1 page (approximately) response to the question:
How does the song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ explore issues related to society?
Please use references to the song, and discuss the WAY the literary features (such as narrative voice, figurative language, symbolism, direct speech etc.) help to explore the global issue.
Essay:
Having ranked No. 1 on Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 songs of all time, “Like a Rolling Stone” is one of Bob Dylan’s finest hits. It represents the pinnacle of his musical talent. The underlying premise of the song is a focus on youth’s coming of age in the 1960s. Through his use of evocative imagery and mockery, Dylan conveys the disenfranchisement American youth may experience as they come of age. He also conveys the tendency of youth, especially wealthy ones, to lack an appreciation for life and finally depicts the difficulties youth face when they come of age taken from the relative safety of their home and forced to fend for themselves.
Bob Dylan indicates to the reader that as youth come of age, they typically feel lost and unnoticed by society. Perhaps the most potent technique he uses is the constant symbolizing of the term “rolling stone” and how youth are precisely “like” that. The image connoted by a rolling stone is one of constant movement and uncertainty, and likely represents the American youth. They are also “without a home”, which conveys how unlike their parents, they do not have a seeming foundation or roots which they can rest on.
The youth are also described as being “like a complete unknown” and being “invisible”. The former line, a simile, is undoubtedly an attempt by Bob Dylan to convey his perception on youth, and how they become frequently lost and unnoticed in a 1960s society. The latter line, may be a reference to Ralph Ellison’s “The Invisible Man,” a 1952 novel dealing primarily with racism in America and a civil rights movement to curb the same. Perhaps Bob Dylan is subtly suggesting that “Miss Lonely” is, in fact, a rare African American previously sheltered by her possibly influential parents. If so, this song would be infinitely more powerful and timely; after all, Miss Lonely was highly privileged – anachronistic for an African American – but did not make use of the opportunities available to her, (as discussed in the next paragraph) likely a true pity in the eyes of the audience.
Dylan also conveys the tendency of, sometimes wealthy, youth to lack an appreciation for, or a commitment to make the most out of, life. Miss Lonely, the subject of this song, went to the “finest schools” but only ever “got juiced in it”. To get juiced is a euphemism of the time period for partying or getting drunk, which is what Miss Lonely did instead of making the most out of her education. Dylan also advises that “you shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you.” He likely believes that “kicks”, be it applause, light hearted mockery from others, or even suffering, are fundamental aspects of life. To avoid it intentionally is to not truly live life. Finally, Dylan also makes reference to “jugglers and clowns” and how Miss Lonely never saw their “frowns”. The visual imagery employed by Dylan is likely done to indicate how Miss Lonely lived a life of perfection, devoid of suffering or sadness – like the frowns. In other words, her life was superficial and lacked realism. These references could also be in an attempt from Bob Dylan to criticize the wealthy youth of the time period – “jugglers and clowns” have historically been from a lower strata of society. In the 1960s, they were also deemed as freaks and hence were typically alienated. By not interacting with them, Miss Lonely and similar youth, are perpetuating this widely held, alienating attitude of the time period, something Dylan, a folk singer and fellow performing artist, would likely not appreciate.
Through his use of various techniques and powerful references, Bob Dylan conveys the potency of various societal issues surrounding youth that are coming of the age in a potentially unsupportive time period. His constant use of rhetoric through wondering “How does it feel?” may initially seem like an attempt to mock them. It’s tone, however, is likely an attempt of Dylan’s blunt personality, as indicated by his seemingly confrontational interviews, and may be a genuine question of concern and wonder.
Note: This was not discussed extensively in this portfolio post, but Dylan also conveys the shock youth receive through his metaphor of a diplomat who tricked Miss Lonely, something that would not happen if they were still in the relative safety of their home.
Additional Response to the following questions about Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid/Society Blues:
- Dylan’s use of imagery… does it help him protest?
Yes.
There are numerous effective aspects of this song. For instance, the anachronistic choice of employing a fast-talking speech coupled with a musical backdrop is quite memorable and helps to reach out to the audience on a more personal level, given the resulting conversational tone.
On the side of imagery, there are three main samples of imagery that I deemed particularly effective:
- “Looked in the sink, looked in the glove compartment of my car, couldn’t find them”
- This imagery is memorable as it well conveys the obsession which the narrator embodies when searching for communists. It is also fairly humorous and ironic, as communists would never be in a sink or a glove compartment, and hence likely refers to the idea of communism as conveyed through say a dish or a piece of paper in those places. Essentially the narrator is obsessing over eliminating communism from his lifestyle but fails to do so as it is just not there.
- “I even looked down deep inside my toilet bowl”
- This reinforces the song’s satire and sarcasm, and would likely have elicited laughter from an onlooking audience. As indicated by a number of revolutions, notably that against a Maldives dictator in the 90s, mockery and humor are one of the most effective ways of protest as they humanize dictators, and in doing so, reduce the fear with which they operate.
- “Investigated all the books in the library” followed by “ninety percent of them gotta be burnt”
- One of my favorite lines, this imagery conveys how America’s obsession with eliminating communism will turn them into dictators who defy rights to free speech – the most un American acts of them all.
In this song he is protesting two main issues:
- The obsession many liberal Americans held with eliminating communism from society,
- The connotations of how being communist = untrue American.
- What would he protest about today?
Activist artists tend to reflect the times that they were in. A number of Bob Dylan’s songs, for instance, are on the issues of communism v capitalism, the Vietnamese War, and the civil rights movement as these were the most pertinent issues of the time.
Today’s issues in the social sphere include the #MeToo movement, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and xenophobia (towards refugees and to Chinese populations mainly). Bob Dylan is quite liberal and hence would probably support the first two and despise the xenophobia proliferant in today’s society in his songs.