What is the poem John Brown about?
‘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.
What is the moral of the poem John Brown?
‘John Brown’ is an anti-war lyric. He also questions the very nature of war and shows us that there is no nobility in warfare, thereby strengthening the idea of pacifism. So, the main theme of the poem has been the destruction and ill-effects of war on human life, and especially on the lives of the innocent soldiers.
Who was John Brown in the poem John Brown?
John Brown’s Body (1928) is an epic American poem written by Stephen Vincent Benét. Its title references the radical abolitionist John Brown, who raided the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in Virginia in October 1859. He was captured and hanged later that year. Benét’s poem covers the history of the American Civil War.
What is the conclusion of the poem John Brown?
The conclusion of the poem is that war is not about materialistic gain like medals to put up on the wall, but it is all about the mental and physical trauma which all soldiers undergo. The anxiety of whether they will ever return alive and the emotional exhaustion faced by them while killing other human beings.
How does John Brown mock his mother’s false pride?
It was his mother who wanted the medals, not he. So he dropped in her hand all the medals he won at the cost of deforming himself in war. This is indicative of how disgusted John Brown was with the whole idea of fighting in war for getting medals and for all the false pride.
What irony of life is revealed in John Brown?
Answer: At the end of the poem, we see John Brown returning in a pathetic condition questioning the need for war. When he hands her the medals that he had earned, his mother is ironically shocked about it as she finds the consequences for earning those medals as hard to digest.
Why was John Brown written?
“John Brown” consists of twelve verses written in a straightforward manner. The song, composed in Dylan’s protest song period, tells a story about a mother who sends her son John Brown to war on some foreign land, and he returns blinded and injured.
What were the mother’s emotions when John Brown left for the war?
John Brown’s mother was ecstatic when his son left for the war. She couldn’t have been more proud of him. She felt proud to see her son “straight and tall in his uniform and all.” She told him to obey all the orders of his captain in order to get lots of medals to put up on the wall.
What kind of woman was John Brown’s mother?
Answer : John Brown’s mother is quite ignorant about the horrors of war. Like many other people, she is under the illusion that wars are glorious and soldiers are real heroes. That is why, she wants her son to become a soldier. She wants him to be a good soldier who fights for the sake of his country.
Why and how did John Brown repay his mother for her lopsided view regarding war being glorious?
John Brown’s mother was more concerned with the medals his son might get if he obeyed all the captain’s orders. So at the end, John Brown dropped the desired medals, of his mother, into her hands, thereby repaying his mother for her lopsided view about the glory of war.
How does John Brown mock his mothers false pride?
John Brown | Summary and Analysis John Brown : The poem John Brown is an interesting anti-war lyric which describes the horrors of war and the ease with which young men find themselves trapped in one. The idea of being a hero in the battlefield is as tantalizing as it is fatal.
What is the main idea of John Brown by Bob Dylan?
‘John Brown’ by Bob Dylan revolves around the theme of the futility of war as a whole. However, the poet also presents the themes of nationalism and disillusionment in this poem. The futility of war is an important element of the poem. The first few verses of the poem reflect the fascination of commoners with war.
How does John Brown use colloquial diction in this passage?
John Brown uses colloquial diction to interrogate the ideas of war, honour and masculinity and show what happens when people go to fight a ‘good old fashioned war‘.
What does John Brown say about his experience in the war?
Oh, lord, just like mine! In the tenth verse of the song John Brown is telling his mother his experiences in the war. He says that when he was in the battlefield he wondered why he was even there. He was just trying to kill somebody in a do-or-die situation.