Prejudice And Corruption In Bob Dylan's Song 'Hurricane'
Ideas/Background:
Bob Dylan is an American folk rock musician who influentially utilised poetry and current social themes in his music to create an impact. The song ‘Hurricane’, released in 1976, is one of his most famous songs. It discusses racism, racial injustice and corruption through the incorrect trial and murder conviction of African-American male Rubin Carter, an issue relevant to its time of release.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He delivered his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech in 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in support for the civil rights legislation proposed by President Kennedy.
Both the song and speech address the racial inequality present at the time and …show more content…
Techniques:
Imagery is used by Dylan to highlight the unfair treatment of people based on skin colour, “If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street”, providing the image of corruption in the treatment of black people, and their lack of treatment as normal human beings because of their skin colour. “The DA said he was the one who did the deed, and the all-white jury agreed”, the rhyme in this quote makes it a couplet which further intensifies the presented idea of racism as a white jury had to decide the verdict for a black man. King’s use of alliteration makes the speech more catchy and memorable, “In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check… We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no… I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character…”. He also utilises assonance to add an element of musical poetry “We must …show more content…
Through this quote he emphasises the unfairness of the trial and the fact that Carter was never given a fair opportunity, being deemed guilty before the commencement of the trial, proving the level of corruption of the case. King utilises parallelism to reinforce the tone of his speech by giving his audience a sense of unity, “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom, knowing that we will be free one
Bob Dylan is an American folk rock musician who influentially utilised poetry and current social themes in his music to create an impact. The song ‘Hurricane’, released in 1976, is one of his most famous songs. It discusses racism, racial injustice and corruption through the incorrect trial and murder conviction of African-American male Rubin Carter, an issue relevant to its time of release.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He delivered his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech in 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in support for the civil rights legislation proposed by President Kennedy.
Both the song and speech address the racial inequality present at the time and …show more content…
Techniques:
Imagery is used by Dylan to highlight the unfair treatment of people based on skin colour, “If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street”, providing the image of corruption in the treatment of black people, and their lack of treatment as normal human beings because of their skin colour. “The DA said he was the one who did the deed, and the all-white jury agreed”, the rhyme in this quote makes it a couplet which further intensifies the presented idea of racism as a white jury had to decide the verdict for a black man. King’s use of alliteration makes the speech more catchy and memorable, “In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check… We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no… I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character…”. He also utilises assonance to add an element of musical poetry “We must …show more content…
Through this quote he emphasises the unfairness of the trial and the fact that Carter was never given a fair opportunity, being deemed guilty before the commencement of the trial, proving the level of corruption of the case. King utilises parallelism to reinforce the tone of his speech by giving his audience a sense of unity, “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom, knowing that we will be free one