Jane's Pocket Change: Dire Straits

Years ago, when I was teaching tenth grade English, we studied Shakespeare’s 'Romeo and Juliet' and I enjoyed having my students look at the lyrics of the Dire Straits song of the same name. Analyzing the line “the dice were loaded from the start” and the allusion to West Side Story was always fun, as was the discussion about whether or not this popular song was actually poetry.
Years ago, when I was teaching tenth grade English, we studied Shakespeare’s 'Romeo and Juliet' and I enjoyed having my students look at the lyrics of the Dire Straits song of the same name. Analyzing the line “the dice were loaded from the start” and the allusion to West Side Story was always fun, as was the discussion about whether or not this popular song was actually poetry.

Last week, the Nobel committee announced that American lyricist and musician Bob Dylan had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for, according to the Swedish Academy, “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” My first reaction was wow, truly, have we run out of novelists and poets who might be awarded this prize?
 
Then I got in touch with many of my English teacher friends, read the New York Times and listened to an interview on NPR with Sean Wilentz (longtime scholar of Dylan) and Audie Cornish.  Slowly, my mind became more open to the potential dialogue about this extraordinary decision.

In addition, naturally, I turned to my CSW colleagues and here is a sampling of what they had to say.

What do you think of Bob Dylan winning the Nobel?
  • It certainly opens up the definition of literature.
  • I love Dylan, I am happy to celebrate, but perhaps not a Nobel?
  • Did a meteor leave a hole in the world where Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie used to be? Did a flood wash away Yusef Komunyakaa?
  • When I think of musicians who have "created new expressions within the great American song tradition," it seems to me that there are some African American musicians from long, long ago who should win the prize for that.         
  • A clear sign that the human race still has a chance to survive.
  • Love Dylan.
  • Perhaps create a Nobel in music or art?
  • Approve.
Who would you nominate for next time around or instead of Dylan?
  • Maya Angelou (posthumously)
  • Salman Rushdie
  • Ursula K LeGuin
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Cat Stevens
  • Leonard Cohen
  • Jorge Luis Borges (posthumously)
109 Nobel Prizes have been awarded since 1901; 14 have gone to women and four have been shared by two people. Should Bob Dylan have received this prestigious prize? Most CSW teachers think so. Looking back at that Dire Straits song, however, I’m not sure it would be much of a contender.

__________________________________________________
Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.