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Elizabeth Gaspar
Lebeau 7B
December 14, 2013 Sense of Hope

When we die, we will turn into songs, and we will hear each other and remember each
other. (Sheffield). Through out life songs have always been a way to demonstrate what an era
was and what the people thought of that time. The early 1900s were a time where the songs that
were written had a meaning of what their life was and a way that they could express what they
felt and leave a memory, to the future generations to let us have a sense of what has changed and
what has not. The Dark was the night cold was the ground by Blind Willie Johnson, No
depression in heaven by The Carter family and Pray by Justin Bieber demonstrate the hope
the people have in the 1920s, the 1930s and the present of wishing our world was at peace and
with no depression.
The song Dark was the night cold was the ground by Blind Willie Johnson
demonstrates a theme of hope that uses various literary devices. Body and blood, broken and
shed; the price of love divine (Willie12), shows that in that time even if they were broken
hearted they had a sense that their love was divine that it should have a price in order to survive.
Willie uses the poetic device of personification, giving human characteristics to nonhuman
things, Dark is my mind, cold is my heart (Willie15). In this example he is making his mind
and his heart have human characteristics when in reality they cannot have them. The writer also
uses imagery to give us a sense of how it felt to live in that era and what they thought of their
country, Dark was the night, cold was the ground ( Willie1). In this period of time, there was
discrimination going on and the countrys economy was decreasing. There was a point in when
the people questioned whether this was really happening to them or not, Can it be true, can it

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be real (Willie 17). The people had a hope that his nightmare was soon going to end.
The song No depression in heaven by The Carter Family demonstrate a theme of hope
from the 1930s, of a better life besides the one they are living in. In that bright land, there'll be
no hunger no orphan children crying for bread (Carter Family 9), the people do not want to see
any more people suffering from the depression, but see a place where there is no suffering. This
song reflects the time of The Great Depression because it says, The storm will hurl in midnight
fear and sweep lost millions to their doom (Carter Family 15). The writer uses hyperbole, to
exaggerate, to communicate a message, For fear the hearts of men are falling (Carter Family
1). He is trying to portray that the men are suffering from The Great Depression to the point
where they are completely wrecked, they are suffering through this tough time. He also uses
repetition to make the reader have an understanding of what was going on, No shrouds, no
coffins, and no death (Carter Family 12). Those were all the things that people were seeing on
an everyday time, they wanted to end this depression to live a happy life. Many Americans felt
that they would never suffer from anything like this and when the Great Depression hit them they
were taken off guard, hoping that this would soon be over and leave, My homes heaven, I'm
going there (Carter Family 18).
The song Pray by Justin Bieber also demonstrates a theme of hope, even though we are
much more advanced than the before we still have the struggle that our country had over 100
years ago. I close my eyes and I can see a brighter day I close my eyes and pray (Bieber4), he
knows that in his head everything is much better and if we all put in work, that dream can soon
become a reality. Justin Bieber has a way of repeating the lyrics to make the audience more
aware of the message he is trying to portray. I lose my appetite knowing kids starve tonight Am
I a sinner, cause half my dinner is still on my plate? (Bieber 8), knowing that our country has

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people that have whatever they want , and we still have homeless people is worse than the Great
Depression.This is an example of a imagery, in the sense that he is describing how he feels and
uses a depressing tone like if were his fault that the world is not equal. He just wishes that one
day our world would be a dream come true.
Songs have been a very common way of writing for people to express how they really
feel about something or someone, by using poetic devices they have been able to portray a
message that shows us their time of period. All, Blind willie Johnson, The Carter Family and
Justin Bieber demonstrate that we can send a message through our writing but it may not help,
just a risk they are trying to take.















Works Cited

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Baker, Russell. Dark was the night . Copyright Licensing International, 1996. Web. 12 dec
2013.
Carter family- No depression in heaven lyrics . Lyrics.time. Lyrics.time, 2012. Web. 12, dec
2013.
C, Andrea. Justin Bieber- Pray lyrics . Letssingit. Letssingit, 2010. Web. 12 dec 2013.