Grace; Amazing Grace
Grace, That Amazing Grace
Bobbi Lord
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor: Deborah Cunningham
October 7, 2013
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound. I grew up hearing these words either in song or the poem its self. It has a very strong message to bring to the reader or person listening to it in song form.
John Newton; the Author of Amazing Grace was in the 1700, a Slave Ship Captain, in his youth. On one particular night at sea he was converted to Christianity, in a moment of terror during an Atlantic storm in 1748. Although this never changed him he was vulgar, abusive and did not have a care in the world, many times he almost lost his life and each time he would look to God and then go on with his way of life. It wasn’t until he had a stroke that he finally sat back and examined his life, he was unable to work the ships so he wrote Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace was intended as a “peoples hymn” (Aikman, 2007).
This poem I believe a lot of people can relate to, it has been read, or sung many different places and ways, at funerals, weddings, special services, captains of ships even Captains of ships recited it when they are lost at sea trying to find their way home.
The content of this poem speaks volumes to the reader, it talks about struggles, the turmoil that one would face throughout life, the author talks about toils and snares that he went through and grace relieved his fears, he kept reaching out for God, but did not want to take what God wanted to give him, but when he finally did take what the Lord was offering it took that gift “Grace” whole heartedly.
The language of this poem/hymn is easy to understand and easy to read, it speaks to you when you read it. It has a rhythm about it, I don’t just mean because it was made into a song, but the flow of the words just has a rhythm to it that takes the reader along the writing as if it was meant for a song. John Newton, makes the story sound farfetched...