Every Grain of Sand

poem tells a story within its words, even if it is not directly stated. Nearly every word and phrase in a poem, and even its punctuation has a meaning and a message that the author is trying to send across to the reading or listening audience. Not always is it easy to immediately understand what the poet is trying to say, but within the words and punctuation, over time and with analysis, interpretation is possible. Poetry is a group of so many words that a poet carefully chooses to show certain meaning. The song “ Every Grain of Sand” that is written by Bob Dylan deserves to be called poetry because of his careful use of tone, symbolism, allusion, simile and enjambments.

Tone is an important part of poetry. It sets the mood of the piece and gives the audience a sense of what is going on and how the narrator feels. In “ Every Grain of Sand” the tone is one of sadness and depression. There is a certain desperate tone in the poem, as the narrator looks for help in “the hour of [their] deepest need.” This is evident in the first and second lines of the first stanza when it is written ”In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need / When pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed.” The “time of confession” sets a solemn tone, for when a person is confessing it is usually a quiet, personal, and regretful time. This sad emotion that the tone sets is further emphasized when the author uses words and phrases like “sorrow of Night,” “violence”, “chill”, “bitter”, “loneliness” and “broken mirror of innocence.” These all set a mood of sadness, anger, bitterness, hatred and darkness that the narrator feels in his hour of need, as they carry the burden, or the “chains,” of their past mistakes. Although most of the poem