Literary Devices
Form and Meter
As the lyrics appear on Bob Dylan’s official website, the song, as a poem, has a tidy and organized look or form. The poem has three stanzas, and each stanza contains eight lines. In other words, all the stanzas are octaves. Other versions of the songs can separate the final two lines of each stanza. Either way, these lines qualify as the chorus, or, to use a poetry term, the refrain. The repetition of the phrase, “[t]he answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind / The answer is blowin’ in the wind” (Lines 7-8, 15-16, 23-24), adds to the form of the poem. It gives the final two lines in each stanza an identical look.
As for the meter, the poem is in free verse. Dylan is free to use as many sets of unstressed, stressed syllables (feet) as he wants, and the lines vary throughout. Yet Dylan maintains a noticeable balance. Each question takes up two lines, with the first line slightly longer (more syllables) than the second line. While free verse often signals that the poem is free from Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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