What is literature?

Before Christmas holidays students in a third class were asked to choose two songs and decide which of the two songs was an example of literature.
They said that the following three songs are good examples of literature: Masters of war by Bob Dylan, Imagine by John Lennon and Sunday Bloody Sunday by U two.
On the other hand, e-lo by Los Unidades and Pharrel Williams, Just the way you are by Bruno Mars and God's plan by Drake were not considered as examples of literature but just "songs".

Masters Of War

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon

And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
’Til I’m sure that you’re dead

 I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

"Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962–63 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the spring of 1963. The song's melody was adapted from the traditional " Nottamun Town" . Dylan's lyrics are a protest against the Cold War  nuclear arms build-up of the early 1960s.

Figures of speech: allusion,anaphora, simile

ALLUSION
Like Judas of old you lie and deceive.....

ALLUSION
Even Jesus would never forgive....

ANAPHORA

You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs


then it shifts into

You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks


ANAPHORA

 But I see through your eyes

And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water 

SIMILE

You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy

SIMILE

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive

SIMILE

Like I see through the water 

ALLITTERATION

You that build the big bombs

RHYMES

You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

What about the point of view?

The singer writes from the perspective of a war veteran ("You put a gun in my hand")

Like Judas of old

You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe

These lines suggest  that the speaker took part in a war but now he doesn't believe that a war may truly be won.

THEMES: war, money and greed

E-lo 

Los Unidades and Pharrell Williams

And there's nowhere I'd rather be (rather be)
But when they take with the one hand and  take with the other
On the day all the hands go free (hands go free)
And the sun's gonna shine
The sun's gonna shine on me

O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
And all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo

Mama Maria, she would take my hand (take my hand)
Down to el Rio sol
Saying, "Oye for real, hijo understand (understand)
Hands can hurt or heal so"

Tell all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
And all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
All the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
And all the people go
O-lo-e-o, free hands go

Mama Maria, she would take my hand
Down to the Rio flow (ayy!)
Baxabana ogxam baxabana ngenoxoxo
Bexakwe yinuxba xaka

Tell all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
All the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
Tell all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
And all the people go
O-lo-e-o, free hands go

And there's nowhere I'd rather be (rather be)
Gonna raise up one hand and raise the other
Hurt me outside, inside I'm free (inside I'm free)
And there's no enemy, everyone is my brother
When the truth comes to set me free (set me free)
And we're not gonna fall in and out with each other
On the day all the hands go free (hands go free)
Then the sun's gonna shine
The sun's gonna shine on me

Tell all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo
Lo-lo-lo
And all the people go
O-lo-e-o-lo-lo (free hands go)
Lo-lo-lo

Let-O!

And the sun's gonna shine on me
I know, one day I know
The sun's gonna shine on me
Let my hands go free
Let my hands go free
Let my hands go free
The sun's gonna shine on me
Let my hands go free
And all hands go free
When all hands go free
The sun's gonna shine on me