Rhetorical Analysis of Hurricane Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Analysis of Hurricane Essay Martin Luther King once said, â€Å"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, popular, or political, but because it is right. † The song â€Å"Hurricane†, written by Bob Dylan takes a stand and ignores what was safe, popular, and politically right during the 1960’s and 1970’s, in order to paint a picture of injustice. Dylan organizes the actual events of a man named Rubin â€Å"Hurricane† Carter who was a middleweight boxer wrongfully accused and convicted of a double homicide. Dylan narrates the song and uses his credibility as a rock star to reason with a broader audience, while evoking the emotions of listeners by describing horrific events, prejudice, and coercion by fraudulent figures of authority that developed false allegations. As a result the man (Hurricane) authorities came to blame was convicted and put in prison for 20 years but as Dylan says in his song, Hurricane could have been the champion of the world, referring to â€Å"Hurricane,† who was a well known sports figure for his boxing talent. The song is also narrated in such a way that Dylan tries to convey a message that will not only cause a critical analysis of the injustice by his fan base but also by the general public. The setting of the song takes place in Patterson, New Jersey, which is a line written in the song that reads, â€Å"and they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashing in the hot New Jersey night. † In the first verse of the song Dylan attempts to hook listeners with the words, â€Å"pistol shots ring out in the barroom night. and after describing a bartender laying in a pool of blood he then moves on to quote a secondary character named Patty Valentine as saying, â€Å"My god they’ve killed them all! † describing the three men that lay slain in the barroom. The next two sentences tells audience what Dylan is going to do in which he says, â€Å"Here comes the story of the Hurricane, the man authorities came to blame for somethin’ he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been the champion of the world. The first verse grabs the emotions of listeners by creating fear while imagining the sound of gun shots, a woman screaming, and a man laying dead in a pool of blood. While the second to last sentence of the first verse, gives an identity to the main character â€Å"Hurricane,† which is an attempt to stimulate an audience to imagine a man who is like a hurricane. The first time listening to the song, one might envision a man who was very tall, muscular, and who could rip doors of their hinges, and could pick up Volkswagens and throw them the length of a football field. In reality â€Å"Hurricane† is only five foot, eight inches and weighs one hundred and seventy pounds. However, Dylan does a fantastic job pulling his listeners in while introducing the main character and opening events that would build on one another until an apex of the song is reached. Dylan not only exhibits credibility because of his fame but most importantly his song writing ability. Two of his previous songs â€Å"Blowin’ in the wind† and â€Å"The Times Are a Changin’† were anthems used during the U. S. Civil Rights and anti-war movements of the 1960’s. Dylan’s way with words was again what enabled him to tell of Hurricane’s awful injustice, while hoping the lyrics to the song would invoke his audience to work to prevent and end similar injustices from happening in the future. Throughout the song Dylan makes suggestions of racial prejudice and coercion by the Patterson, New Jersey police, the District Attorney (D. A. ), and the judge who over saw the proceedings. For example he writes, â€Å"Number one contender for the middle weight crown had no idea the 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 Patterson that 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. † The heat Dylan is referring to was the ongoing harassment of African American’s by the Patterson police. Later in verse nine Dylan writes, â€Å"All of Rubins cards were marked in advance the trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance. The judge made Rubins witnesses drunkards from the slums. To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum 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. † In this verse Dylan is making a point that not only were the Patterson police trying to make an example out of Hurricane but also the D. A. and the overseeing judge. Keep in mind that during 1966 the United States was in the midst of a historical transition as just two years earlier President Lyndon B. Johnson had signed the Civil Rights Act outlawing all forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation. The act created serious tension among whites and blacks as a majority of whites refused to accept the change and the blacks were free to fight back against those who refused. In the end the tension provoked many hostile riots and fights to breakout all over the U. S. The year 1966 also marked the start of the Black Power movement, which was maintained until the 1970’s. The movement brought together black collective interest that consisted of racial pride, political goals, establishment of other social institutions, and most importantly a continued defense against racial oppression. Given the historical context one could attest that Dylan’s speculation of lingering racism could very much be true and at that time was very much alive. Throughout the song Dylan continually uses words and fraises that evoke the beliefs and values of those not only of the 60’s and 70’s but also of today’s generation. Dylan incessantly draws attention to the callous environment that was created and controlled by the Patterson police. The Police and the District Attorney needed someone to arrest for the barroom murders and the person that fit the description was Hurricane. In verse four Dylan introduces two more characters named Alfred Bello and Arthur Dexter Bradley. By doing this Dylan keeps the attention of his audience as he writes, â€Å"Alfred Bello had a partner and he had a rap for the cops. Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just prowlin’ around he said. † Dylan is telling the story as though Bello was speaking to the police in regards to why he and his partner were at the crime scene. Dylan goes on to quote Bello again having said, â€Å"I saw two men runnin’ out and they looked like middle weights (boxers) they jumped into a white car with out-of-state-plates. Dylan uses the above sentence to further suggest that the real criminals, Bello and Bradley pinned the blame on Hurricane and his friend and hinted to the cops in such a way that directed them to accuse and arrest a well known public figure that happened to be a middle weight boxer. Dylan is again trying to send a message to his audience that Hurricane was falsely accused. After the police arrested Hurricane and took him to the hospital to be identified by a wounded victim looking â€Å"through his one dyin’ eye,† the man says, â€Å"Whad you bring him in here for? He aint the guy! Dylan continues to link events together working toward his final message as he narrates the coercion of Bello and Bradley by the Patterson police. When four months later the two are reminded of the murder and reminded of the getaway car and are asked, â€Å"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 your white. † Dylan moves on as he writes, â€Å"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 fools hand? To see him obviously framed couldnt help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land where justice is a game. † Verse ten lets you know up front that Hurricanes conviction was wrong. The next sentence continues to work on the audience’s emotions as Dylan words describe his anger and disgust and that it’s no surprise that Bello and Bradley testified. In the following line, Dylan is alluding to the Patterson county judge as the fool with Hurricane’s life in the palm of his hand. In the last sentence, Dylan’s’ words are directly aimed at the American justice system calling it a game, which tells the audience you should be ashamed too. In the final verse Dylan hits listeners with a combination of three punches as he ends with his experienced opinion, beliefs, and desires. He writes, â€Å"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. Thats the story of the Hurricane, but it wont be over till they clear his name and give him back the time hes done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been the champion of the world. † It is obvious that Bello and Bradley are the criminals free to drink martini’s and know how to play the justice system game. Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell is to influence the audience’s emotions visualizing a man sitting in his own personal hell like a statue that can do nothing but wait. Dylan lets the audience know he has finished the narrative by saying, â€Å"That’s the story of Hurricane. † The statement, â€Å"But it wont be over till they clear his name and give him back the time hes done. Put him in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been the champion of the world. † is telling the audience that they need to stand up and demand that the injustice of a innocent man be cleared and compensated for the time he has spent in prison. The ending chorus reminds the audience that the wrongful conviction not only took twenty years from a man’s life but also his chance at greatness. Before the song starts, Dylan’s reputation precedes him as a bond and a trust had already been established with his audience and those of the general public who knew of him. Although the song is not a part of our current pop culture, Dylan attempts to use his credibility to draw attention back to the racial discrimination and prejudice that was still looming the country after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been implemented. From the beginning of the song to the end, Dylan tries to send a message to evoke the values and beliefs of his fans and the general public calling out to them to stand together against what was safe, popular, and politically right and to not only advocate for Rubin â€Å"Hurricane† Carter but also demand the justice system prevent further unlawful injustice from happening in the future. By narrating, Dylan uses he words and phrases to invoke the emotions and hearts of his audience by describing the pain, loss, and anger, that Hurricane felt and the disgust that Dylan, himself felt in relation to the active events in the story and those who are a part of the justice system. The last idea that Dylan leaves his audience with is Hurricane was, â€Å"put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been the champion of the world. † if it wasn’t for his wrongful incarceration.