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Four pages Research Paper about the Ballad of Hollis Brown

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Introduction.The ‘Ballad of Hollis Brown’ a typical blue song written by Bob Dylan reflects the
economic crisis that occurred affecting most farmers. The song talked about the experience of a
farmer in South Dakota who was hit by extreme desperation of poverty after his crops had been
invaded by pests leading to low productivity of his farm products. As a result he opted to kill his
wife, children and finally himself leading to extinction of his family lineage. This came after he
had looked for work by travelling for many miles but all were in vain. The song depicts the
various predicaments that him such as poverty, unanswered prayers, lack of support from friends
and most lack of job after walking many miles searching for jobs in order to feed his family.
Structure and lyrics of the song. The song is a typical blue played alone by Dylan on the
acoustic guitar with a flatpicking style. The song was sung in 1964 by him that included the
‘Times They Are A-Changing'. It lasts approximately for over five minutes. The song has eleven
verses which enables the listeners to destitute and bleak the South Dakota farm from which the
poor farmer, the Hollis Brown, his children and wife were staying. The family was in abject
poverty with strenuous hardship that made the life of the poor farmer unbearable. He only sees
death as the only option to solve the hardship and poverty that was facing his family. He took his

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small penny he had to acquire a shotgun that in despair killed his children and wife and later on
killed himself.
Speaking from the point of technicality, "Hollis Brown" is an exceptional achievements that in
incomparable with others. A distance is place between the ballad and the tale. The song is sung
in the present tense, second person pronoun to depict the bond that is created between the
figurative nature of the tale and the listeners. Ironically, anyone who knows the plights of Hollis
Brown and cares are the people who hear about the tale, helpless to offer sympathetic hand.
Moreover, they are the same who cut off from him just like in the society. Indeed from the
perspective of the blue, the isolated, sardonic and uncompromising the situation, it is suited
superbly to show the squalid reality of the nature of the contemporary America. What the
powerful expression is shown by the song after his liberation from the abject poverty and his
egocentric bondages! Logically the toughest ironical insight that majority of present human
beings can associate with the blues can be seen in the final lines of the song.
Theme of the song. While writing the song, Hollis Brown, there was no projection that Dylan
was looking at. In fact the severe and unbearable predicaments that he and his family faced
forced him to compose that song. The song particularly looks at the Old Appalachian murder
ballads that resemble the song in almost many aspects. However, from the research articles, it
also points out that the mass murder in the South Dakota could have possibly prompted the
composition of the song though no substantial evidence exists to prove that. The most historical
aspiration to the song is the poverty that wounded the family of the young man with nowhere to
get assistance.

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Hollis Brown who lived outside of the town was a farmer who fed his family through the same
economic activities. By early in 1960s, the farm produce were attacked by pests that led to death
of crops such as the wheat which he produced. The last verse says that ‘your grass is turning
black, there is no water in your well’ this symbolically depicts the withering of his crops which
were attacked by the pests. The end results are low productivity which was not enough to sustain
his family. He then decided to look for greener pasture in order to feed his family. In the second
verse, the song says ‘You looked for work and money, you walked a rugged mile, you looked for
work and money and you walked a rugged mile’. This occurred after he harvested low food
crops from his farm that was invaded by the pests. All th...


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