The Analysis – Amazing Grace
The Analysis – Amazing Grace
Kiel Carino
ENG 125
Professor Olabisi Adenekan
October 29, 2012
The Analysis – Amazing Grace
The poetry “Amazing Grace” by John Newton is one of the most famous poems ever written and composed. “Amazing Grace” has been particularly influential and has affected lives since it was written. The reasons why “Amazing Grace” is influential are for the same reasons why I found this poem very interesting and engaging. The literary elements that attributed to the poem’s quality and importance are its form, content, and tone. These elements are what make “Amazing Grace” such an important and significant piece of poetry in history. The form of the poem “Amazing Grace” is different from other literature readings from the book. “Amazing Grace” is a special type of literature; a poem in a form of a song. “A hymn is a lyric poem or sacred song which is written in praise to a deity or spirit” (Wheeler, 2012). This type of literary form is appealing to read and hear. The poem comes to life as it is being played. This type of literary form has an advantage over other types due to the poem is being composed specifically to be heard, not read. The contents of “Amazing Grace” are overwhelmingly powerful. In the first paragraph, John Newton used words to describe who he was and how a certain sound changed his life. “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 in Clugston, 2010). In this paragraph, Newton used words such a wretch to describe himself. He also stated that he was lost, but the sweet sound helped him and guided him to see, which to me meant that he began to differentiate between right and wrong. In the fourth paragraph, John Newton once again used strong words to captivate its audience by letting the readers know where he stands with his faith. “The lord has promised good
Kiel Carino
ENG 125
Professor Olabisi Adenekan
October 29, 2012
The Analysis – Amazing Grace
The poetry “Amazing Grace” by John Newton is one of the most famous poems ever written and composed. “Amazing Grace” has been particularly influential and has affected lives since it was written. The reasons why “Amazing Grace” is influential are for the same reasons why I found this poem very interesting and engaging. The literary elements that attributed to the poem’s quality and importance are its form, content, and tone. These elements are what make “Amazing Grace” such an important and significant piece of poetry in history. The form of the poem “Amazing Grace” is different from other literature readings from the book. “Amazing Grace” is a special type of literature; a poem in a form of a song. “A hymn is a lyric poem or sacred song which is written in praise to a deity or spirit” (Wheeler, 2012). This type of literary form is appealing to read and hear. The poem comes to life as it is being played. This type of literary form has an advantage over other types due to the poem is being composed specifically to be heard, not read. The contents of “Amazing Grace” are overwhelmingly powerful. In the first paragraph, John Newton used words to describe who he was and how a certain sound changed his life. “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 in Clugston, 2010). In this paragraph, Newton used words such a wretch to describe himself. He also stated that he was lost, but the sweet sound helped him and guided him to see, which to me meant that he began to differentiate between right and wrong. In the fourth paragraph, John Newton once again used strong words to captivate its audience by letting the readers know where he stands with his faith. “The lord has promised good