poem tells a story within its words, even if it is not directly stated. Nearly every word and phrase in a poem, and even its punctuation has a meaning and a message that the author is trying to send across to the reading or listening audience. Not always is it easy to immediately understand what the poet is trying to say, but within the words and punctuation, over time and with analysis, interpretation is possible. Poetry is a group of so many words that a poet carefully chooses to show certain meaning.
The song ” Every Grain of Sand” that is written by Bob Dylan deserves to be called poetry because of his careful use of tone, symbolism, allusion, simile and enjambments. Tone is an important part of poetry. It sets the mood of the piece and gives the audience a sense of what is going on and how the narrator feels. In ” Every Grain of Sand” the tone is one of sadness and depression. There is a certain desperate tone in the poem, as the narrator looks for help in “the hour of [their] deepest need.
This is evident in the first and second lines of the first stanza when it is written “In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need / When pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed. ” The “time of confession” sets a solemn tone, for when a person is confessing it is usually a quiet, personal, and regretful time. This sad emotion that the tone sets is further emphasized when the author uses words and phrases like “sorrow of Night,” “violence”, “chill”, “bitter”, “loneliness” and “broken mirror of innocence.
These all set a mood of sadness, anger, bitterness, hatred and darkness that the narrator feels in his hour of need, as they carry the burden, or the “chains,” of their past mistakes. Although most of the poem keeps with a sad tone, the tone shifts slightly. Line fifteen says ” Then onward on my journey I come to understand… ” This line shows that he is slowly on his way, realizing things he perhaps did not at first. Symbolism is another important poetic device that is used throughout this poem. One’s entire understanding of the poem relies upon their understanding of the symbols applied.
Bob Dylan uses symbolism on numerous occasions throughout his song ” Every Grain of Sand”. In the line ” When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed,”(1. 2) Dylan uses the flooding of the newborn seed to represent how the tears and sadness are drowning out the hope of a new start or of finding peace. The “dyin’ voice within me ” (1. 3) represents this drowning hope that this person still has for a better life, even though there remains a feeling of despair, as it is said in line four.
Dylan continues using nature in his symbolism in stanza 3, lines 9 and 10, ” Oh the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, / Like Criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. ” The flowers of indulgence represent the temptations in life – drawing people to their beauty, while the weeds of yesteryear choking the breath of conscience and good cheer represent the numbing effects of over indulgence. Things that once seemed to make life great have been used so much that, after a while, they are no longer fulfilling, leaving emptiness in a person.
Even as the narrator realizes this, temptation still draws them in. “I gaze into the doorway of temptation’s angry flame. / And every time I pass that way I always hear my name” (4. 13-14) shows this. The doorway represents an opportunity or a choice to follow a path that leads to an “angry flame,” which can represent evil and hell. The voices calling are the inner temptation that we all have for things that give us immediate satisfaction. Throughout the poem, Dylan uses symbols to represent God or a higher power.
He refers to the sun as it “beat down upon the steps of time to light the way to ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay” (3. 11-12), representing a force that guides us through our pain and tries to make life more bearable. In the last stanza of the poem the narrator goes on to say, ” I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea. ” This once again is a representation of a higher force. It is evident from reading the poem, therefore, that Dylan uses symbolism in almost every line.
The symbolism is one reason why the song “Every Grain of Sand” can be considered poetry. Allusion is another important element of poetry that is evident in this song. Bob Dylan uses allusion is when he mentions Cain in line 6 of stanza 2. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel. Another part that is an allusion is the mention of footsteps. The speaker says in the last stanza ” I hear the ancient footsteps/ Sometimes I turn, there’s someone there other times it’s only me.
These two lines can be considered allusions to the prayer “Footsteps in the Sand,” where when one is walking and there are only one set of foot steps this is when God is carrying the one in need, and when there are two sets of foot steps on is walking along side God. Without having the knowledge of the Bible or of this prayer, it would be difficult for one to understand the full meaning the narrator is trying to get across. Allusion in this song gives it the merit to be called a poem. Similes are other important aspects of poetry that give poems fuller meaning.
Throughout “Every Grain of Sand” there are several similes that give the song merit to be called poetry. For instance the simile in the lines “weeds of yesteryear / Like criminals.. “(3. 9-10) the weeds being compared to the criminals makes the reader think of them as something bad. The simile in the 21st line ” footsteps like the motion of the sea” this describes the footsteps to be in constant motion, coming closer and then getting further away, like tides on the shore of the sea. The last two lines of the song,” I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man / Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand,” (6. -24) uses a simile that compares man to a falling sparrow.
A sparrow is a bird that swoops and flies up and down almost hitting the ground, but then continues to fly forward. Like the sparrow, a person who almost hits the ground when times are tough, with guidance they stand right up and keep moving forward. The grains of sand are the millions of people out there needing guidance. The simile’s in ” Every Grain of Sand” are another indication as to why this song should be considered poetry. The enjambments in “Every Grain of Sand” create a feeling of searching for something, especially at the beginning.
The first enjambment is in the first three lines of the poem, where the speaker is just trying to explain how he feels, and continues talking, without taking any breaths. The second stanza also includes enjambment, showing that there was a little bit of a realization that is some one to help in times of need, or a thought going on. In the fifth stanza there are not any enjambments. This shows that the speaker is thinking about each thing that he has experienced, the punctuation shows him pausing after each thought.
Having enjambments in a poem gives a new feeling and possibly a new meaning. Bob Dylan’s use of effective tone, symbolism, allusion, similes, and enjambments in his song “Every Grain of Sand” is reason enough for it to be considered poetic. Although it is rhythmic, the piece flows for the many other reasons we’ve explored. It has deep and hidden meanings that are left to the audience’s interpretation, and it uses expressive language to tell its story. Songs, therefore, can be poetic if they include all the right elements.
