commonality of it all

In the song Blowin’ in the Wind, Bob Dylan uses a lot of symbolism in his lyrics. Whether it is about the “Doves,” a term used for anti-war people, or “a mountain.” His symbolism allows him to reach the listeners on a deeper level then expected.
His commonplace items and actions are mostly things seen everyday (with the exception of the cannonballs). He uses these to allow the listener to connect with the items so that they can imagine and expand what is sung. We are able to create scenarios in our heads that accompany the lyrics because we can draw a deeper meaning from the symbols used.
He is making us as the listeners feel comfortable with the lyrics, which allows them to affect us in a way that is not obvious at first. We do not think of the deeper meaning when we first come across the song, but after a while the words bring up stronger images of what they mean.
Bob Dylan uses freedom as a main theme, just like Hearts and Minds. They both seem to imply that the war is not helping people to attain freedom, but rather that we are stifling the imminent freedom of the people. He uses the common ideas to show the deeper meaning behind the words themselves and the feelings about the war itself, “The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.”