bros 4 lyf
oi do you wanna help me pick a dylan question for my second essay bceause i know you love him
1. Heckler: Judas!
Dylan: I dont believe you
Youre a liar
(Manchester, 1966)
Never far from controversy, Dylan is often seen as iconoclastic, as someone who challenges inherited beliefs and ways of thinking. Identify the targets of Dylans attacks and critically consider this aspect of Dylan's work.
2. There are only two kinds of people: theres saved people and theres lost people. ... Jesus is Lord and every race shall bow to Him! (Dylan, 1979)
Critically examine Dylans born again phase and, working closely with the songs, examine its authenticity.
3. God is a woman (Dylan, 1965)
Examine the changing presentation of women in Dylans work.
4. What portrait of America and American society emerges from Dylans art?
5. By examining religious references in a range of Dylans songs, critically compare his use of the Old and New Testaments in his work.
6. I was just trying to make it [Blood on the Tracks] like a painting where you can see the different parts, but then you also see the whole of it. (Dylan, 1985)
Critically examine the relationship between music and painting on Blood on the Tracks'.
7. It couldn't help but make me feel ashamed
To live in a land where justice is a game.
(Hurricane)
Compare and contrast Dylans early and late material to examine the changing nature of his protest or 'finger-pointing' songs.
8. Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life (Sara)
Critically examine the paradoxes in Dylans portrayal of women in his songs.
9. The stories on John Wesley Harding attempt to rewrite the folk-songs of the American psyche.
In what ways might this album be said to convey the bedrock of the national psyche?
10. Bob Dylan: story-teller (Allen Ginsberg)
Identify the components of a Dylan story and critically examine his storytelling
techniques in a range of songs. (You may restrict yourself to a single album, such as John Wesley Harding.)
11. Critically examine the relationship between Dylans presentation (vocal and musical) and message in a range of songs.
12. Compare and contrast Dylans depiction of the underdog in his early and late work. Has his message changed across the years?
13. Is it fair to say that Dylans final message, put simply, is Apocalypse Soon?
Support your answer with reference to a range of songs across Dylans career.
14. Compare and contrast a range of songs to examine Dylans treatment of the
public and the private in his work. (You may, if you wish, concentrate on the
albums Blood on the Tracks and Desire.)
15. After 1968 Dylan seemed to search for direction, producing New Morning,
Nashville Skyline, Planet Waves, and The Basement Tapes, none of which was
well received by the critics. Choose one of these albums and analyse it critically to reveal its strengths and weaknesses.
16. All literary artists use symbols and images to convey their meanings. Either by selecting a specific album or by choosing material from across Dylans career, identify and examine his use of imagery and symbols in his work.
17. Dylans work is often said to offer a relentless and on-going critique of authority. Is this a fair comment? Support your answer with reference to a range of songs.
18. How does setting contribute to the message in Dylans songs?
19. Despite the complexity of many of his songs, Dylan is also noted for using simplicity as a means to convey his point. Thus, albums of intellectual material also include such elements as nursery rhyme and children's stories to pass equally incisive comments on the state of the world.
Critically examine a range of such songs, commenting upon their effectiveness.
20. In what ways might Dylans work be regarded as post-colonial? Support your answer with reference to a range of material and, if relevant, by considering the ventriloquism Dylan uses to give voice to his subjects.
