Bob Dylan Research Paper

I think my research paper is pretty strong overall because I was able to write about something that is very interesting to me and that I enjoy writing about. I have always loved listening to Bob Dylan’s songs and trying to analyze them to figure out the deeper meaning behind the lyrics. He just seems like one of those people who know too much about life in general, and there are no equivalents for the beautiful poetry of his lyrics.

For my paper, I think I relied mostly on my own analysis of the song and what it represents, and less on the sources. This was ideal for me, since interpreting the song I chose was definitely the enjoyable part of the assignment. However, the sources I did find were beneficial and definitely helped to further develop my argument. I was able to find a lot of good sources about how important music is for social movements, which was extremely relevant for Bob Dylan’s career in the 1960’s. I was glad to find numerous quotes that seemed to correlate almost perfectly with my paper, and I think they added strong pieces of information.

I think my argument is strongest where I do a close reading of the song and choose lines that seem to go along with the themes of civil rights and war. This part of my work was especially interesting because I had to think deeper than just the words, and attempting to interpret Dylan’s dream-like, vivid metaphors is always fascinating. I think I came at the lines from all angles and tried to think of many different interpretations that could be applicable for this time period. I also tried to think outside the box to try to find out what the lyrics could possibly mean. The research I was able to find on the impact of music regarding social movements was also a strong part of my paper I think. This was such a huge part of what the 1960’s was; protest songs sung by influential, young artists and people standing up and demanding the change of social norms and the strict social hierarchy that was intact. Young people made their voice heard at this time in history more than any other era it seemed like, and Bob Dylan was one of the medians through which voices were made audible.

My argument probably could have been stronger with more sources. I have a good number of quotes that tie in well with the paper, however, but more sources and more information could be helpful. With the first draft though I am very willing to make changes and be open to any constructive criticism regarding how to make my paper better.