Amazing Grace Essay

809 Words4 Pages
Amazing Grace Tanesha O’Neal Instructor Cunningham ENG 125 May 13, 2013 The poetry “Amazing Grace” by John Newton is one of the most influential and one of the most famous poems ever written. The effect it has had on people is astounding. The reason why “Amazing Grace” is influential is the same reasons why I choose to engage in it and read it. The literary elements that attributed to the poems quality and importance are its form, tone, and content. These elements are the main reason “Amazing Grace” is an important piece of poetry and is historical. The form of the poem “Amazing Grace” is different because it is presented to you as a poem but in a song manner. A lyrical poem or sacred song which is written in praise to a deity or spirit is called a hymn. (Wheeler, 2012) It’s exciting because this type of literature is appealing because it can be read or heard. The poem is influential to me because of how appealing it is when you hear it. The special significant of the poem has an advantage over other types of poems because it is to be heard, not read. “Amazing Grace” is one of the most recognizable American melodies also. It is a staple of Protestant hymnal and has been sung by soulful gospel choirs, operatic sopranos, guitar strumming folk singers, and screaming rock and rollers. “Amazing Grace” came to be an emblem of a Christian movement and a symbol of the U.S. itself as the country was involved in a great political experiment, attempting to employ democracy as a means of government. In the 1960’s it took a political tone, when it became a part of the African American Civil Rights Movement and the opposition of the Vietnam War. Mahalia Jackson played “Amazing Grace” for Civil Rights marchers saying she used it “to give magical protection, a charm to ward off danger, and an incantation to the angels of heaven to descend.” She also stated
Open Document