1a) John Brown, by Bob Dylan, Is A Poem That Highlights The Uselessness and Horrors of War

1a) John Brown, by Bob Dylan, is a poem that highlights the uselessness and horrors of war.
The poem begins with the titular fictional character John Brown who is all straight in his uniform and
ready to join the war in some foreign land. John’s mother is also proud of the fact that her son would
be fighting for a ‘noble’ cause and will be ‘honoured’ for it with medals.
We are, however, not told why the war was being fought in the first place. This shows us that wars
that have occurred have no real meaning to them and no proper justification can be made as to why
they take place.
Bob Dylan also ironically calls them ‘good ol’ fashioned’ wars, highlighting that no good ever comes
from a war and they are only to satisfy the power-hunger for despicable politicians who view
soldiers as pawns that can be used and discarded.
We understand its true nature and horror about it from the tragedy that has occurred to John during
his time in war. He had come back home different from what he used to be and look like, so much,
that his own proud mother was neither able to recognize him nor look at his face. He also tells his
mother about how when he saw the opposing soldier, he was reminded of himself and the
realisation struck him that his opponent was no different than him---a son who was displaced from
his family so he could be a puppet for the aforementioned politicians; his only options were to kill or
be killed.
Ultimately, John had been crippled to nothing by the trauma of the war; he was amputated all over,
could not stand, could not speak and had been affected mentally too, and his reward for such
damages was a few gold medals, which have no value to him, other than displaying it in a wall; they
cannot give back to John what he had lost; he was lucky to even survive. John is thus the universal
representation of all the soldiers who are victims to the horrifying consequences of war.
It is revealed to us that John had gained nothing from the war; he had lost everything so he could
gain for someone who would not benefit him anyhow. He had lost valuable abilities like walking,
speaking, and seeing, which could have helped him later in life, for nothing. It shows us that for a
common soldier, war is useless and leaves behind a very tragic consequence when luck is not on
their side.
b) The mother represents the common mass that is swayed by the propaganda spouted by selfish
leaders to convince them about the honour and glory that comes from a war.
All the time in the poem, from when her son is about to leave for the war and before he comes back
from it, she is extremely proud of the fact that she had convinced her son to enlist in the war. She
was concerned with the medals he would be ‘honoured’ with and was ignorant about the
consequences her son might be subjected to.
She was so engrossed in boasting to her neighbours about sending him to the war, that she was
completely blind to the well-being of her son. When his letters stopped coming, there was no sign of
worry in her mind about his well-being. She had become oblivious or rather blind to the fact that
there is only death and destruction in the battlefield, such that, she was surprised to see her son’s
present condition.
She is naïve about the situation she signed him up for and ignorant about its consequence. She has
been spellbound so much by the romanticisation of war that she has ‘lost’ her motherly nature to
care for her son’s wellbeing.
c) Yes, the end of the poem is ironic.
In the beginning we see a proud and straight John Brown, ready to sacrifice his life for honour and
his mother who took extreme pride in sending him for war. However, towards the end, we see the
straight standing John now has to be supported by metal braces. When he tries to speak, they come
out as whisper. His face had been shot and he had lost his hand.
His proud mother is unable to recognise and cannot even look at him; she cannot comprehend how
her son had become in that state. John points out that she had not been in his shoes and thus, she
cannot understand the reality of the situation. He also ‘pays her back’ with the medals she had
yearned for, all in exchange for becoming physically disabled.

1a) John Brown, by Bob Dylan, Is A Poem That Highlights The Uselessness and Horrors of War

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1a) John Brown, by Bob Dylan, Is A Poem That Highlights The Uselessness and Horrors of War

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1a) John Brown, by Bob Dylan, is a poem that highlights the uselessness and horrors of war.

c) Yes, the end of the poem is ironic.

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