ENGLISH LITERATURE

PROJECT
SESSION: 2021-2022

Name – Kartikay Chhabra

Class – 12 A
Roll No. - 20
 INTRODUCTION

In this project we will shed some light on the themes of the poem ‘John Brown’.
We will dive deep into the poem and analyze the themes.

‘John Brown’ by Bob Dylan is an anti-war poem that ironically refers to a mother
and her soldier son. The poem creates a stark contrast between the fascination of
war and the futility of it. This imaginary story about John Brown is a portrayal of
all the soldiers wounded or suffered in war. The war, however important for the
contesting nations, is a bane to those who give everything for their countries’
sake. Bob Dylan, through this poem, shows the harsh reality of war and its
aftermath.
 Explanation of question framed
Que. Referring closely to the poem ‘John Brown’, relate the hollowness of the
war as compared to richness of peace, in the matter of conflicting nations.
Though his mother is proud of her son being to war, is she able to accept the
loss that the war had caused to her son?

Basically, to answer these questions, we must explain the themes of the poem.
Especially how human life is effected badly due to war. Dylan Thomas strongly
discourages the concept of war. This will cater to understanding the poem better and
will present a broader aspect of the poem to the readers.

Reason for choosing the text/topic

The poem brings home the theme that war is futile. It reinforces the
meaninglessness of war. The poem records the soldier's personal impression
about war, truths of human existence and the feeling of horror and pity, enmity
and sacrifice generated by war. The simple lyric conveys a serious message. War is
delightful only to those who have never experienced it and those who have, it is
nothing but butchery of the largest scale. Since this poem is relatable to today’s
scenario, it drew me towards it, and it gave me a wonderful opportunity to go
through such a wonderful poem and analyze it. Therefore, I chose this poem for
this project, and I hope that further it will teach us some untold lessons.
 How I intend to interpret the
chosen text and literary
materials used in the process
All the written portion has been derived from the prescribed textbook, i.e.,
‘Reverie’ and its workbook. I have also taken help from https://englicist.com/, this
made me understand the poem with a broader aspect and I came to know the
perspective of other people and their thoughts on this poem. To answer the
question and to explain the themes in a better possible way, each of it has been
divided into different paragraphs.

Analysis of themes

‘John Brown’ (Summary)

John brown is an anti-war song composed and performed by the American singer-
songwriter and Nobel laureate Bob Dylan. The song is an expression of the
singer’s deep-rooted sense of pacifism. Bob Dylan is known for upholding
American folk music and his work is seen to be highly influenced by the poets of
Modernism and Beatnik movements. His songs are generally easy to follow with a
deep philosophical meaning. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for
his outstanding contribution in creating new poetic expressions in the American
song tradition.
John Brown is, as previously mentioned, an anti-war lyric. It tells the story of an
American mother who sends her son John Brown to war on some foreign land.
The song follows the young soldier and his mother’s lives. The singer shows us the
true fate of the American soldiers who are stationed in foreign countries for war.
He also questions the very nature of war and shows us that there is no nobility in
warfare, thereby strengthening the idea of pacifism.
‘John Brown’ (Themes)
• Bridge between fancy and reality
Bob Dylan’s ‘John Brown’ is an anti-war lyric. It tells the story of an American
mother who sends her son John Brown to war on some foreign land. The song
follows the young soldier and his mother’s lives. The singer shows us the true fate
of the American soldiers who are stationed in foreign countries for war.
The poem has vividly depicted the contrast between the romantic ideals of war
and its reality. We see that the mother is very proud of her son as he is going to
fight for his country. There is a sense of heroism and patriotism. That is why she
wants to show everybody in her area that her son is a hero.

But the contrast starts rolling out when in the fifth stanza, the poet says “Then
the letters ceased to come”. And the gap between reality and romanticism comes
clear in the sixth stanza of the poem when she at last sees her son and “she could
hardly believe her eyes”. Then the poet gives us an image of the soldier’s pain and
horrific experience in the war by describing his face as “blown-off” and a metal
brace around his waist.

So, Bob Dylan clearly builds a bridge between fancy and reality, as suggested in
the question. He also questions the very nature of war and shows us that there is
no nobility in warfare, thereby strengthening the idea of pacifism.

• Fatality of war
War is so fatal that it forces a man to act inhumanely against its own race. This is
what scared John Brown the most, that his enemy whom he intended to kill
looked just like him. Both the soldiers, at the end, were the victims of the same
war. They were in no way connected with the cause or consequences of the war,
yet they were duty-bound and had to kill their own brothers.
Bob Dylan’s John Brown depicts how vainly war is glorified and what fatal
consequences it has. John Brown’s mother associates war with heroism and glory.
She is no bystander or victim here. She seems to be unaware of the fatal
consequences of war. She admires her son’s look when he dresses up in a
soldier’s uniform. The thing she is highly interested in is the medals that her son
would bring. This is suggestive of the false glory associated with the war. In fact,
the poem doesn’t state the reason for going to the war. The goal here is to
criticize the soldier’s mother’s vanity, and to expose the captain and those who
award the medals.

Conclusion
War is so fatal that it forces a man to act inhumanely against its own race. This is
what scared John Brown the most, that his enemy whom he intended to kill
looked just like him. Both the soldiers, at the end, were the victims of the same
war. ... In fact, the poem doesn't state the reason for going to the war.
Bob Dylan’s John Brown depicts how vainly war is glorified and what fatal
consequences it has. John Brown’s mother associates war with heroism and glory.
She is no bystander or victim here. She seems to be unaware of the fatal
consequences of war. She admires her son’s look when he dresses up in a
soldier’s uniform. The thing she is highly interested in is the medals that her son
would bring. This is suggestive of the false glory associated with the war. In fact,
the poem doesn’t state the reason for going to the war. The goal here is to
criticize the soldier’s mother’s vanity, and to expose the captain and those who
award the medals. At last, I would like to end this project by concluding that it
was indeed a pleasure for me to make this project for the readers. I hope that I
have not missed any important point and I have explained everything in a correct
manner. I would like to thank my teacher Mr. Dennis Stephen who lend me this
opportunity. I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me in
making this project.