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  • John Brown A Complete Analysis: By-Raunak Thaker

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    Raunak Thaker
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    This document provides an analysis of the poem "John Brown" by Bob Dylan. It summarizes the key themes and messages of the poem, which depicts the physical and emotional toll of war on a soldier, John Brown, and his mother. The poem aims to illustrate that war is futile and brutal, rather than glorious, by contrasting the mother's initial pride in her son going to war with the horrific injuries she sees when he returns. It also shows that the enemy is humanized and that all soldiers are essentially the same. The analysis concludes that the poem conveys an anti-war message by highlighting the pointlessness and human costs of conflict.

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    John Brown

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    This document provides an analysis of the poem "John Brown" by Bob Dylan. It summarizes the key themes and messages of the poem, which depicts the physical and emotional toll of war on a soldier, John Brown, and his mother. The poem aims to illustrate that war is futile and brutal, rather than glorious, by contrasting the mother's initial pride in her son going to war with the horrific injuries she sees when he returns. It also shows that the enemy is humanized and that all soldiers are essentially the same. The analysis concludes that the poem conveys an anti-war message by highlighting the pointlessness and human costs of conflict.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    467 views5 pages

    John Brown A Complete Analysis: By-Raunak Thaker

    Uploaded by

    Raunak Thaker
    This document provides an analysis of the poem "John Brown" by Bob Dylan. It summarizes the key themes and messages of the poem, which depicts the physical and emotional toll of war on a soldier, John Brown, and his mother. The poem aims to illustrate that war is futile and brutal, rather than glorious, by contrasting the mother's initial pride in her son going to war with the horrific injuries she sees when he returns. It also shows that the enemy is humanized and that all soldiers are essentially the same. The analysis concludes that the poem conveys an anti-war message by highlighting the pointlessness and human costs of conflict.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 5

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    John Brown

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    A Complete Analysis

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    By- Raunak Thaker

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    Why is that we as a civilized society, have
    come to understand the futility of war?

    Over time mankind has realized that war is fought for power and resources
    which as society has become more civilized. Mankind has realized that war is
    not the answer. This is amply demonstrated in the words in the poem ‘John
    Brown’ by Bob Dylan. The destruction that war brings, the devastating
    impact on families and the environment is not the way forward for all
    mankind to live in a peaceful and civilized society. The meaning of the word
    ‘futile’ is being incapable of producing any useful product. I sincerely believe
    that there are other venues such as diplomacy and trade to overcome
    problems as a society we don’t need to go to war.

    Reason for choosing the text:

    The poem ‘John Brown’ by Bob Dylan accurately exposes the reader to the
    emotions that war was not glorious, nor was it a process to be to be a part of.
    Instead it wounds and kills those who took part in . The poem exemplifies on
    a personal level to which everyone can relate how war can devastate a family.
    A proud mother sends her son to war. She feels patriotic and proud that her
    family was contributing towards their country. The harsh realities of war, the
    dangers her son goes through and the ensuing suffering of war is not
    considered. Common people are often tricked into believing how glorious a
    war can be. This poem depicts the true price that a valiant soldier pays
    through his lifelong suffering for war. As the train pulls in, the mother could
    ‘hardly believe her eyes’ the terrible sight of her own son so desperately
    injured. She could not even recognize his face, because ‘a cannonball blew
    my eyes away.’ The army only gives you medals of honour which seem very
    paltry in view of the injuries suffered. The trauma and the wounds inflicted
    ,they are both mental and physical, neither of which will fully heal. The
    mother’s misplaced pride and the lies exposed to her, shock her deeply. Not
    just with her son’s awful injuries but with his words that war was the worst
    thing she could have imposed on him. The main theme of the poem is to
    make common people understand the cruel and savage actualities of war.

    Concept of the Poem:


    “John Brown went off to war to fight in a foreign shore”, the poet sets the
    theme for the entire poem informing the reader that a valiant soldier named
    John Brown was going off to fight on a ‘foreign’ shore. Her misguided loving
    mother felt that his reflected glory would shine on her, giving her status
    amongst her neighbors. This seems to be important to the mother. The line,”
    Oh! Good old fashioned war” implies the underlying idea that war was
    something to be respected and admired, as anything old fashioned seems to
    be viewed with reverence. It is used sarcastically by the poet to emphasize the
    infatuation that common people have for war. A change in the mood of the
    poem comes about in the line,” Then the letters ceased to come. For a long
    time they did not come.” These lines impart a kind of quiet unease to the
    reader.
    “While she could not even recognize his face” This both shocked and
    disturbed her sense of comfort in her own world and ideas. She asked her son
    how this had happened. The poor valiant John Brown tries his best to speak
    but his mother turns her face away, for the mother could no longer bear to see
    her son in such a horrible condition. She was shocked to her very core.

    The line,” Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?
    I’m a-tryin’ to kill somebody or die tryin’ but the thing that scared me most
    was when my enemy came close and I saw that his face looked just like
    mine” makes the reader understand that we are all the same, impresses upon
    us the feeling of brotherhood. Is there any purpose in fighting at all? The
    purpose is to remind us all of the futility of war. The poem seeks to create a
    contrast between what the common man is led to believe about war, misled
    by ideas of honour and glory. But the truth is that it brings much suffering.
    The disillusionment is the most important element of it. The poem seeks to
    illuminate the uselessness of the war and the fact that the enemy was not a
    cruel savage barbarian but just like him.
    “And I couldn’t help but think the thunder rolling and stink”, these words
    tend to remind the reader about the difficulties and hardships on the
    battlefield. John Brown has also realized that he was a ‘puppet ’ in the play.
    ‘Play’ is metaphorical reference to the politics and he was no more than a
    pawn to be sacrificed at the altar of political gains. His agony and suffering
    account for nothing.
    “And through the roar and smoke, the string is finally broke.” John Brown
    has come to realization about the truth of the war. The poet creates an ironic
    effect in the poem through the theme of national pride and patriotismin the
    beginning of the poem and then contrasting to the mother’s reaction on seeing
    her son come back from the war. The brutality of war is made clear now to
    the mother. The common man never gained anything from conflict. It is the
    fight of a few people in power to gain more power. It is the valiant ‘John
    Browns’ who are forced to leave their town and pushed into war. The
    horrendous and pointless wars serve no purpose. Yet thousands of lives are
    sacrificed to satisfy the monstrous ambitions of those wicked politicians. The
    common people face loss and benefit nothing. This portrays the absolute
    futility of war for the common good of mankind.

    “And he dropped his medals down into her hand”, is an ironic way to end the
    poem and is a reminder of how insignificant their (common people) suffering
    was considered by those in power, emphasizing the uselessness of war. A
    handful of medals is no reward or compensations for the massive sacrifices
    made by the soldiers.

    Conclusion:
    John Brown is an anti-war poem which examines the contrast of the mother’s
    pride in her valiant soldier son who has undergone a lot of physical harm in
    the war and is lucky to even be alive. His presence is so altered that “The
    mother had to turn her face away”. The theme of the poem is that war is
    chaotic, insane and futile. Ending another person’s life brings no glory. The
    theme depicts how war is unnecessary when compared to the atrocities that
    any valiant soldier has in war. In the poem John Brown, the poet Bob Dylan
    seeks to elucidite the reader on the futility of war.

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