Kairos of "Masters of War"

The 1960s in America are characterized in history books by hippie culture, Vietnam War protests, and overall social rebellion, when in reality this counterculture movement was made up of the minority. Bob Dylan represented this minority through his powerful and passionate folk songs, especially “Masters of War”. In this repetitive song he called out the politicians and business men who stood to profit from war but had never actually seen a battle firsthand. Rebels and hippies all over the country choose Bob Dylan to be their idol as they publicly declared their hatred of war through burning draft cards and putting flowers in the barrels of guns at protests. Bob Dylan had always been a rebel in his own way, he dropped out of college to move to New York City and become a musician. When he gained recognition in a New York Times article, fans flocked to his music and his messages to stop violence and promote peace. Bob Dylan’s messages of peace came at a time when Americans were unsure if America should be involved in a war in Vietnam. Dylan's political movement gained traction throughout the war, but “Masters of War” was written in 1962-1963 and was one of the first songs people rallied behind to protest the war. The kairos, translating to the timeliness, of this song was perfect for its era because when people were unsure of how they felt about another war, Bob Dylan criticized not only the war, but those who supported the war for their own personal benefit. His lyrics were so powerful and influential that some compared him to a poet and argued that he deserved the Nobel Prize in Literature. “Masters of War” was the song that launched Bob Dylan into the role as the original protest singer and he went on to define a decade of protests and rebellion against “the man”.