1. Based on J. Dunlap's article on Bob Dylan and on your own research/knowledge, what do you think the phrase "American Idealism" means? Do you agree that it may be applied to Dylan?
2. Creative Writing Practice: based on the following stanzas from the song "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" , write a continuation for the narrative (in whatever format - song, short story, letter, autobiographical narrative, news report, etc.) in which you include elements of at least two other topics already studied in this class (the spectacle of the West, the penny press and the mixture of fact and fiction in news, detective novels, cartoons and stereotypes, comics and superheroes, etc.). In the end, add a max. of 5 informative lines explaning just which elements you connected).
SEVEN DEAD IN SOUTH DAKOTA FARM
ResponderEliminarLast Monday, the 22nd of October, a family of seven was found dead inside their farm, in a rural, secluded area of South Dakota. All victims displayed gunshot wounds and had been dead for several hours. Locals say the Brown family was in deep financial troubles, and had been living in misery for several months now. Upon closer inspection, the bodies were found to be malnourished – but was this the merciful blow of a desperate patriarch, or were there more sinister forces at work?
An undisclosed informant, and the closest thing the Brown family had to a neighbor, was kind enough to concede us an interview. According to our informant, before Mr. Brown became unemployed, he had been working for an elusive Chinese man named Mr. Huang, who had come into town several years prior and had purchased corn fields not too far from Mr. Brown’s and our informant’s farms. He tells us that this Mr. Huang is not of the most reputable character, and that there are indeed rumors of strange things happening at Mr. Huang’s corn fields. Our informant reckons that Mr. Brown, upon discovering the strange and most likely nefarious things taking place in the corn fields, decided to quit his job rather than see himself involved in this. The Chinese man, being not too happy about one of his employees having witnessed his secrets and walking out freely, probably felt compelled, in my informant’s opinion, to pay Mr. Brown and his family a visit - to silence them.
What think you of this, dear readers? Should we trust our informant’s intelligence, or take it with a grain of salt? Regardless of whether or not nefarious Asian forces were at work in the deaths of these seven South Dakotans, we here at The Echo Observer believe that the influx of Asians into this great nation is something to scrutinized with an extremely critical eye, as one never knows exactly what kind of people we are inviting into our country.
A minha notícia converge a música de Bob Dylan com a tradição dos "literary hoaxes" e o estereótipo do "Chinês mafioso" presente nos romances policiais dos anos 20. O "undisclosed informant" é uma fabricação do jornalista, que tem como intenção denegrir a imagem dos imigrantes asiáticos nos EUA.
“Hollis Brown and I were friends”, Neesa said.
ResponderEliminarShe had been looking down the entire time I questioned her, and I almost believed she was sad for the death of Mr. Brown and his family. But when she said this she looked at me and smiled. And the funny thing is that even then I still couldn’t be sure if she was lying to me. Now I know she was.
“Mr. Brown was not known for having many friends”, I said assertively. I was not about to let this woman ruin my reputation as a detective. “And you… people say things about you. They say you can make people do things they don’t want to do.”
She laughed.
“Well, it does seem like men can’t control themselves around me most of the time. But I don’t know if that has anything to do with this superpower you say I have. What do you think?”
“You tell me,” I said. I realized then how much I was sweating. I was sweating more in that interrogation room than I am right now. That’s almost funny. “Witnesses said you were the last person to see Mr. Brown before he shot himself. Two witnesses claim to have seen you entering the house, but no one was around when you left. At what time did you leave, Neesa?”
“Midnight, I think.”
I paused for a moment to process what she had just told me. Her eyes flamed at me, and I can still see them perfectly as I sit at home waiting for the clock to strike 12.
“So you’re telling me you were in the house when it all happened?”
“When what happened?” she said sweetly.
“Don’t play games with me, Neesa”, I demanded. “Why did you want that family dead?”
“You tell me”, she said, smirking. And, as angry as I was, I was still drawn to her, hoping for her to be innocent. “Your husband keeps a gun in his closet, doesn’t he?” I started shaking. I didn’t know how she knew this, and I didn’t want confirm it, but I nodded anyway. She smiled- and I smiled with her. “Good. You should go home, detective.”
She didn’t say anything after that, but I knew what she wanted me to do. She got up and left the room, and I didn’t stop her. I came home, found my husband’s gun in his closet and sat on the sofa. None of the sympathy I felt for Neesa in that room remains now. Only her flaming eyes. I am certain now that Hollis Brown killed his family and himself because Neesa wanted him to, though I guess I will never know why.
There’s only a few minutes left until midnight.
A minha narrativa é uma continuação da musica de Bob Dylan, com elementos da detective fiction e do estereótipo da “she-devil”, com elementos de uma história de super-heróis (a personagem Neesa foi inspirada no vilão da Marvel, Kilgrave).
From the beginning of the essay the difference between the two folk music generations (pre and post war) is explained: the earlier songs are often called as “magnetic” songs. These type of songs rather express general ideas, feelings, ideological power etc., in politically and economically difficult times, but collectively.
ResponderEliminarIn the second generation, Including Bob Dylan, the songs, rather than magnetic are seen as “rhetoric”, and they express personal and individual feelings towards particular issues. The lack of ideological ideas, and a certain vagueness the preference of experience as a learning mechanism or process, may characterize this second generation or group. The approach is much more idealistic.
Bob Dylan, in particular, used his songs as medium or a vehicle to focus on individual and unique perspectives, opinions, of what is mentioned throughout the essay as “the people” or the “common man”. He challenged accepted and dogmatic beliefs, and nature is oftentimes a major source of inspiration traceable in his songs.
Regarding other sources of inspiration, (mainly authors such as Ralph Waldo Emmerson, John Steinbeck, Henry David Thoreau, or even Walt Whitman) or other earlier musicians (such as Woody Guthrie), it may be assumed the expression “American Idealism” can be applied to Dylan, In this commentary I will demonstrate and explain various influences and characteristics to justify my opinion.
Idealism, (from a political perspective), generally suggests the priority of ideals, principles, values, and goals over concrete realities. Ralph Waldo Emmerson, defended a certain wholeness, uniting men and women with nature. Whitman’s political ideas on democracy and equality are not only traceable in Dylan’s and Guthrie’s early protest songs, they could be placed in this current of thought.
The common man, is another strong idea present in his songs. Again Ralph Waldo Emmerson defended the idealization of an exclusive and unique creation of American art and literature, untying itself from European elitist traditions. How to produce art and literature then? The whole society, the ordinary daily lives of “the people”. Dylan’s songs, and folk songs in general, can be seen similarly, symbolising “the people”, in other words, those who happen to have a voice come out for the voiceless. Looking at world and loving the people, notions, he found in in writers as in Woody Guthrie.
Adhesion, like Whitman, Guthrie or even Ginsberg, is a feeling Dylan came to develop towards the oppressed, the downtrodden, the ones who suffered more than he did, the ones who consequently had less. More than adhesion, Dylan (notable Steinbeck influence) wants to learn from these groups rather than trying immediately to achieve marked changes.
Regarding these characteristics I explained so far, and the balance between the individual’s feelings, and political purposes, (rhetoric and magnetism characteristics) Dylan was creating and making music in Emmerson’s tradition of American Idealism.
(cont)
ResponderEliminarHenry David Thoreau, defends the importance of the individual conscience, by avoiding institutional political methods, (which suppresses individualism): the concept of civil disobedience. In the more rhetorical songs, just Like Thoreau, Emmerson, but also peace activists as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Dylan asked “the people” to examine their consciousness, the critical look within themselves. Again, appealing to adhesiveness, on the other hand, he defends, that any kind of political leadership can never be trusted.
Last but not least, Dylan found himself inspired by American transcendentalism (a sub form of idealism) , almost as an answer, or an alternative to this distrust of political methods and leaderships. In what should we believe? Religions do not unify “the people”, Politics and moral or civil codes even less. Nature, is not or can be not religiously or politically-centered. This idea defends the ultimate participation, of every single women and man in an “over-soul” and this concept of over-soul mirrors perfectly nature, and the other way around. In this way all thoughts are traced back to nature, an idea present in much of Dylan’s songs. These ideas and influences, gained sometimes a mystical edge, influenced by Zen Buddhism, or other mystical currents, mainly through the Beat poets and writers.
American Idealist works and their thinkers shaped a good part of Dylan’s career, letting him create a balance between the feelings of each individual, but making him understand the importance of human unity.
"What d'you got there?" a curious young man asked as he peered over the shoulder of a another man.
ResponderEliminar"Buzz off."
The man raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Seriously? Wow, real original."
"I'm serious, Bee Boy," the man sighed and folded up the newspaper, "I'm on my schedule break and the last thing I want is someone to bug me."
"And the puns keep on rolling with Achak," Bee Boy muttered under his breath, sighing dramatically to admit defeat, "Well, then I suppose you're not interested in knowing that I got two tickets for that cowboy show you wanted to see for so long."
A moment of silence passed between the two man. Achak kept a steady gaze at his partner. Bee Boy's smile just kept growing wider the longer the other stared at him. Finally, it was Achak's turn to admit defeat with a sigh, asking:
"How?"
"Hoho, now it's down to the one word question," Bee Boy laughed and clasped his hands together, "Well, my friend, I can tell you about the adventure I had, but fiiiirst, tell me what you got there!"
Achak pinched his brows and rolled his shoulders. He unfolded the newspaper in front of him, shaking it once to straighten the paper. Bee Boy squinted and carefully read out the headline:
"Great Tragedy, seven found dead, Hollis Brown suspected"
"Got it real cheap," Achak commented, clearly unshaken.
Bee Boy switched his glances between the paper and his partner, eyebrows furrowing and his mouth slightly agape. Surely he would have heard of this tale during patrol, or from word to mouth! After a certain point, he felt a whack on the top of his head, his bewildering eyes seeing that it was Achak hitting him with a rolled up newspaper.
"Made up story, idiot," he said, "Based on the one in North Dakota, that brawl of Gunsmith against Holly and Brown. Not sure which idiot thought it was a great idea to bring guns against someone who can mind control people."
"Oh," Bee Boy said in a wavered voice, momentarily losing composure, "W-well, deal is a deal, I suppose I should tell how I got the tickets. Well, you see-"
He was interrupted by the shouts of someone swearing obscenities at a passing Black couple. He sighed and pulled down his mask, Achak mimicking the same movement. The both looked at each other and nodded.
"You still owe me your side of the story."
"I know, Achak, I know. But duty comes first."
The song "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" turned to a penny-press story, which is based off on another tragedy that happened within the universe of this short story. As followed, there are superheroes or at least costumed heroes in here, as evidenced by the nicknames ("Bee Boy" and "Gunsmith" for example). There's also a slight allusion to Buffalo Bill, the "cowboy show" to which the character got tickets too.
The last shot was taken and soon the shotgun fell
ResponderEliminarThe last shot was taken and soon the shotgun fell
He thought he lived in heaven, turned out he lived in hell.
The police came in, seven bodies there to find
The police came in, seven bodies there to find
One of 'em said:"what could a-been going through his mind? "
They looked to the east, they looked to the west
They looked to the east, they looked to the west
They found the poor baby still gripin' his mother's breast
They went outside, the cotton fields they were a shame
They went outside, the cotton fields they were a shame
You work your entire life, you aint a-got no money, you aint a-got no name
We better leave 'em here, sound off the alarm
We better leave 'em here, sound off the alarm
The next day the papers read "SEVEN DEAD ON A SOUTH DAKOTA FARM"
A minha resposta é uma tentativa de continuação da música, baseada na história nela contida.