Meanor 1 Emma Meanor Mr. Coffin English 621 November 30, 2009 Poetry Analysis Introduction In 1975, Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy co-wrote a song called Hurricane. It is the story of American boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter and his fight for justice after being wrongly convicted of a triple murder. Bob Dylan wrote this song in an attempt to publicize the wrong-doing of law enforcement during Rubin s case. At the time it was written, Rubin was serving four consecutive life sentences in prison for a crime he did not commit. Dylan hoped that this publicity would help Rubin get an appeal and be released from jail. Dylan even went so far as to perform a benefit concert for Rubin at Madison Square Garden in New York. It seemed as though Carter was accused and found guilty based almost entirely on his race, as there was little evidence proving his guilt. The intended audience for this piece is pretty much everyone. It was important for Rubin to hear it, to give him a sense of hope and support, while the general public was given another side of the story that they had not previously been aware existed. As well, the people responsible for putting Rubin away were shown that not everyone believed their lies. This song was very influential at the time and it allows people of today to realize that one song really can have a great impact on society. First Poetry Element or Literary Device The most effective poetic element in the song is Dylan s use of repetition. Specifically he repeats the line: Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world. This statement exemplifies the fact that Rubin was doing something with his life. He worked hard to get where he was and was one of the best boxers in the middle-weight class. By repeating these lines, Dylan is trying to make that point. If it was only stated once, the message would still be there, but the audience may not realize its significance. Not only was Rubin robbed of his freedom, but also his chance to be the champion of the world. Second Poetry Element or Literary Device Throughout this song, Dylan makes use of rhetorical questions. The first one occurs when he is talking about the trial itself. It goes like this: The crime was murder one, guess who testified? This is effective since it makes it so blatantly obvious that the trial was a farce. It is obvious that the people who testified were going to be less then trustworthy, and, sure enough, it was Bello and Bradley. The other use of this device was in the statement:
Meanor 2 How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool s hand? Here, Dylan is showing how unbelievable the whole thing is. He cannot believe that they could possibly convict Rubin on so little evidence. This statement is also very symbolic since Rubin s life was potentially ruined because some cop did not want to look like he could not find the killer. These two rhetorical questions help to create a scene for the audience to see how ridiculous the trial was. Third Poetry Element or Literary Device An interesting literary device in this song is the manner in which it is written. It is being told as a story, but with all the poetic elements in there too. Dylan is explaining the situation that sent Rubin to jail. The song begins in a way that one would normally think that a play would begin. It begins with some stage directions: Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall. She sees the bartender in a pool of blood, Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!" This creates an interesting atmosphere for the song. It allows the audience to picture what is going on right from the start. This is a good literary device because it is a different way of introducing the topic and it provides some good imagery for the audience. Other Elements This song does not have a definite rhyme scheme, but there are verses that rhyme. Since the rhyming is not consistent throughout, the places that do rhyme are noticed more. Those verses are likely the most important, such as this one: Four months later, the ghettos are in flame, Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame. "Remember that murder that happened in a bar?" "Remember you said you saw the getaway car?" "You think you'd like to play ball with the law?" "Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?" "Don't forget that you are white." This verse is so important because it is explaining how corrupt the police are. They do not really care who they blame for it as long as they put someone away and satisfy society. So, they decide to make a deal with Arthur Dexter Bradley to testify against Rubin. The rhyming of this verse is nice because it is still so fluent. It almost seems as though the rhyming just happened to fit perfectly with what he wanted to say.
Meanor 3 Also, Dylan has a definite attitude towards the subject. He really seems to care about this and feels a definite sadness for the state of society. This becomes quite obvious when he says: To see him obviously framed Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game. This statement does not only show the audience his feelings. It also gives them something to think about. It really is sad to think that no one is safe from the law. It appears that anyone can be convicted of any crime even if he was not even there when it happened. Law enforcement is supposed to keep citizens safe by removing potentially dangerous people from society. But, to think that innocent people are intentionally framed is not comforting. Conclusion This song had a huge effect on Rubin Carter s life. Carter has since been released from prison and is a free man once again. However, he did serve twenty years in prison before his release. One can never be certain what effect the song actually had in this process, but it likely had some effect on it. Rubin is now seventy-two years old and lives in Toronto. As for its effect on society, it has simply brought to light the significance of wrongly convicting someone of a crime. Rubin wasted a good portion of his life in jail when he did nothing wrong. It has not greatly affected me since by the time I heard it, its work was already done and Rubin was out. It does, however, currently hold the top three spots on my list of favorite songs which is pretty good I suppose.
Meanor 4 Hurricane By: Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall. She sees the bartender in a pool of blood, Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!" Here comes the story of the Hurricane, The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world. Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously. "I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands "I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand. I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops "One of us had better call up the cops." And so Patty calls the cops And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin' In the hot New Jersey night. Meanwhile, far away in another part of town Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around. Number one contender for the middleweight crown Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road Just like the time before and the time before that. In Paterson that's just the way things go. If you're black you might as well not show up on the street 'Less you wanna draw the heat. Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops. Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates." And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head. Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead" So they took him to the infirmary And though this man could hardly see They told him that he could identify the guilty men.
Meanor 5 Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in, Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs. The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!" Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane, The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world. Four months later, the ghettos are in flame, Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame. "Remember that murder that happened in a bar?" "Remember you said you saw the getaway car?" "You think you'd like to play ball with the law?" "Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?" "Don't forget that you are white." Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure." Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow. You'll be doin' society a favor. That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver. We want to put his ass in stir We want to pin this triple murder on him He ain't no Gentleman Jim." Rubin could take a man out with just one punch But he never did like to talk about it all that much. It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail. But then they took him to the jailhouse Where they try to turn a man into a mouse. All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance. The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
Meanor 6 And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger. No one doubted that he pulled the trigger. And though they could not produce the gun, The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed. Rubin Carter was falsely tried. The crime was murder "one," guess who testified? Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride. How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool's hand? To see him obviously framed Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game. Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell. That's the story of the Hurricane, But it won't be over till they clear his name And give him back the time he's done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world.