In addition the Zarefsky text suggests that a narrative is a powerful means of creating an idea in that it is personalized. Narratives present a specific situation involving particular people, in this case Rubin Carter’s ill fortune, to illustrate a more general theme. The general theme of “The Hurricane” is racism and the narrative provides an explicit example of this. Through the use of narratives, listeners delve into the action and find themselves wondering what the outcome is, thus, adding an element of suspense (Zarefsky 175).
The element of inference is what makes a narrative powerful. The resolution of a narrative does not necessarily have to state the moral or theme of the story, but rather it is left to the audience members to infer it for themselves. This allows the narrative to create a lasting and more thought provoking impression with the audience. Bob Dylan uses the idea of narrative inference to convey to the audience that racism is not an element of the past, but rather it is still rampant within society despite the efforts of the Civil Right’s movement. This particular idea is demonstrated clearly in the line, “The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed.”
Another aspect of an effective narrative is resonance, which is an attribute that “strikes a responsive chord with listeners, allowing them to identify with the story and to relate it to their own experience. If your narrative has resonance, listeners will realize that you are telling the story not for its entertainment value but to speak directly to them and to make them understand your point” (Zarefsky 176).
“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.”
Audience analysis is important in any means of communication especially in music, and especially in “The Hurricane”. One concept of audience analysis is the idea of heterogeneity which refers to the diversity of your audience. “A large audience virtually ensures that members will have different values and assumptions as well as learning styles” (Zarefsky 64). Since this is a song, Dylan understands that music is a means of mass communication. With this in mind, Dylan focuses on the members of his audience, particularly young liberal Americans, who either already accept his vision or have the potential to be moved from a more neutral standing. However, Dylan still tries to reach those who may be opposed his ideas.
Dylan clearly does not hesitate with his language or narrative because of those that may not agree or are possibly even afraid of what his message has to offer. In fact, he uses it to his advantage. The most important aspect of Dylan and his audience is that he knows that the majority of his audience is voluntary. However, it is important to note that although the majority of his audience is willing to listen there are also members who need to be motivated, captive audience members. These members in particular need to be moved explicitly through the use of strong language. Some may argue that such a strong use of language would completely alienate his captive audience and perhaps a portion of his neutral audience. However, Dylan is able to use this language and still maintain his ethos, or credibility, due to the inherent fact that he is a white male, and those who most who likely oppose him are most likely white.
Beyond using a narrative as well as audience analysis, Bob Dylan also uses language, which is not only vivid and at times vulgar, but most importantly, powerful. One of the most important questions raised when listening and reading the lyrics to “The Hurricane” is whether or not the language is appropriate for the audience and the time. The Zarefsky text warns that it is important not to make audience members feel patronized, guilty or threatened by the message. However, as stated above, Dylan’s credibility allows him to utilize this language with a minimal loss of the audience’s attention.
Regional differences and culture are also important when considering language use. For instance, a certain word or phrase may possess a certain degree of appropriateness in one demographic region than it does in another. In correlation to this idea is Dylan’s use of the word “nigger” in the following lines:
“The judge made Rubin's 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…”
In these statements, Dylan purposely associates black men and women with lower social and economic standards in order to shock certain demographic regions of his audience, in particular, illustrating major differences between Northern and Southern cultures at that time. Dylan, through almost a sarcastic tone, recognizes and understands the validity of cultural differences, especially in the above lyrical example.
Bob Dylan’s controversial song, “The Hurricane,” sent, and still sends, a message to people of all ages and backgrounds. He employs an excellent use of narration in which vehemently draws his audience into a very serious subject matter. Also, this song’s use of audience analysis allows Dylan to reach his supporting audience, and his credibility allows him to potentially motivate those who opposed, or were previously neutral to, his ideas. It is also evident that Dylan carefully uses strong language in order to strike a pervasive sense of emotion. This song personifies the struggles that many black men and women faced in an era of white dominance. Perhaps the message that Dylan is attempting to convey can best be stated in a famous quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Works Consulted
Davey, F. (1969, December). Learnard cohen and bob dylan: Poetry and the popular song. Retrieved June 24, 2003, from http://www.medialab.chalmers.se/guitar/LC3.html
The quotation page. (2003, Spring). Retrieved June 23, 2003, from http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
Zarefsky, D. (2002). Public speaking: Strategies for success (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.
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
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 jail house
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
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.
