, and human right violations. Dylan uses rhetorical and literary techniques to convey his message, by formatting the song with three stanzas each containing three rhetorical questions, many of which have double meanings, followed by the refrain, "blowin' in the wind". All of Dylan's questions are answered with the same phrase, so people can reach the obvious conclusion themselves. Dylan provokes more thought upon the listener by never directly answering his questions. Dylan uses repetition on "how manyÐ'..." to show that there have already been enough of that certain topic, and an additional amount is not needed to solve the problem. This song is about how knowledge and enlightenment are right infront of us, but we cannot see it, just like the wind.

"How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?", is the opening line in "Blowin' in the Wind". To me, this question is asking, how much does a man have to endure and experience before he gains repect. This questions may also be referring to the protesters walking the streets, trying to gain respect and equality. "Yes, Ð''n', how many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand?". Dylan uses the white dove to symbolize peace, and "sleep in the sand" refers to death. The color white is associated with purity. Dylan is trying to convey the message that there is no peace in the world until the fighting stops, because the dove can't find a place to sleep in the sand due to the constant fighting on the beaches around the world.

In the first stanza, Dylan addresses cannon balls flying and when they will be forever banned. Dylan is trying to prove that fighting doesn't resolve anything, and there are better ways to deal with conflict, therefore all weapons should be banned. Dylan makes a smooth transition to his next question, "how many times must a man look up before he can see the sky". When cannon balls are launched, a thick smoke is released into the air, blocking vision towards the sky. Dylan is simply asking when all weapons will be banned, so we can see the clear, blue sky. "Ð'...how many ears must one man have before he hears the cry?". This statement has such a powerful meaning. It describes how many people are too ignorant to realize that this world is too full of violence, and we keep fighting, and fail to realize how much pain and damage we are causing, because we're too busy trying to make everything our way, and too busy trying to get our own way in order to be happy. "Ð'...how