Bettina De Mesa Professor Eiland ENG 103H 4 December 2012 Desire The eras of the mid-1960s and 1970s

were known for the political tensions caused by the misdeeds of the higher government. As a representative to the disillusioned Americans, Bob Dylan had forged a legacy that included the formation of topical songs as a venue for his opinions. In the promotion of rights for the individual, singer Bob Dylan masterfully weaves songs that uphold the strength of the middle class society. With the use of various critical perspectives, the songs Joey, Hurricane, and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll reveals the injustices brought upon the squandered middle class. Analyzing Dylans songs from a historical aspect exposes the audience to a detailed introspective of the topical issues that plagued Dylans mind. Ensuing after the turbulent civil rights movement, the 1970s integrated the liberal ideals of equality and new freedom forged in the era before within mainstream American culture. The citizens of that time emerged as socially conscious individuals, who possessed dashed hopes and widespread political disillusionment incited by their governments failures. The multiple assassinations of revered leaders and the lack of social benefits all contributed to the unease of the decade (Tompkins 1). The songs Hurricane, Joey, and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll all display a

narrative that reflects the issues of that time. The song Joey narrates that story of Joe Gallo who was an illustrious gang member in the 1930s. Gallo was in fact born in Red Hook, Brooklyn (Joey 1) and lived with his brother Larry. As a young child, he lived off gamblin and runnin numbers too (Joey 8). In an interview with Gallos family friend, Donald Goddard, he stated that at eleven, he was running a crap game, and when he was thirteen, running his gang. They were his people, and he lived on the streets. And then, they were giving him the slips and hes running numbers (Jones 1). When the gangster was twenty one, he was arrested and sent to Kings County Hospital Center where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia (Dickinson 1) leading him to gain the nickname Joe Crazy (Joey 7). Surrounded by criminals, Gallo became heavily involved with the Profaci family and was ultimately put in charge of several high stake card games, extortion rackets, and numbers games (Dickinson 1) elevating his status in the hierarchy. Gangs are internally organized, similar to a corporation. The higher the level that the member achieves, the more power is given to them. In an analysis of gang structure: There is usually one position of highest rank. This leader position is usually occupied by a person who is incarcerated, but is controlling the entire operation. Underneath the leader there is usually a committee of leaders representing both ncarcerated members, and ones still active outside of prison. The next positions would be those of the individual factions. They are all separate criminal organizations, but usually can be called together for the common cause of the overall organization (Petrone 1-2).

Profaci is the head of the crime family while Gallo is regarded as a subservient member. As Gallo tried to separate himself from the control of the Profaci family, the extent of his disloyalty affected his family as his associates tried to strangle Larry (Joey 15). Larry Gallo was lured to a Brooklyn supper club where Profaci hit men including Persico lay in wait. Once he entered the building he was attacked and nearly strangled to death (Dickinson 1) leading to the eminent downfall of their family. As times fell hard on the Gallo household, Joe Gallo was forced to resort to extortion in order to make a profit. Subsequently, he was exposed after trying to extort a caf owner and did ten years in Attica (Joey 32). When they released him in 71 he lost a little weight (Joey 36), so much so that his wife commented that Gallo became extremely frail and pail. He looked like an old man. You could see the remnants of what had been a man (Dickinson 1). Although years had passed, hostilities between the Profaci household and the Gallo clan had not simmered. In 1972, while celebrating his birthday at Umbertos Clam House, the Profaci blew him down (Joey 32) in a shoot-out. The police report claimed that: After the gunmen fled Gallo staggered to the through the front door and collapsed on the street. Some say he was trying to divert the gunmen from his family and friends. Others say he was trying to flee. When police arrived, the badly wounded Gallo was placed in a squad car and rushed to the nearest hospital where he died (Jones 1). Consequently, Dylan had also recounted the story of Rubin Carter, an African American boxer who was wrongfully sentenced to a nineteen year prison term. While in the confines of the penitentiary, Carter wrote a powerful memoir called The

Sixteenth Round which inspired Dylan to form the song Hurricane. The pistol shots (Hurricane 1) refer to the shooting at the Lafayette Bar and Grill, where Carter and his friend Artis were accused of fleeing the scene of the crime. A woman named Patty Valentine (Hurricane 2) was a witness who claimed that she saw Carter and his friend Artis leave the premises with a handgun. In an interview with Valentine, she stated that she saw two colored men running under the window towards the curb" (Deal 1). The murders had made headlines as the story of the Hurricane (Deal 1) was printed by The Morning News the day after the incident. A few hours after the shootings, a cop pulled him over to the side of the road (Hurricane 22) although there was no physical evidence that they were related to the crime (Rubin Carter Biography). It was prevalent in the 1970s for cops to pull over colored individuals due to their skin color. In Ben Bowlings seminal study, Policing the Crisis, he shows how: Research evidence over the past three decades has found that specific stereotypes are commonly used by police officers to classify people on the basis of their ethnic origin. Stereotypes of black people have been more consistent in that they are thought to be more prone to violent crime and drug abuse, to be incomprehensible, suspicious, hard to handle, naturally excitable, aggressive, lacking brainpower, troublesome and tooled up (Bowling 2) A survivor from the shooting named Willie Marins looked up from his one dying eye (Hurricane 34) to identify the two criminals; however Marins could not pinpoint the crime to Carter, simply saying I cant tell, I dont know (Deal 1).

When it came to the trial all of Rubins cards were marked in advancethe D.A. said he was the one who did the deed, and the all white jury agreed (Hurricane 73-81) to convict him in the1967 trial. According to a 1973 study the Rand Institute found that: Convicted African-Americans were more likely than whites to go to prison. And their sentences were longer. This disparity, the study concluded, suggests that probation officers, judges, and parole boards are exercising discretion in sentencing and/or release decisions in ways that result in de facto discrimination against blacks (Does the Criminal Justice System Discriminate Against African-Americans?). Along with the injustices done to the aforementioned figures, Dylan voices out about the murder of bar maid, Hattie Carroll. In 1963, a white prominent farmer from Maryland named William Devereux Zantzinger attended a ball hosted at Baltimores Emerson Hotel. The song starts off with the blunt statement that William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll (The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll 1) echoing the scorn Dylan holds for the esteemed planter. Contrary to Dylans knowledge, Zantzinger only induced Carrolls death as shown in Ian Fraziers research: When Hattie Carroll died at Mercy Hospital the following morning, Zantzinger was also charged with homicide. The medical examiner reported that Hattie Carroll had hardened arteries, an enlarged heart, and high blood pressure; that the cane left no mark on her;

and that she died of a brain hemorrhage brought on by stress caused by Zantzingers verbal abuse, coupled with the assault (Frazier 1). Part of the old money society, Zantzinger was the heir of a six hundred acre tobacco farm owned by rich and wealthy parents who provide and protect him (Lonesome Death 13). The jury reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulder (Lonesome Death 15) as the young planter was freed during sentencing to finish harvesting his tobacco crop. He served six months in jail and was fined five hundred dollars (Morris 2). Seen from a historical perspective, Dylans songs discuss the injustices done to these historical figures. The use of a Marxist perspective analyzes Dylans propagandizing message of championing the oppressed underdogs to Americans protestors. In the 1970s, political unrest plagued American citizens as they lost trust in their government when Richard Nixon was accused of being part of criminal activities. Dylan is notorious for being the prophet of the people when it comes to political issues. Human interest stories intrigued him, causing him to delve closer into the lives of boxer, Rubin Carter, and gangster, Joe Gallo. Both of these men were perceived in the media as ruthless criminals who inevitably deserved their punishment. However, Dylan formed songs that put them in an innocent light, despite their deeds. He lightly researched both individuals, and even visited Carter in jail prompting the creation of the song Hurricane. News reporter Lester Bangs believes that: He releases these things, no matter how sloppy they are and no matter how long we might have to wait for something half-baked, precisely so people will

keep talking about him. It is automatically assumed that every Bob Dylan album is an event but there are times when our sense of the enterprise in question as an event eclipses whatever significance and integrity it may possess (Bangs 35). According to biographical researcher Daniel Epstein, Dylan had the intent to play Hurricane at every stop on the tour that started in Plymouth (Epstein 234) as means to spread the issue regarding Carter. However, the collaborative efforts between Jacques Levy and Bob Dylan had formed a tune that never seemed to ring true. The lyrics were skewed in accuracy in order for the audience to view Carter in a better light. To elaborate, it was impossible for Carter to become the champion of the world (Hurricane 9) due to the fact that his matches were mediocre at best. According to The Ring Newspaper, Ruben had lost four and won three. His only victories during that period were over two little known fighters (Ort 26). By forging the illusion that the crimes pinned against Carter brought down his career, it evokes sympathy from the audience that inherently comes with a downfall. Along with Carter, the perception of Joe Gallo in the song Joey is a romanticized portrait of the mobster family. The Gallos were notorious for trying every lethal ploy they could think of to muscle their predecessors (Lester 35) which ultimately lead to their imprisonment. However, Joe Gallo had cleverly garnered multiple high powered connections after his release, personifying him as an exotic amusement (Bangs 35). Dylan provided an insight look into the innocent years of the family, even incorporating their childhood nicknames in order to build their credibility. A sentimental image of the family was painted in there was talk they killed their rivals, but the truth was far from that, no one ever knew for sure where they were

really at (Joey 13-16). However, according to the DA trial from Gallos 1960 extortion trial the current war taking place between the Gallo gang and established interests, there have been killings, shootings, strangling, kidnappings, and disappearances all directly related to the Gallos (Bangs 36). In an interview with co-writer Jacques Levy, it was shown that: Bob always had a thing about outlaws, people on the outside of whatever side there was. I think calling Joey that is labeling someone unfairly and he wasnt a psychopath either. He was a victim of societyof growing up poor, and if you look at the results of the war, youll find that its never been proven that the Gallos killed anybody (Bangs 37). Along with glorifying the story of these individuals, Dylan had commented on the miscarriage of justice within the authority figures responsible for the investigation. All of Rubins cards were marked in advance. The trial was a pig-circus he never had a chanceRubin Carter was falsely tried (Hurricane 72-80) is Dylan pleading to the young audience to uphold the rightful system of laws in order to prevent innocent individuals from being wrongfully convicted. It was prevalent in the 1970s for the prosecution to misconstrue information just to convict the defendant, as shown in Paul Roberts trial study: Hundreds of times during the past 10 years, federal agents and prosecutors have pursued justice by breaking the law. They lied, hid evidence, distorted facts, engaged in cover-ups, paid for perjury and set-up innocent people in a relentless effort to win indictments, guilty pleas and convictions. Rarely were these federal officials punished for their misconduct. . . . Perjury has become

the coin of the realm in federal law enforcement. Peoples homes are invaded because of lies. People are arrested because of lies. People go to prison because of lies. People stay in prison because of lies, and bad guys go free because of lies (Roberts 567). Dylan martyred Gallo in the police hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith, they got him on conspiracy but they were never sure who with (Joey 28-31) however, cops agreed that Joeys downfall came when he tried to muscle in on a loan shark in the presence of undercover cops (Bangs 36). Dylan stated that there was somehow too much effort or self-consciousness...like I was trying to sing a protest song (Epstein 235) solidifying his intent to propagandize to the American protestors. Analyzing The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and Hurricane through the cultural perspective of African Americans demonstrates the prejudice and racism that still lingers within society. For most of the nineteenth century, blacks have struggled with garnering power and respect alongside their white counterparts. In most parts of the country, white musicians were taken more seriously in cultivating messages to the masses. With the advantage of having a paler skin color, Dylans importance in the black community is partly due to the fact that he relayed pivotal civil rights emphasizing equality between all people. In Hattie Carrolls narrative she was a maid in the kitchen she was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children (The Lonesome Death21-23) steadily implying that Hattie Carroll was a normal white-collar individual who lived on modest means. However, Zantsinger with his lavish cane that he twirled around his diamond ring

finger (The Lonesome Death2) was portrayed as the epitome of abundance. The contrast of the status between the two figures reflects the white and black gap of that time. African Americans in the 1960s were disadvantaged in resources like education and job opportunities. Unlike the heir to the six hundred acres (The Lonesome Death12) of tobacco, Hattie never had a chance to sit at the head of the table (The Lonesome Death 23). A study by Tom Hertz at American University presents a forty percent gap between the adult incomes of Black people and White people who grew up in families with identical long-run average incomes. In 1965, per capita black income was forty one percent lower than per capita white income. (Barton 34). The social disparities reflected in the 1960s were still pivotal in the following decade as racism played a vital aspect in Rubin Carters conviction. If youre black you might as well not show up on the street, less you wanna draw the heat (Hurricane 26-27) from the police officers. This line is referring to the racial profiling prevalent in the 1970s. After the murders within the Lafayette Grill, Carter and his associate were pulled over by the authorities in response to a Patty Valentines testimony that two colored men (Deal 1) entered the establishment. Blacks were a target for the police on the basis of pre-existing beliefs about their supposed criminality. Black people were subject to extraordinary policing, and portrayed by the media, politicians and criminal justice agents as a social problem (Bowling 2). Along with the prejudice that African Americans experienced, racism played remained to play an active role. The prominent Zantzinger was known to have spouted swear words (The Lonesome Death 14) towards the elderly barmaid, with comments such as I don't have to take that kind of shit off a nigger (Murphy 1). These ethnophaulisms carried a derogatory connotation that represents

the ethnocentric ideals of speaker. The racist remarks put tremendous amount of pressure to the directed victim. After the attack of Zantzinger, Carroll began to slur her words and lost the feeling in her right arm, ultimately dying eight hours after. The term race-based battle fatigue was actually coined by University of Utah professor, William A. Smith, to describe the stress and angst caused by constantly dealing with both overtly racist actions and subtle references to ones race. Smith describes that while blacks have long suspected that racial stereotypes and negative images are denigrating to an individuals self-worth, this research, among others, has finally drawn a correlation between these persistent stressors and overall mental health (Ball 1). Although constant prejudice still surrounds African Americans, blacks have learned to marginalize the dangerous effects of racial discrimination. In both narratives, the white antagonists avoided severe punishment representing the imbalance of power between social classes. By contrasting the brutality of Zatzingers reasonless crime to the achievements of Carrolls life, the plight of the African American woman is strengthened. The planter demonstrated his power as a white socialite as the judges let him wait a couple of weeks before beginning his sentence, so he could bring in his tobacco crop. Such dispensations were not uncommon, apparently, for offenders who had farms (Frazier 1). With the abuse of power exemplified by the white upper class, the black communitys power slowly dissipated as their white brethren hold the reigns of control over their lives. From the perspective of an African American, Dylans protest songs serve to remind them of the oppression they receive. When applying a feminist perspective to the works, the focus shifts from a song protesting the injustices brought upon the innocent to discrediting the

importance of women. In The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, a barmaid was abused verbally and physically, yet the male perpetrator received minimal punishment. Carroll was fifty one years old and gave birth to ten children (The Lonesome Death21) signifying her pivotal maternal role in caring for other human beings. She worked arduously for years, cleaning up all the food from the table (The Lonesome Death26). Carroll portrayed the ideal woman, with responsibilities similar to those of a housewife. In a study done by Vanessa Lambs she had concluded that the perfect wife maintains the house, prepares meals, takes care of the children, and helps them with their homework (Lambs 2). However, her importance in society is shadowed by the presence of the lavish William Zantzinger, who projects his status by flaunting around his diamond ring fingers (The Lonesome Death2). This alpha male demeanor is touched upon in Micheal Kaufmans report: Whatever forms of inequality, in all cases, these societies relations of power are structured into social and cultural, political and economic institutions. There is, though, a common factor to all these societies: all are societies of male domination. The equation of masculinity with power is one that developed over centuries. It conformed to, and in turn justified, the real-life domination of men over women and the valuation of males over females (Kaufman 35). Zantzinger belittles Carroll through the use of swear words and sneering (The Lonesome Death15) and ultimately strikes her with a cane. Typically, women who are abused may withdraw from social activities, friends, or family. Avoiding

activities and social situations that might bring her into contact with her former abusive partner (Violence Against Women). The effect of the abuse is represented through never once sat at the head of the tableand didnt even talk to the people at the table (The Lonesome Death23-24) showing her diminished ego. Along with her tarnished sense of confidence, her death was trivialized in the courtroom as Zintzinger only received a six-month sentence (The Lonesome Death47) indicating the lack of importance women served during that era. Also, in Hurricane a seemingly well knowledgeable woman is portrayed as a subservient witness to the crime. She willingly abides to the suggestions of the male figure, Bello. He said I saw two men running out they looked like middleweights. They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates. And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head (Hurricane 30-32) in order to go along with the conspiracy. Feminists would disagree with Dylans work because women are portrayed as subservient beings to men. Through various critical perspectives, the songs Joey, Hurricane, and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll reasserts the rights of the oppressed. This web of narratives delineates the injustices forced upon the minority.

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