Essay on The Analysis – Amazing Grace

Frank Ticheli is a pretty well known American composer of orchestral, choral, chamber, and concert band works. This night they performed his rendition of slave ship captains, John Newton's “Amazing Grace”. After seeing divine grace for all his wrongdoing, he wrote this, which has come to be a loved spiritual within American literature. As the woodwinds carry certain parts of the melody, tears began to form. In the words of Ticheli, he wants to “reflect the powerful simplicity of the word and melody… the harmony, texture, orchestration, and form are inseparable, intertwined so as to be perceived as a single expressive entity.”

Many people take a stance and attempt to spread the word on the social injustices, such as slavery, that affect an abundance of people all around the world. These people, who want to see a change in the lives of several innocent people, use rhetoric techniques to influence the opinions of others in order to get the desired effect they want, which is to develop awareness related to the topic they are discussing. One effective rhetoric skill is ethos, the reliability of a source. In the movie Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce has a petition with signatures of people against the slave trade. Lord Charles Fox, who was in favor of slavery, switches sides and signs the petition in front of the Parliament.

The study of any poem often begins with its imagery. Being the centralized idea behind the power of poetry, imagery isn’t always there to just give a mental picture when reading the poem, but has other purposes. Imagery can speak to the five senses using figurative language as well as help create a specific emotion that the author is trying to infuse within the poem. It helps convey a complete human experience a very minimal amount of words. In this group of poems the author uses imagery to show that humanity is characterized as lost, sorrowful and regretful, but nature is untainted by being free of mistakes and flaws and by taking time to take in its attributes it can help humans have a sense of peace, purity, and joy, as well as a sense of

(…) the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air—look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire (…). What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like

From religion in the 1600’s to religion today in pop culture, the love of faith and God has not changed. Both the movie, and the poem

Jonathan Kozol's book, Amazing Grace, analyzes the lives of the people living in the dilapidated district of South Bronx, New York. Kozol spends time touring the streets with children, talking to parents, and discussing the appalling living conditions and safety concerns that plague the residents in the inner cities of New York. In great detail, he describes the harsh lifestyles that the poverty stricken families are forced into; day in and day out. Disease, hunger, crime, and drugs are of the few everyday problems that the people in Kozol's book face; however, many of these people continue to maintain a very religious and positive outlook on life. Jonathan Kozol's investigation on the lifestyle of these people, shows the side to

A Grace Disguised written by Jerry Sittser, is one of the most heart felt and transparent books I have ever read. The idea that our purpose and who we are is shaped through our suffering and loss, puts one in perspective to understand that our pain lies a blessing, even at times we don't understand. Jerry Sittser, a husband, son, and father of four is a true witness to what its like to experience loss and even feel hopelessness in times of despair. In the fall of 1991, him and his families lives were changed forever. Driving back home from a Native American reservation in rural Idaho, an incoming car driving extremely reckless and fast, jumped its lane and smashed head-on into their families mini-van. Rescuing his daughter Catherine and two sons David and John, Jerry Sittser had to endure seeing the lives of his wife Lynda, mother Grace, and four year old daughter Diane flash before his eyes (Sittser, 1998 pg. 26). Three generations instantly gone without any signs or warnings. Letters of comfort that was sent by mail frequently asked Jerry the question, “Why did this have to happen to your family? Y'all were the ideal family to model. If bad things can happen to good people like the Sittser’s then we’re all in trouble (Sittser, 1998 pg. 30).” In this book Jerry Sittser highlights many different aspects of how to differentiate our view of loss from both a carnal and spiritual perspective. Yes, its no debate that loss is a terrifying and dreadful event to experience, but

The poems “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth and “God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins both present a common perspective of society and nature. While both poems are about a common subject, the poets write in 2 different ways. While both authors use personification, allusions, and imagery in their poems, they use them in different ways.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home”. This was taken from a section of the song “Amazing Grace” and is quoted in the book as “The verse that belongs to us” by Reverend Groover. I found this to be one of the most pivotal moments in the book. This story contains the lives of those who, in a sense have been left behind and discarded. Like the man behind the story, of the song Amazing Grace, Jonathan Kozol portrays the heart breaking reality of a population left behind and forgotten, that is until now. The realities of how the children, parents and grandparents cope with their situations, sheds light on some very ugly truths. Jonathan provides his readers

Grace is one of the most important themes in Flannery O'Connor's stories. It is the one thing that may help or curse the characters in her stories. God’s grace is often neglected by some characters and they end up with a curse God creates. In the stories, “The Enduring Chill”, “The River”, and “The Lame Shall Enter First”, God’s grace is portrayed as the Christianity religion itself. As one neglects it and some believe in it, Flannery O’Connor is trying to say that God’s grace is real and all you need to do is believe He exists.

The history of the right to bear arms, this has been an American tradition since colonist set foot on North American soil. Mass murders have been cause by guns does this mean we should only allow our military to have guns? I believe in the constitution we have the right to bear arms. It was written in the constitution for a reason. Without guns it makes our country weak. I’m not talking about just our military having them I’m talking about citizens not being able to have guns.

You may have heard Amazing Grace in church before but never really thought about the song and the meaning. Amazing Grace is probably the most common Christian hymn. It was written by John Newton after his conversion to Christianity in 1776. In 2008, Chris Tomlin put a small twist on the hymn and wrote the version of the song called My Chains Are Gone. I’m going to play the refrain that he added in for you. (30 seconds of song.) Other than that refrain, Tomlin preserved the original poetry of the song that was written so long ago by Newton. Tomlin also found the original final verse that had been changed years after Newton wrote the poem. The original final verse read, “The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbare to shine. But God who called me here below will be forever mine.” It was later changed to “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.

"What is grace? In the New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. (Definition of God's Grace)

“The relationship between the energies of the inquiring mind that an intelligent reader brings to the poem and the poem’s refusal to yield a single comprehensive interpretation enacts vividly the everlasting intercourse between the human mind, with its instinct to organise and harmonise, and the baffling powers of the universe about it.”

Stafford furtively conceals the profound meaning of his poem behind a story of the narrator, who stops alongside the road to care for a deer. The genius behind poem is better understood when the superficial meaning is expressed deeply.