Answer:
it gives a hint to the reader that something is significant
Explanation:
In this song, Dylan repeats the lines "Take the rag away from your face / Now ain't the time for your tears."
He uses these lines throughout the song in order to tell the listener that *this* isn't what they should be upset about. Don't get upset that this woman was murdered. Don't get upset that she was only a maid. Now isn't the time to get upset about these things.
By the end of the song, however, this line changes. It now becomes "Bury the rag deep in your face/ For now's the time for your tears." Dylan says that now is the time to cry because justice was not served. Zanzinger only got six months for the murder of an innocent woman.
Therefore, the repetition of these lines allows Dylan to indicate the true tragedy of this story.
Used in the beginning of an essay
These are questions that are not answerable with finality in a single lesson or a brief sentence—and that's the point. Their aim is to stimulate thought, to provoke inquiry, and to spark more questions, including thoughtful student questions, not just pat answers. They are provocative and generative.