Slave Hymns

The hymns “ Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Go Down, Moses,” and “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” I believe are supposed to bring hope to the slaves. It was supposed to inspiration to keep working hard and someday it will be over. "He made all Pharaoes understand... Let My People Go!" (anonymous) I think is a way of saying the slavery ended in Egypt so it can end here in America too. Emerson was against discrimination and believed that all people, no matter what, should be treated as equals. In a way I think Thoreau would agree and disagree with this hymns. He is an abolitionist which mean he believes that slavery should be ended immediately instead of making it into a slow drawn out process. So, I believe Thoreau would want the slaves to take a stand for themselves and go against what their owners told them to do. Thoreau believes all people, even slaves, should stand up for what they believe in even if it is considered to be against what society thinks is appropriate. So basically Thoreau wouldn't want them to wait it out he wants them to take a stand now. But, he agrees with the ending of slavery just like the slaves writing these hymns. A characteristic of the realism period is that free will is limited by culture and environment. This is very true in the slaves point of view, because, they are living in the south they do not get any rights have barely any free will. But, in other parts of the world it would not be like this for them. They had would have the rights that they dream about in these hymns. They write about them becoming free and going back home. Such in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, "And WHAT did I see, Comin' for to carry me home, A band of angels comin' after me,Comin' for to carry me home." (anonymous) This is against the ideas of the realism period. A characteristic of the period is seeing life how it reallt is and not how it should be. These hymns are doing the opposite.

Anonymous. "Go Down, Moses." Metrolyrics. Web. 2012.

Anonymous. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Scout Songs. 2002. Web. 2012.