Bob Dylan

             There are vast amounts of electronic resources available on Bob Dylan. Most internet resources deal with current tour dates, set listings, available lyrics, and general reasons why the web designer has a Bob Dylan page and why he or she likes Dylan. These are of little use for someone attempting to persuade his audience that Dylan is an American icon, and a significant contributor to twentieth century music and literature. However, there are a few sources that provided interesting and thoughtful reasons why Dylan is significant and/or how his lyrics go beyond simple rhymes that blend together well with some guitar chords, a bass, and drums.
             An article written by Robert Chapman, "African American Culture and Bob Dylan: Why He Matters", discusses Dylan's role as a white man championing the cause of civil rights in the early 1960s. One of the reasons I gave for Dylan's importance to American culture was his involvement in the volatile and controversial civil rights movement. Therefore, this source relates directly to my topic. Although it is not clearly stated, I have to assume that Mr. Chapman is African American because in the second paragraph of his article, he justifies why he is writing about "what a white man has to do with African American culture." The article quotes lyrics from four songs that directly or indirectly deal with the struggle faced by African Americans in the United States of the 1960s. I feel that Mr. Chapman is a credible source, first, because he is African American, and thefefore has experienced first hand the struggle of the race, and second, he does seem to have some knowledge of D!
             ylan's lyrics. He feels Dylan is significant because "he knocked down some serious barriers to what was thought possible within the parameter of popular music." Mr Chapman allowed me to be able to see further into some of Dylan's most poignant lyrics, to view them in a different light than I was able to as a white ...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Bob Dylan . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 14:51, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/65590.html