Coming for to carry me home Essay - 1549 Words

â€Å"If any one wishes to be impressed with the soul-killing effects of slavery, let him go to Colonel Lloyds plantation, and, on allowance-day, place himself in the deep pine woods, and there let him, in silence, analyze the sounds that shall pass through the chambers of his soul,--and if he is not thus impressed, it will only be because there is no flesh in his obdurate heart. Fredrick Douglass (Douglass 11). In his autobiography Twelve Years as a Slave, Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and sold to slave masters, describes the brutality of slavery. In 1808, Northup was born free in Minerva, New York. His parents were farmers and he followed in his father’s footstep to become a farmer himself. He was living in Saratoga†¦show more content†¦When I first heard â€Å"Swing low Sweet Chariot†, it was hard for me to figure out the double message of the song. However, after I did some research on the meaning of the song, I was speechless. This song was sung by s lave African Americans on plantations who wanted to get their freedom back. The slaves used biblical metaphors to show their wish for a release from their masters and find a place where they could get their freedom. The lyrics of the song portray the desire of African American slaves to gain back their freedom and the strategies that they used to escape from the plantations. The song begins with the two repeated lines that describe the main ideas of the song and overall this verse is repeated three times throughout the song: â€Å"Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Coming for to carry me home.† In this verse the â€Å"Chariot† refers to the people who control the Underground Railroad. Thus, the singer is informing the slaves to be aware and prepare to escape (Jones 1). Throughout the song â€Å"Coming for to carry me home† is repeated in every verse. This represents the people who were against slavery. They were helping the slaves to get to the place where they can gain their freedom. The second verse describes the strategies that the slaves used to get to the UndergroundShow MoreRelatedKellie P. Tindley. Professor Tavel. March 07, 2017. English1492 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom the same drum as Negro Spirituals. Even in a person’s personal life there are times when your day, week, or month just aren’t going as well as expected and that one song comes out of thin air and it’s just what was needed to give you the will to carry on. In daily life there are times we feel mentally trapped by bosses and family; not finding the right words to talk t o love ones or even searching for directions in life. Well, Negro Spirituals were the antidote for slaves in a time when salvationRead MoreChristianity And African American Culture1710 Words   |  7 Pageshe spoke about in his book was when slave masters use to sit and read their bibles as the slaves were working. He said that while they were reading, the slaves would ask â€Å"What is that master?† and the slave owner would reply â€Å"the book is talking to me.† So, when the slave owner would leave, the slave would go pick up the book and put it to his ear to hear the book speak. While in Africa, their Christian belief was not molded by the words of a book, but rather the words of their ancestors. In theRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1004 Words   |  5 PagesVietnam War, and after coming home from his duty he decided to be a writer. His work â€Å"The Things They Carried† is about a group of soldiers that are fighting in the Vietnam War. T he first part of the story talks mostly about physical items that each soldier carries, and also mentions the weight of the items as well. Though, there is one exception to the list of physical things. Lieutenant Cross is a character of the story, and Tim O’ Brien quickly states the how the lieutenant carries letters of a girlRead MoreFrederic Douglas Slave Songs884 Words   |  4 PagesFreedom in the sense of the land to the North, and freedom meaning death, the ultimate release from servitude. In the song, Before Id be a Slave (Oh Freedom) the chorus is as follows: Before Id be a slave Id be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord-- and be saved (Call and Response, pg 240). Without even needing explanation, these lines burn with the fact that if given the choice of dying or to continue living in enslavement, the outcome would be death. This has no happy tuneRead MoreMy First Day Of School Essay908 Words   |  4 Pagesfelt pity on myself. Tears started to run through my face while I squeez each corn to take out the water and try to hide it from mamang (My grandma). Only then I realize and ask myself where my parents are? I’m thinking that if only they are here with me then maybe I will be going to school too just like all the other students in our neighborhood. â€Å"Hurry up my dear before the sun is up†. My grandmother said. â€Å"Alright mamang, just three more left to go and I’m done†. I replied with a soft voice so sheRead MoreThe Themes Of African Americans967 Words   |  4 Pagesan escape to freedom. The first spiritual that demonstrates this is Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Lines 5-8 read, â€Å"I looked over Jordan and what did I see/ Coming for to carry me home/ A band of angels, coming after me, / Coming for to carry me home.† ‘Looked over Jordan’ is a reference to escaping to heaven. It is saying that the Lord will bring them home to heaven. Another spiritual called Gods a-Gonna Trouble the Water, it states in many lines â€Å"Wade in the water, children†. This is a communication ofRead MoreDreams As A Mode Of Freedom1611 Words   |  7 Pagesthis sentiment can be seen in the more famous Spiritual â€Å"Swing Low Sweet Chariot†: Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home. Well, I m sometimes up and I m sometimes down Comin for to carry me home But I know my soul is heavenly bound Comin for to carry me home In the chorus, the narrator urges the chariot to carry him home, and that home is heaven. Referring to heaven as home implies dissatisfaction with the physical world. Therefore, heaven seems a much more hopeful place to beRead More Frederic Douglas Slave Songs Essay867 Words   |  4 Pagesultimate release from servitude. In the song, â€Å"Before I’d be a Slave (Oh Freedom)† the chorus is as follows: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"Before I’d be a slave nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I’d be buried in my grave nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;And go home to my Lord-- and be saved† (Call and Response, pg 240). Without even needing explanation, these lines burn with the fact that if given the choice of dying or to continue living in enslavement, the outcome would be death. This has no happy tune. ItRead MoreMy Life Of My Brother Essay1041 Words   |  5 Pages I have never talked about myself in written form- bare with me if there is no â€Å"introduction† as I feel like it would be best for me to just dive straight in. I am well aware of my privilege and how petty my problems are on the grand scale of things. Growing up, my brother was a symbol of stereotypical masculinity- older, muscular, emotionally non confrontative. The only thing he’d associate himself with me for is watching TV- we’d watch Survivorman together and talk about what we’d do ifRead MoreReview: Swing Low Sweet Chariot989 Words   |  4 Pagescreated in 1937 and depicts a rural home. Outside it appears that someone has come to visit, as there is a vehicle parked out front and a man standing at the doorway of the house. Inside the home it can be seen that someone has passed away and loved ones are mourning their loss. Above the home there is a spiritual battle taking place for the soul of the deceased. Light has parted the clouds and there is a horse driven chariot followed by a parade of angels coming down from above. The spirit itself