Bob Dylan, one of the greatest musicians of the 1960’s, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. The decision received a lot of controversy, for many people questioned his qualification for the award. Many people felt disrespected, as they felt more talented in literature, and believed that Dylan was a musician, not a poet. However, the lyrics that Dylan writes, are written with so much meaning and emotion, that they do deserve the title as poetry. Therefore, in 2016, he did deserve the Nobel Prize in Literature, for his poetic lyrics did influence the world with his meaningful music. In one of his songs, Blowin in the Wind, he addresses the Vietnam War going on at the time. This is a prime example of him using his song lyrics to convey …show more content…
With the rhyme and emotion in these lyrics, they would deserve the title of poetry. Although many song writers don’t rhyme in their songs, Dylan did in this one. The rhyme scheme in every stanza goes: ABCD BEE, making most of the lyrics rhyme. Also, the figurative language that he uses is prominent in the song. For one, he compares his career’s lifetime to a mountain, “Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist / Before it is washed to the sea?”. The metaphor to his success shows that he doubts his strength and fame in the long run. Another form of figurative language is seen when he says “Yes, and how many ears must one man have / Before he can hear people cry?”, this compares a man to America, and it’s ears to all of the people of the US, for at the time many people ignored the struggles in the Vietnam War. The rhyme and figurative language in this lyric, make Dylan more than worthy of the Nobel Prize in …show more content…
I live like a poet and I'll die like a poet.”, saying that he believes his lyrics are creditable of having the title of poetry. In the lifetime of his career, he said that he never stopped to ask himself the question “Is this literature?”. A writer, Salman Rushdie, voiced his opinion on the matter, on Twitter, by saying “From Orpheus to Faiz,song & poetry have been closely linked. Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition.Great choice”, he, as a novelist, believed that poetry and lyrics were very hard to distinguish from each other. Also, the Swedish Academy, which chose Dylan for the award, said that he won because he had “created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”, agreeing with others that Dylan’s music was worthy of having the title of poetry and literature. After analyzing Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan, it is evident that the lyrics can be interpreted and read as poetry. However, that isn’t the only thing that makes Bob Dylan fitting enough for the Nobel Peace Prize. In his poetry he acknowledges the problems of the world and in society. He doesn’t just write for fame, but for awareness. He and many others also noted the fact that poetry and lyrics can be hard to separate, and in his music, the words are seen as both. In reality, Bob Dylan’s music did deserve the title of holding the Nobel Prize in