IndexControversies Over Dylan's Nobel Winning Bob Dylan's "Oxford Town" and Social InjusticeWorks CitedVideo VersionThis essay provides an example of an argumentative essay that discusses the unexpected Bob Dylan's 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature win Highlights how Dylan's writing and lyrics are a unique art form, worthy of recognition in the literary world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the greatest honors a literary figure could receive is the Nobel Prize in Literature, but what if this prize were instead awarded to a singer of the traditional writer or poet? The Nobel Prize in Literature is a prize that is awarded annually, typically to an author, who has produced outstanding work in the field of literature. The award is given based on the individual's work as a whole, not just a particular component. A great example of this is Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize win in 2016. Bob Dylan, an American folk singer and songwriter, was celebrated for "creating new poetic expressions within the great tradition of American song." His songs draw inspiration from modernist poets and those of the bohemian era, and his lyrics encapsulate social struggles and political protests. While Dylan's writing style and presentation might seem nontraditional compared to previous recipients, he undoubtedly deserves the Nobel Prize in Literature, having masterfully conveyed stories through his profound lyrics as a unique art form. This astonishing honor sheds more light on the extraordinary work Bob Dylan did and demonstrates the countless lives he touched around the world. In 2016, when Dylan received the award, he was as surprised as anyone at the time and expressed it during his acceptance speech. He believes that “if a song moves you, that's all that matters. [You] don't have to know what a song means. A song has the same ability to move a person as a poem or other form of written material because it depends on how the reader or listener interprets it. It's important for the artwork to have meaning, and in this case, Dylan's words do. I am able to move and inspire people, informing them and telling stories. Furthermore, he is said to have won "for inventing ways to make songs do what they had never done before" (Sheffield 2). Dylan stands out from other artists because his songs have such a deep meaning, which allows the listener to understand them easily. He attacks real life issues and is able to capture the listener's attention, making them interested and care about the subject matter that underlies his music. In his song "The Times They Are A-Changin' ", he sings: Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call, don't stand in the doorway, don't block the hallway, for whoever gets hurt, it'll be the one who stopped. There's a battle outside, and that's it. ragin'. Soon it will shake your windows and make your walls tremble for the times that are changing. Years before the release of this song, Dylan had said that he wanted to write a song that had a lot of meaning, with short and concise words. verses that piled up on top of each other creating a sort of hypnotic illusion. At that time, the civil rights movement and the popular music movement were for a time closely linked. Dylan used this opportunity to express his feelings on the matter and called on the American people and government to realize the trueissue at hand, all in the form of a song. You might also be interested. Essay Title Generator When paired with music, or lacking that aspect, lyrics can have a greater impact than written words in a poem because they provide people with a deeper understanding and connection to what is being presented to them. The way language is conveyed and used in songs has the ability to express emotions that would be difficult to convey in most writing works. Controversies Surrounding Dylan's Nobel Prize Winner Some may argue that although Bob Dylan has qualified for and earned countless different music awards in his career, he does not deserve the Nobel Prize in Literature because his writing style does not include the normal terms in which average winners meet regularly. In the New York Times article, "Why Bob Dylan Shouldn't Have Received a Nobel," Anna North expresses her perspective on why Dylan was not qualified to receive the award. He states that the committee should have “chosen a writer who has made significant innovations in the form, … a writer from developing countries, who remains woefully underrepresented among Nobel laureates” or “a writer who has built an audience primarily online” . Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 should have been awarded to someone who has made an impact on the world with his writings and work in general. Since Dylan is already a world-famous artist, a new writer has missed the opportunity to be recognized for his impactful work. In the article, North goes on to say that Dylan "is great because he's a great musician, and when the Nobel Committee awards the prize for literature to a musician, it misses the opportunity to honor a writer." Bob Dylan is world famous. internationally and has already achieved numerous global recognition by receiving numerous music awards, so he does not need to add this victory to his long list of successes. North uses this method exclusively to introduce qualifiers into his writing and uses this fact to illustrate its importance to other writers who, in her opinion, are much more worthy of the prize. However, the fact that Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature expresses a paradigm shift because all those who won the prize before him were traditional writers but, as a singer and composer, he broke the pre-existing trend. The article “Why Bob Dylan deserves his Nobel wins literature” it is argued that “in Bob Dylan's work, words and music cannot be separated. Take your favorite Dylan line… Whatever it is, when you say it to yourself, as we all do in times of need, you will hear his voice, his sound, his music. Bob Dylan's work is clearly different from that of any other musical artist. His music and lyrics manage to convey messages that they were not initially intended for. This allows him to have the same effect on people as a writer or a poet. The Nobel Prize in Literature is an extraordinary honor that any literary figure would be lucky to obtain one day in their career. However, when singer and songwriter Bob Dylan won the award in 2016, it took the world by storm. Even though he is not a traditional winner of the prize, he still deserves to be recognized and earn the Nobel Prize as he was able to achieve the same, if not more, than previous nominees. After Dylan breaks the pre-existing trend that the winners would be writers, I think another musician could win the as wellprize. Someone who could be a good choice for the Nobel Prize in Literature in the future could be singer and songwriter Frank Ocean. Bob Dylan's "Oxford Town" and Social Injustice Bob Dylan often served as a voice for those who could not speak. He used his status to shed light on the many social injustices present in society in the 1960s and beyond. In his song “Oxford Town,” Dylan's tale educated listeners about the misfortunes minorities faced in daily life. The song I will analyze is Dylan's 1963 song entitled “Oxford Town”. Although the song is much shorter than most of Dylan's other songs, the story behind the lyrics remains a monumental part of American history. It is known that the song is based on the story of James Meredith and how he became the first African-American student enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 1962 (Longley). Dylan wrote this song for a contest held by Broadside magazine, an underground music magazine (Glaser), which was holding an open-invitation contest for songs about Meredith's story. Ultimately, Dylan's song was chosen, which was recorded and released in 1963. Lyrically, "Oxford Town" outlines Meredith's journey to becoming a student at the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, and offers an overview of the problems he encountered along the way. way. The lines “He went to Oxford Town. Guns and clubs followed him. All because his face was brown. describe the beginning of Meredith's story. Dylan uses the term "Oxford Town" in the song because Ole Miss is located in the city of Oxford, Mississippi. The locals around Ole Miss did not welcome Meredith with open arms. He was subjected to extreme racism and racial tensions were high during this time due to the civil rights movement. The following lines continue to express the racism that occurred as James Meredith attempted to attend college. Dylan says, "He couldn't get in. All because of the color of his skin." Initially, James Meredith's application to Ole Miss was accepted, but was rejected when the university discovered that he was African American. However, Meredith should have been accepted because the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka protected his rights as an African American. The case ruled that segregation in schools and colleges violated the Fourteenth Amendment, thus making it unconstitutional (Duignan). With this, Meredith took the University of Mississippi to court so he could be a student there. The US Supreme Court required the University of Mississippi to accept Meredith's application, but this ruling was met with massive public outcry (Longley). When Meredith arrived on campus, riots broke out in hopes of keeping him from registering for classes. Dylan incorporates the severity of these riots into the song with these lines: "Me and my girlfriend, my girlfriend's son, we ran into a tear gas bomb." As the riots intensified and drew thousands of people by nightfall, U.S. marshals attempted to control the scene with tear gas. The closing lines of the song describe the outcome of the riots. Dylan says, "Two men died under the Mississippi moon, someone better investigate soon." Despite the marshals' efforts to quell the riots, two men, Paul Guihard and Ray Gunter, were killed (Sitton). Dylan remembers the two lives lost and seems to face the fact that they deserved justice. As previously stated, this song is much shorter and less complex than Dylan's other songs. There doesn't seem to be any hidden meaning behind the lyrics, instead Dylan showed the experience of