The Two Dylans

Paper Summary:

This paper compares the life, work and impact of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and the American folk rocker Bob Dylan. The paper begins with a thorough overview of the development of Thomas' original writing style. The paper also discusses Thomas' unsurpassed ability to touch raw human emotion and his influence over a generation of artists to come. In this section, the paper analyzes one of Thomas' many well-known poems, "Fern Hill". Next, the paper analyzes Bob Dylan's songwriting style, his development as an artist and the influences over his writing. According to the author, one of Dylan's greatest influences was Thomas. In this section, the paper quotes from the Dylan songs "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". Finally, the paper compares the writing styles of the two artists, explaining that both were able to gain popularity with art mediums that were thought be almost extinct. Other similarities discussed include the vague obscurity in their language, the deep meaning in their verses and the impact of their similar childhoods on their writing.

From the Paper:

"Dylan Thomas, probably one of the best known British poets of the 20th Century, was born in Swansea, Wales, on October 27, 1914. At a very early age Thomas possessed an unusual gift in the use of poetic diction and imagery. As a student, Dylan was said to have been ludicrously bad every subject except English. Thomas' exceptional gift for poetry was finally discovered during a poetry competition. Dylan submitted his poetry to a column called "Poet's Corner." Prizes were awarded to the best poem over a six-month period, and the prize was that the Sunday Referee would publish the winning poet's work in book form. Thomas won the contest with his obscure poem, "The Force that though the Grass Fuse Drives the flower." The book was not immediately published however, because of its obscurity. Eventually, David Archer of the Parton Bookshop agreed to have the book printed. 500 copies were printed, and 250 were later bound and issued in December 1934. The book named "18 Poems", was praised for it's obscurity and originality. In the two years that followed Dylan wrote and published another collection of poems entitled "25 poem." These two early works gave Dylan critical acclaim and brought him into the limelight. Dylan's poetry had the ability to recreate the readers own experiences of both happiness and defeat. One critic wrote about Dylan's musicality and his laughingly lifting language. A great example of this in Dylan's work can be seen in this portion of his poem 'Fern Hill.'"

More papers on The Two Dylans:

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• Poem Review # 137926 : "A Conversation between Susan Sontag and Bob Dylan on the Alan Ginsburg Poem, “Howl.”"
• Comparison Essay # 35840 : "Two Songs"

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