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Ozly Carlos
California State University Northridge Stephen Florian
English 114B
March 31, 2014
Just Blow In The Wind
Some of us turn off the lights and we live in the moonlight shooting by, some of us scare
ourselves to death in the dark to be where the angels fly, and some of us like Bob Dylan blow in
the wind towards what we believe in. All Bob Dylan did was believe in what he loved, and that
was two things, life, and music. Although he is remembered as one of the best artists/songwriters
of all time, his journey towards complete success was not a walk in the park. Whatever obstacle
that was put in front of him, and whatever he had to do to become a signed recording artist, he
did, and for that Bob Dylan impacted me in the most positive way a young man could be.
The autobiography Bob Dylan: Chronicles (Volume One) starts and ends with Dylan
signing his first recording and publishing contracts. Throughout the story he goes back and forth
speaking about his childhood in Minnesota to the much later future between the 70s and 80s
where he faced the issues between maintaining his impact on the culture. Chronicles is kind of
perplexed, and in some ways shocking to hear such raw things from a legend like Bob Dylan.
From hustling folk-club owners for food, to criticizing his own piece of art and degrading it, he
would never hide from the truth, and thats what inspired me the most. He was who he was, and
never changed for any type of situation. The only thing he probably changed was his name from
Robert Allen Zimmerman, to Bob Dylan for the simple reason of becoming a mainstream artist,
but regardless he remained to give the raw truth, and did what he wanted, despite society and
culture.
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Bob Dylan impacted me in many ways, but the most significant was with his decision on
dropping out of college to take on in full pursuit his dream of becoming a successful recording
artist. Not everyone would have the courage to just suddenly not go to class every day for a
dream theyve always wanted. He taught me that in life sometimes its about taking risks,
regardless of what anybody says you must follow what you believe, and believe is all one needs
in a society with such a modifying culture like ours in America. Its the risks that count that
distribute success in one, and I learned to find that out.
From this autobiography I learned that he wasnt the most educated and sophisticated guy
around, but he knew that and didnt care. His style of writing was very straight forward and
sounded nothing but pure. Writing this biography he knew he could have wrote it differently and
sounded a lot more intelligent, but he didnt. His personality reflects his writing, meaning he was
who he was, did what he wanted to do, and lived his life the way he chose to, regardless of what
people said, thought, or circumstances came after. Bob Dylan was nothing but real.
One of Dylans greatest strength was being able to interpret songs into real life and
connecting them to ideal situations. As he states on page 165 The song Political World could
have been triggered by current eventsBut I had no interest in politics as an art form, so I
dont think that was all there was to it. The song is too broad. The song connected on so many
levels with the current situation of that period of time that everyone had their own interpretation
to it. The song Blowing in the Wind by Bob Dylan is one of my favorites for many reasons,
and one being the way he sang it. A couple lines from the song go Yes, 'n how many times can
a man turn his head, And pretend that he just doesn't see? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in
the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind. The lyrics basically tell us there is so many issues
going on in society, and when they will stop and get better we may never know, but his voice
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speaks louder than what he says and lets us know that hes kind of devastated but knows he still
must continue to live his life.
From the beginning of his story I knew Bob Dylan was going to be a respectable person.
He set off a vibe through his writing, and had such a down to earth feel to his story. Culture
would constantly change, and so would fame. He showed me that fame doesnt make the man,
the man makes the fame, and you control it. The only thing that matters is yourself, and your
self-confidence in life. Life is a long, distorted pathway, one that throws several foul balls at you
when youre least unaware, so you must be prepared. Bob Dylan showed me that you can do
what you want in life, just stay with the same goal, and go after it. Belief is all you got.














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Works Cited

"Blowing In The Wind (Live On TV, March 1963)." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Sept. 2012. Web.
01 Apr. 2014.

Hawkins, Kathy, and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

"Bob Dylan Blowin' in the Wind." SongMeanings. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

Dylan, Bob. Bob Dylan Chronicles: Volume One. Leicester: W F Howes, 2005. Print.