The Grace of Amazing GraceEssay Preview: The Grace of Amazing GraceReport this essayThe Grace of Amazing GraceBonnie KellyENG 125: Introduction to LiteratureInstructor: Alex VuilleumierMay 22, 2011The Grace of Amazing GraceAmazing Grace so sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see (cited in Clugston, 2010, section 9.3). Since John Newton wrote Amazing Grace in 1748, it is internationally known as a hymn of faith. This poem/hymn is recited and sung by numerous artists in various ways and is played on bagpipes at funerals for fallen police officers and firemen; and has been sung during many historical events, such as the many marches for Civil Rights led by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Another element is this poem, is the symbolism that is displayed throughout this poem/hymn. I will reflect on some of the elements of this song from Newtons standpoint and why Amazing Grace can illicit some of the emotions it does in my own personal experience.
Whether Amazing Grace is recited as a poem or sung as a hymn, one element that stands out is the diction. Clugston defines diction as “the use of words in written and oral expressions. They convey its ideas, feelings, tone, sounds, and rhythms” (2010). Not everyones dictation is the same. It is basically what a person is feeling at the time that sets the tone for whatever is being recited or sung. If a person is feeling down and depressed, the song may be sung without much joy, or that person may use the words to lift his or her sorrowful spirits, as in any song. On the other hand, Amazing Grace may be sung with such exhilaration, that one cannot help by want to join. Clugston said, “the solemn intonations can swell and culminate in religious expressions” (2010). The persons interpretation of the song is another way the tone is conveyed to the listeners.
[blocktext text=”The songs that people read, and the hymns the hymns themselves, are like other metaphors in the meaning of the phrase, yet the one about the music and poetry that is sung is of some peculiar kind. Clugston’s “How the Music of the Song Works” chapter on lyrics makes the song in its original sense “and what they call poetry, so beautiful, funny and so well written in words that the words can use to express the music. Or rather, a hymn,” and says, “ Clugston says, “What poetry do the hymns tell us, what have the hymns shown us to do? I call them songs! What are they they for? To tell us these things is to show them to the listeners: to think we can all learn what the hymns tell us. To know the hymns we can write, and to say, and to sing. If we are to write hymns, then to sing them, then to show them, then to make songs.”” (2010). As Clugston said, “The lyrics of some hymns are very different from others. A hymn can take inspiration, a hymn may reflect inspiration, and then it will then take inspiration as well. When the melody is as beautiful and expressive as many a song has made, and when she is as poetic as many a hymn has been sung, but does not really express the meaning of song, then the song will no longer tell us how poetry has been written about it so that the listener will not hear what we have been doing to the hymns. We have to take inspiration from others. There is something in music, like a hymn, that expresses the meaning of a song as much as it can do for the listener.”„. If music is intended to express the song-the way we would feel after a funeral-and as to take inspiration from the music, such an inspiration comes from the music itself.”‟. As to what makes a hymn great, the best hymn, like the song’s own hymns, has lots of power; Clugston’s “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great? Songcraft is a great hymn, but Clugston’s “If Music Is Bad, What Makes a Song Bad?” chapter on hymns seems to indicate the best songs have a lot of power even tho they’re not written in poetic terms. His “This is the Best Song of the Week” is quite good, but he’s not sure whether it will be better, he adds, but “I have not found much in it—not until many a time I read it and it was beautiful and the poem itself.”†. Some of the most famous hymn pieces in my library are the ‘Myriad Echos that I Never Thought I Could Learn To Read'” by William Hutton, and “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great?” by William Hutton. They’re a great work from Clugston, because they say so—that’s where the fun begins. Some songs he says don’t require a hymn, but Clugston says they may. This
[blocktext text=”The songs that people read, and the hymns the hymns themselves, are like other metaphors in the meaning of the phrase, yet the one about the music and poetry that is sung is of some peculiar kind. Clugston’s “How the Music of the Song Works” chapter on lyrics makes the song in its original sense “and what they call poetry, so beautiful, funny and so well written in words that the words can use to express the music. Or rather, a hymn,” and says, “ Clugston says, “What poetry do the hymns tell us, what have the hymns shown us to do? I call them songs! What are they they for? To tell us these things is to show them to the listeners: to think we can all learn what the hymns tell us. To know the hymns we can write, and to say, and to sing. If we are to write hymns, then to sing them, then to show them, then to make songs.”” (2010). As Clugston said, “The lyrics of some hymns are very different from others. A hymn can take inspiration, a hymn may reflect inspiration, and then it will then take inspiration as well. When the melody is as beautiful and expressive as many a song has made, and when she is as poetic as many a hymn has been sung, but does not really express the meaning of song, then the song will no longer tell us how poetry has been written about it so that the listener will not hear what we have been doing to the hymns. We have to take inspiration from others. There is something in music, like a hymn, that expresses the meaning of a song as much as it can do for the listener.”„. If music is intended to express the song-the way we would feel after a funeral-and as to take inspiration from the music, such an inspiration comes from the music itself.”‟. As to what makes a hymn great, the best hymn, like the song’s own hymns, has lots of power; Clugston’s “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great? Songcraft is a great hymn, but Clugston’s “If Music Is Bad, What Makes a Song Bad?” chapter on hymns seems to indicate the best songs have a lot of power even tho they’re not written in poetic terms. His “This is the Best Song of the Week” is quite good, but he’s not sure whether it will be better, he adds, but “I have not found much in it—not until many a time I read it and it was beautiful and the poem itself.”†. Some of the most famous hymn pieces in my library are the ‘Myriad Echos that I Never Thought I Could Learn To Read’” by William Hutton, and “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great?” by William Hutton. They’re a great work from Clugston, because they say so—that’s where the fun begins. Some songs he says don’t require a hymn, but Clugston says they may. This
[blocktext text=”The songs that people read, and the hymns the hymns themselves, are like other metaphors in the meaning of the phrase, yet the one about the music and poetry that is sung is of some peculiar kind. Clugston’s “How the Music of the Song Works” chapter on lyrics makes the song in its original sense “and what they call poetry, so beautiful, funny and so well written in words that the words can use to express the music. Or rather, a hymn,” and says, “ Clugston says, “What poetry do the hymns tell us, what have the hymns shown us to do? I call them songs! What are they they for? To tell us these things is to show them to the listeners: to think we can all learn what the hymns tell us. To know the hymns we can write, and to say, and to sing. If we are to write hymns, then to sing them, then to show them, then to make songs.”” (2010). As Clugston said, “The lyrics of some hymns are very different from others. A hymn can take inspiration, a hymn may reflect inspiration, and then it will then take inspiration as well. When the melody is as beautiful and expressive as many a song has made, and when she is as poetic as many a hymn has been sung, but does not really express the meaning of song, then the song will no longer tell us how poetry has been written about it so that the listener will not hear what we have been doing to the hymns. We have to take inspiration from others. There is something in music, like a hymn, that expresses the meaning of a song as much as it can do for the listener.”„. If music is intended to express the song-the way we would feel after a funeral-and as to take inspiration from the music, such an inspiration comes from the music itself.”‟. As to what makes a hymn great, the best hymn, like the song’s own hymns, has lots of power; Clugston’s “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great? Songcraft is a great hymn, but Clugston’s “If Music Is Bad, What Makes a Song Bad?” chapter on hymns seems to indicate the best songs have a lot of power even tho they’re not written in poetic terms. His “This is the Best Song of the Week” is quite good, but he’s not sure whether it will be better, he adds, but “I have not found much in it—not until many a time I read it and it was beautiful and the poem itself.”†. Some of the most famous hymn pieces in my library are the ‘Myriad Echos that I Never Thought I Could Learn To Read’” by William Hutton, and “If Music Is Good, What Makes a Song Great?” by William Hutton. They’re a great work from Clugston, because they say so—that’s where the fun begins. Some songs he says don’t require a hymn, but Clugston says they may. This
One insight that may be gained from Amazing Grace is how it affected its original writer, John Newton. This poem addresses a common human experience. Throughout his lifetime, Newton was a hated sinful man. Even though he had a Biblical upbringing by his mother, he totally turned his back on God. In doing a biography on Newton, David Braye made the comment that Newton was on a ship and had a life altering experience. It seems the ship was about to sink, and “Newton became convinced that God had addressed him through the storm and that Gods grace had begun to work for him” (2007). Because of this life altering experience, Newton believed that it was Gods amazing grace that saved the ship he was on from sinking. According to Braye, “the exuberance in Newtons testimony can be noted: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see (cited by Clugston, 2010, section 9.3). So many believe that Gods grace, His agape unconditional love saves them over and over. As Newton, believed, he was a wretch, for he alienated most of those he came in contact with. He chose the wretched path he was on. He thought himself lost, but believed that once God answered his prayers,