Welcome to the Nobel Laureate Project!
Welcome to the Nobel Laureate Project!
This semester, we will be exploring lyrics, legacy, and literary genius. In this class words will matter, the intended audience will matter, and music will matter more than you expect.
This semester, you will become a literary advocate. Your mission? To nominate a music artist of your choice for the Nobel Prize in Literature, following Bob Dylan's (yes, the legendary Bob Dylan that Jay Parini loved so much!), historic win. One of your favorite lyricist might just belong in the same conversation as the world's most celebrated literary figures.
There are many steps to this project, and this blog site will be essential to completing some of your assignments, so bookmark it!
Your Central Project: The Nomination
You will select one music artist whose work you believe demonstrates extraordinary merit and the following criteria for the prize: to honor an author who produced "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction," benefiting humanity through their life's work by offering new forms, profound content, and lasting artistic vision that explores the human condition and confronts major themes in society (Nobel Prize).
To do this, you will explore:
- When the songs were written
- What inspired them (culturally, politically, historically, or personally)
- How the lyrics function as literature, not just entertainment
- Why this author matters, both in their moment and beyond
We will treat lyrics as texts, as they are full of literary devices such as metaphor, symbolism, narrative voice, and rhetorical power. You will analyze how artists use language to tell stories, challenge systems, express identity, and respond to the world around them. Whether your artist writes protest songs, intimate confessions, or genre-defying poetry, your job is to uncover how and why their words work.
Writing for Real Audiences
One of your biggest challenges this semester is to develop audience awareness. You will be writing for different audiences at different points. You will be writing for scholars, critics, general audiences, and even the Nobel committee. That means your tone, structure, evidence, and style will shift depending on who you are addressing. In other words:
- The way you write matters
- The choices you make as a writer matter
- And, you matter as a voice in the conversation
Lyrics and YouTube video
ReplyDeleteStapleton, Chris. Nobody to Blame Lyrics. Google Docs, https://share.google/8DzqwX6UPWNMMuH8v. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Stapleton, Chris. Starting Over Lyrics. Google Docs, https://share.google/8DzqwX6UPWNMMuH8v. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Analytical discussion question
Do the songs have similar or different themes/devices? Why do you think so?
The main theme of nobody to blame is accountability. As the title says, he is taking the blame for his problems. Like he said in the song, “Nobody to blame but me.” He is talking about self-accountability. He says in the song, “I know right where I went wrong.” He is pinpointing a moment where he knew he messed up and where his problems started. He is emphasizing his guilt and his acknowledgment of his problems and how he got the problems. He uses imagery a little bit in the song by saying things like things are breaking, and there is Chaos. While he is talking about how all their problems are his fault, he does it in a kind of sarcastic tone. But in the song, he admits the problems he has are his fault, but is more bitter about it. Not looking to fix his problems.
Starting over, on the other hand, this song talks about more of the solutions and not sulking in your problems, like nobody is to blame. It talks more about getting his life together. When it says in the song, “The road rolls out like a welcome mat,” it shows he is liking moving on to new things in life and transitioning to new things in life. In the song, he is repetitive about being hopeful about new things in life. This song also uses imagery like what I said earlier, “The road rolls out like a welcome mat.” It shows how easy and nice it is to start over. The song is showing how happy and great starting over is. There is a clear difference in the theme of the songs. Nobody to blame is more about just feeling sorry for yourself. But the main theme is about starting a new life for yourself and being happy with yourself.
What words, phrases, use of language, Images particularly struck you? Why? This is basically a brief passage analysis.
In Nobody to Blame, " it says “Nobody to blame but me,” and “I know right where I went wrong.” He sounds kind of regretful about his decisions. In the moment, he makes it seem like his life is being destroyed by his own actions. The imagery shifts, though, from the song from more like destruction to renewal in starting over. When it says “We could be starting over”. Is a good lyric from this song because it shows he is ready to grow and leave. They are two completely different songs because Nobody to blame is more of just explaining your problems, and starting over is more of you growing and leaving to fix your problems.
Consider the sound and structure of the music and how it adds to the meaning of the songs. Write a brief paragraph explaining how the repetition, chorus, and rhythm add to the messages you hear in the songs.
In both “Nobody to Blame” and “Starting Over,” the way the songs are structured really adds to what they’re trying to say. “Nobody to Blame” feels more intense and almost frustrated, especially when the chorus repeats “Nobody to blame but me.” Every time that line comes back, it feels heavier, like he knows he messed up but keeps having to admit it. The rhythm is stronger and kind of sharp, which matches the chaotic feeling of the story he’s telling. The repetition makes it seem like he’s stuck in that regret. On the other hand, “Starting Over” sounds way calmer and steadier. When he repeats “We could be starting over,” it feels hopeful instead of defensive. The slower tempo and smoother sound make it feel like he’s more confident and at peace. Even though both songs use repetition in the chorus, one makes you feel regret and the other makes you feel like there’s still a chance to move forward.