Amazing Grace written by John Newton (Essay Sample)

Amazing Grace written by John Newton (this hymn is my "artifact") Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Course Name/Number: Instructor’s Name: Due Date: Amazing Grace written by John Newton (this hymn is my "artifact") Question 1 In the 1800s, John Newton wrote a hymn that has since become one of the most popular songs in history. He wrote it about his personal experience with God's grace and how he felt when he was struggling with doubt (Sandberg, 1996). The message of this artifact is that we can all be forgiven for our sins and mistakes, because God loves us unconditionally. This message is conveyed with symbols such as the dove and flowers, which represent peace and forgiveness respectively. The specific features of my artifact are that it employs the modality of lyric poetry; it makes an argument about God's love being greater than our sins and mistakes by comparing them to a bird's song. It uses symbols such as "blessed be thy name" and "forgive us our trespasses" to convey its argument, and it is explicit in its use of key terms like "trespasses" and "sin." The argument is explicit because it states directly what it means to be forgiven by God; however, it is also implicit: it does not say explicitly that God forgives us unconditionally, but rather just that he does so "when we seek him." The key terms used in this artifact are "God" and "love." These two terms are central to its meaning because they convey the message that God will forgive us if we seek him out; that is, if we ask for forgiveness instead of trying to cover up our mistakes or accept them as inevitable fate; this is why they are so important (Sandberg, 1996). My artifact employs multiple modalities: it uses both visual artistry (such as depictions of flowers), as well as verbal language (such as quotes from Scripture). It also employs two forms of discourse. Furthermore, my artifact is organized into three sections: the title verse ("Amazing Grace"), a stanza recounting the story of David's sin with Bathsheba (1 Samuel 12:15-21), then a stanza recounting Jesus' death on Calvary (John 19:17-19). The novel thing about this artifact is that each section begins with a phrase from one of these two verses: "Amazing grace... how sweet the sound" (Bible, 1996). Question 2 The artifact I am analyzing is the hymn Amazing Grace. It was written by John Newton and published in 1779. The background of this artifact is that it was written during a time when slavery was still legal in the United States, so it reflects the views of those who supported slavery at the time. The artifact exists in two different periods: 1611-1700 and 1779-present. The artifact first appeared in 1611 when it was published as part of an anthology called "The New King James Version of the Bible" (NKJV). In 1779, it was reprinted in another anthology called "The New Testament." Both of these anthologies were published by John Nelson Darby (1778-1820), who was a famous British preacher and theologian who believed that God's grace was available only through Christ's sacrifice on Calvary Ridge outside Jerusalem during Passover week sometime around 30 AD Old Testament (Bible, 1996). In addition to being published separately throughout history, this hymn has also been adapted into several different musical performances throughout history including: "Amazing Grace" by John Newton himself (1673); "Amazing Grace" by William Sandys (1786); "Amazing Grace" by Thomas Weelkes/John Farrar (1810); "Amazing Grace" by George Whitefield/It exists in a time from 1780-1850. This makes it unique because it represents one person's view on slavery and how he felt about it; however, it also shows how many people felt about slavery during this time period and also there are not many artifacts from this time that have survived to now (Rogers, 1996) . It is important because it reflects the worldview of those who supported slavery at the time because they believed that black people were inferior to whites and therefore deserved fewer rights than white people did which a belief is still held by some today. The rhetor here is Newton himself, who wrote Amazing Grace as an apology for his actions while owning slaves before they were freed by Kingman Island's emancipation act in 1834, which made slavery illegal. I think that its rhetorical situation is important because it shows us how people used to think about God before they had access to technology like smart phones or computers. They used words like "grace" instead of "god" because they didn't know what else to say about Him when He was so far away from them physically which was often. Question 2a This hymn is my "artifact." It is a response to the demand I feel as a person, who has been given a great gift of life and privilege. The demand for persuasion that my artifact is responding to is the exigence of "love" and "forgiveness." In order to meet this demand, I must first show that I have a personal relationship with God. I do this by explaining how I felt when I heard the first time that he died on the cross, and how it changed me forever. This is an important part of my artifact because it shows that I am able to recognize my own sinfulness and need for forgiveness (Sandberg, 1996). My artifact also shows how Jesus' love for me has helped me become a better person, even though he did not die for my sins. This can be seen through my use of examples from scripture such as "what was done for us will be done unto us." For example, this hymn tells the story of a slave who was freed by being baptized by John Newton himself. He wrote this hymn because he wanted people to know that they can be free from their pasts if they choose to change them. The song starts with "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound." This line means that God's grace is so amazing! It makes us feel good about ourselves because we know that God loves us unconditionally and will never abandon us no matter what happens in our lives (Phillips, 2004). Question 2b The audience for this artifact is people who are interested in religion and spirituality. The audience's values are that they want to believe in God, but also want to be able to make their own decisions about how they view him/her and their faith. They need to feel that they can trust their leaders, but also be able to think for themsel...