Influenced during the 1960's

Bob Dylan born on May 24th, 1941 is an American singer as well as a song writer who plays an important role in the music industry. His music was directed related to the things that occurred in the Civil Rights movement and one could see that most of the issues that affected him came across through his music . To name a few of the songs that were important, there was Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changing. Before getting into the influences into what made Bob Dylan write these songs its important to note the importance of the Civil Rights movement and how it had a major impact on the people of that time.

The American Civil Rights Movement was the movement in which many people in the United States tried to outlaw racial discrimination against many of the African Americans. During this time period many issues arose. To begin with racial segregation was a problem because public facilities as well as government services like education were separate by color. Those who were colored of course were underfunded and inferior to white people at this time. Another issue was disfranchisement in which many of the white male democrats gained power and made voter registration more inaccessible to blacks. Many blacks were forced off the voting rolls and the number of African American voters dropped dramatically.Exploitation caused increased economic oppression for blacks, latinos and more. With this it denied economic opportunities and lead to a widespread in employment discrimination. Last by not least the violence that occurred was huge. Due to the advantages that whites had over blacks many found this unfair and took the violate way out.

The Times They are a-Changin' wrote this song as a deliberate attempt to create a change for the movement. The song was directly related to the Civil Rights movements and "it was a song with a purporse". He wanted to give the people "what they wanted to hear" and writing a song that would help the Civil Rights Movement was something done that is definitely remarkable. It was also known as the "protest song" because he aimed to ride upon the unvoiced sentiment of a mass public. This song was used to give the people a sort of "outlet". Blowin' in the wind was related to the first song trying to complete the same objective. He was trying to capture the frustration and aspirations of black people powerfully. His songs were without a question a question "moving" because they touched the lives of many blacks during the Civil Rights Movement and got many people to relate to the situation they were put in during this time period. The songs till remain famous because many people can look back at the history of their ancestors and dwell on what occurred through these songs because the

songs are directed related to what happened.

Doing the in depth research of this singer made me think about the song that we did a reflection on in class called "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll." I feel that this is important to be talked about because this was a situation when a black woman was working hard. A white man had killed her with his cane and was simply placed in jail for 6-months. Shortly after, everyone would forget what he did and it would not matter what he did because he was a white male. Even though Hattie Caroll was a good person, William Zantzinger was drunk and killed her in a matter of an instant.

Without a question Bob Dylan was an important figure during the Civil Rights Movement. He was able to touch the hearts of many blacks and have songs that relate to the way people were being treated during that time period. His songs had a lasting effect and continue to do so because of the deep meaning behind them. Bob Dylan is a great singer overall and highly favored by many people.

Prior to meeting my grandfather, I had only knew both my grandmothers. In fact, the presense of manly figures in my life was not always evident which in reality could have skewed my image of what i man should be but was luckily not thanks to the powerful influence of women in my life. But a grandparent for most individuals are the ones who enstill the core values that builds the foundation for your overall life. So, in poetry class on grandparents day at Wyoming Seminary I couldn't help but think about just how much of an influence grandparents have on young people today and what not having them in your life would effect a person.

Grandparents, in general, play the role of wisdom in a family. One could often expect words of wisdom from a grandparent. The memories of a person's grandparents should make a person feel good. From the warm cookies to the money they snuck you while their mother wasn't looking. "The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. " This quote comes from Sam Levenson, an American humorist, televisions host, and journalist. The bond between children and grandparents according to Levenson is evident. They are one of a child's first friends. A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world. A grandparent helps an individual from birth in their adapting to life.

So, As I sat their in a sea of love in my poetry class, I thought of what my grandparents meant to me. i never knew either of my grandfathers. I met one but he didn't know who is was. (he was already senile). But i did learn a lot from my grandmothers. one of the many lessons they taought me was to never compromise my core values for anything or anybody. And that is one that sticks in my mind and will has made me who I am today.