Dylan’s use of imagery… does it help him protest?
I think Dylan’s use of imagery definitely allows him to exaggerate his ideas and convey them in a more impactful manner. Demonstrating all the places he chooses to look for communists displays the ridiculousness of the situation and emphasises the idea that communists are everywhere, hidden amongst everyone. In fact, Dylan shows how he is trying so hard to find communists that he looks for them on the American flag, the last place you’d expect them given the strict consequences. – “And discovered they wus red stripes on the American flag!” The search continues until his hopefulness begins to subside and he now has nowhere else to look for communists, and therefore he decides to investigate himself- “I’m sittin’ at home investigatin’ myself” – He has found that communism is everywhere and wants to see if he is communist. The entire suspense and build up of the search to come to this moment shows a journey of self realisation, and the imagery helps Dylan protest by providing him with a tool to convey sarcasm.
What is he protesting?
Dylan wrote this song about the John Birch Society, an ultraconservative political organisation that was founded in 1958 in order to fight Communist threats in the United States. This song is used as a way of mocking the operations in this society as anyone they didn’t like was accused of being a communist. Dylan’s sarcasm conveys his opinion on the issue as he believed the society was a threat to freedom of speech and he created ridiculous images to emphasise the ridiculousness present. The humorous tone he uses helps reveal the absurdity and prejudice present in this society.
What would he protest about today?
I believe that today, Dylan would protest about the prejudices and extreme actions and comments of President Donald Trump as he stands against everything Dylan believes in. Dylan has a very peaceful, calm approach, whereas, Trump prefers to take extreme action as early as possible. Dylan would protest this as he believes that such measures can result in unfortunate consequences, and should not be taken unless absolutely necessary. I think he would also support movements such as the #metoo movement, as Dylan has always been an advocate for the distinction between right and wrong, so it’s likely he will encourage fighting sexual abuse and supporting women empowerment.
