Redemption Song Analysis

Its audiences are both men and women who come to the taverns to drink and sing after their long day on the field or in a factory. The song has persuaded the audiences in which men are willing to join the army to fight for the independence, and women are supporting their men to offer his strength to protect the country. If I were a colonial man who sitting and listening to this song, I would get inspired from hearing the song and join the army because I am a man full of pride for myself. Furthermore, a man lives on with his honor; the honor he gains from fighting for his

Popular singer Elton John once said; “music has healing power; it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”, and for most, music is the portal to an out of body experience. African American lyricists especially have been found to use the art of music to escape the real world, commencing from the slavery era and onward. The blues song titled The Tracks of My Tears does just that; expresses the ability to remove your soul from a treacherous reality. Similarly, the lyrics from popular modern songs, written by black artists, speak volumes about what is presently going on in the country, parallel to the way African American slavery songs did. Music written at an earlier period have been found to correlate to music of the past through providing strong emotion toward present day commentary.

He realizes that in those songs it made him really understand how much pain and suffering he had to go through as well as other slaves that were so unfathomable that hearing those songs again would only cause him grief beyond belief. Those songs would be the only evidence of what slaves had to encounter and in hearing those songs it explains the very meaning behind what slavery really meant and how inhumane it actually was and only the ones who sung those songs truly understood the agonizing truth behind

In these songs, one can unearth the heart’s deepest desires—desires that are so basic, so undeniably human, that they cannot help but underscore the dehumanizing condition of slavery.

Noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass, in his self titled slave narrative addresses the indescribable sadness that the slaves were experiencing, which they portrayed through song. He intensely describes the emotions that he hears within the songs of the slaves. In the passage Douglass shows how the slaves believe that they feel, versus how they really feel, and he does this this by changing the tone throughout the passage. He uses these tones to make the reader fully feel the helplessness that the slaves feel and recognize the effects that slavery had on people.

Stanza 1- The Civil war is over. They won the war, the slaves are free. The

All society hears is the history of slavery and the pain that began with racism, rape and mistreatment of African-Americans. Lines 29 through 43 describe that with African-American history there is hope for success:

A spiritual journey dominates these songs, but the concern for physical freedom is there as well. The most pervasive image in the spirituals is that of the chosen people for the slaves believed that they had been chosen by God just as the Israelites had. They also believed that they understood better than anyone what freedom truly meant in both a spiritual and physical sense. The Old Testament characters that the slaves referred to in their songs experienced deliverance by God. The slaves believed that the same God that had granted them spiritual freedom would someday loose the chains of slavery. The wonderful flexibility of the spirituals allowed for that double meaning of freedom. For example, Frederick Douglass claimed that the line” I am bound for Canaan” in one of the songs he frequently sang meant that he was going North, not just that he would experience the freedom of the promised land in a spiritual sense. The flexibility and multiplicity of meanings also allowed for slaves to use these sacred songs as secret communication. Some songs, such as “Steal Away to Jesus,” were used to call a secret meeting where the people could worship without the supervision of the whites. Other songs, such as “Wade in the Water” served as coded directions for runaway slaves. With the eventual emancipation of the slaves, religious music of African Americans became prominently

The pain one individual went through and the horror that affected the loved ones around them, was so inconceivable, that the idea of life was a thin thread ripping in the middle, hanging on by almost nothing. No one wants to be with a person whose body has been violated and beaten, they’re looked at differently, they’re seen as a different person, they’ll never be the same. Slavery made a lasting mark on what is considered justice versus what could be. Slave masters went off their chains at times when it came to the beating of a slave. There was no remorse for these men, if something needed to be done, in their eyes it was going to be done, and their mark was going to be made.

Douglass corrects white reader’s misconceptions about the slave’s assumed happiness by illustrating the song’s true meaning through his personal experience “within the circle.” Douglass is astounded that northerners believed they were singing songs out of happiness; he says, “I have often been astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake” (26). Douglass explains that the songs create a common experience among all slaves. Therefore, those outside the circle are ignorant to believe that their songs are out of happiness or contempt. In actuality, “slaves sing most when they are the most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears” (26). Douglass makes it clear that slaves are actually evident on a sub-conscious level of deep unhappiness. The singing is a coping mechanism, per say, to the aching hearts. The songs are not a pastime

Artists like Bruno Mars, John Legend, and Alicia Keys have reflected that in their recent music by using the same melodies that were used by the slaves and civil rights activists calling for young African Americans to follow in the footsteps of those like Martin Luther King Jr. and search for the “liberty for all” that is spoken of in the Pledge of

When delving into the song and trying to grasp the meaning, it can be understood that the author really desires to be free and go back home to where he belongs and desires. The author or writer of the song does not like the idea of slavery, nor does he like being a slave himself, his perspective on the topic shows that he is not happy about the current situation and no one should because of how cruel slavery is. The author also uses certain rhetorical strategies, one of them being metaphors. They can be used to explain his sadness and other feelings he has about the topic of slavery. An example of this is,

1. At first when I start to listen to the song I feel a sense of sadness. As the song goes on, however, I feel happy the person got back home.

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” by Pete Seeger became a popular anti-war protest song during the 1960s. This song did not only protest against the Vietnam War but also made their generation more aware about the global problems. Songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie chicks about freedom of speech was written after they received death threats for singing against the Iraq war, protests against the violation of human rights. But music is not only used to protest, it is also used to give hope and optimism. “We Shall Overcome”, a song sung by Guy Carawan together with the Montgomery Gospel Trio and the Nashville Quartet, is perhaps the best known example of civil rights song. Instead of blaming the government, this song registered a feeling of hope and faith among African-Americans during the civil rights movement.

When I listen to this song it gives a sense of hope, hope that everything will be alright. The songs sends out a powerful message that anyone and everyone can help and make a difference in the world. The style of this song is so powerful it’s an eclectic style of many incredible genres such as; gospel, rock, hip-hop, R&B etc. many of the famous artists of this song were called the United Support Of Artists for Africa, despite their musical differences came together and created a moving and inspirational meaningful song. That touched millions around the world, even today it’s still an iconic song to plenty such as myself connected to the world through those powerful lyrics, when Jackson wrote, “