Primary Sources Assignment
Newton, John. “Amazing Grace.” Hymns of the 49th Parallel. 5th ed. New York: Baptist Hymnals Publishers, 1974.

In the world of music, there are many songs that bring one joy, excitement, or delight. In other cases, there are songs that lead one to sadness, depression, or loneliness. However, there are also significantly few songs that reach down to the very depths of your heart and touch you in a way that is truly moving. This sort of emotion was felt when I heard the hymnal “Amazing Grace” by John Newton, and is still felt today. As a young child, I never really understood the complexity of the Holy Bible, the stories within it, or the ‘grace’ that is so freely offered. I often admittedly fell asleep in church or simply passed the time away by drawing funny pictorials of biblical characters I was supposed to learn about in Sunday school. Considering I was just like the other typical rebellious eight year old boys, this was quite acceptable in my opinion. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until one special Sunday evening service that I finally ‘came of age.’
The standard ‘boring’ service went on as it usually did and as the preacher summed up his message, my mother, the piano player, made her way up to the front of the sanctuary. As she began to play, the choir began to sing. I began to listen, and my heart began to melt. What was this song they were singing? Surely I had heard it. Only this time it was different. The melodious words, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…” rolled off the chorus’s lips and I just couldn’t help myself. I had finally realized the true meaning of this song and it was as if I had truly been set free. Tears falling from my eyes, my face red as a cherry, I stood to my feet and mad my way down the aisle. I was not quite sure what would happen from then on but the verse “…was blind, but now I see…” echoed in my ears and I knew I would soon be enlightened. It was at the altar, only a few feet away from where my mother softly continued play that I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Tomlin, Chris. “Amazing Grace: My Chains Are Gone” See the Morning. Six Step Records, 2006. CD
This next song is basically an encore or rendition of the previous “Amazing Grace.” However, the Christian artist, Chris Tomlin, merely adds a verse of his own to echo the beauty the original exhibits. Many artists have performed similar moves most likely because of the popularity and historical background of the song. It is sung in most, if not all, churches services, and sung by many contemporary and pop-culture artists.
January, in the heart of my sophomore year of high school, I unexpectedly became very ill. Just when I thought everything was running smoothly, an antibody attacked my nervous system and essentially knocked everything ‘out of whack.’ My heart rate slowed to less than 30 beats a minute, my body temperature dropped to a mere ninety-four degrees, I experienced what the doctor’s termed “brain fog,” and my once strong body dwindled down to skin and bones. Consequently, I was forbidden from school and spent most nights at, or traveling back and forth to, the hospital. It was not long after this the doctors realized I would need a pacemaker to help my heart beat faster. This hurricane of grief and anguish all happened within about a month’s time and I thought I was a hopeless case.
In the numerous trips to hospitals, some of them being six hour treks or longer, my mother and I would always have the radio on to pass the time. In every instance, as inexplicable as it may seem, the song “Amazing Grace: My Chains Are Gone” would randomly to play. No matter when or where we were on our journey this song would randomly be playing the instant we turned the radio on. Though I did not realize it then, I now look back and see just how non-accidental these occurrences were. When I needed encouragement, or simply a sparkle of hope in the darkest of times, God was reminding me through this song that He is always with us and he is strong enough to save.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Austere Academy. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Bad Beginning. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Carnivorous Carnival. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The End. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Ersatz Elevator. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Grim Grotto. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Hostile Hospital. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Miserable Mill. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Penultimate Peril. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Reptile Room. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Slippery Slope. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Vile Village. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.
Snicket, Lemony, and Brett Helquist. The Wide Window. New York: HarperTrophy, 2000. Print.

As a college student, I can testify there is no greater skill than the ability to read. Unfortunately, being an archetypal sixth grader, I fell into a large group of young children who hated reading. I made perfect grades in English, Science, and Mathematics but my reading skills were nearly equivalent to those of a three year old. With all jokes aside, I knew I needed a change, my parents knew I needed a change, and thankfully my six grade teacher, Mrs. Counts, made the change become a reality. Instead of letting me pass on to the next grade level continuing my apathy for reading, she refused to allow me carry on my bad habits. She enticed me to try reading A Series of Unfortunate Events. At first glance of the children’s novel, I thought it would be just another boring book that seemed to never end, but I was wrong. The unique approach of Lemony Snicket drew me in like a tornado and I could not stop. Rather than once again being disappointed with monotonous, drawn out material, I was enlightened by Snicket’s continuing climaxes. One by one I nailed down each book in the series and before I knew it, I had read all thirteen books and developed a love for reading along the way. Up until that point I had hated reading, but because a strong, patient, caring teacher introduced me what I call the game changing book, I thoroughly enjoy reading and consider it one of my number one hobbies. I learned through the series, A Series of Unfortunate Events that it is not important what one reads but rather that one is reading. I also learned more vocabulary and writing skills through those books than I did in all five previous grade levels. The more children read, the better they become at reading. The more enjoyable the things they read are, the more they will stick with them and develop the reading skills that they will need for full access to information in their adult lives. Reading should be viewed as a pleasurable activity, and that is exactly how Snicket’s extraordinary series led me to feel about reading. I will never again take the joy of reading a book for granted.