The
song “keep your eye on the prize” contains many religious references that
appealed to the African American community. The lyrics allude to a passage from
Acts 16 of the bible. The men mentioned in the song, Paul and Silas, were two
apostles who were unjustly sent to prison. They were sent to prison because
they casted a demon out of a fortuneteller. A businessman who owned the
fortuneteller lost lots of money because the fortuneteller could no longer
predict the future. Paul and Silas were confined in a prison for weeks
because of their actions and badly beaten. The African American community also
felt confined. They felt locked by the heavy chains of discrimination, racism,
and hatred. While in jail, Paul and Silas sang hymns and prayed and prayed.
Their prayers were eventually answered when a huge earthquake knocked down the
walls of the prison. The African American community felt that as long as they
continued to pray, sing and make noise for justice, their walls would eventually
knock down as well. God could help them too.
-adam
I think the religious aspect to this song is very important to note, because as you mentioned, the African American community has deep Christian roots that they hold strong too. Especially in times of need, people in generally usually turn to a higher power to seek for advice, guidance, and strength. I think it's interesting that they used Paul and Silas as a reference to relate to because they can easily compare their current situation to Paul and Silas'. Since they know the ending of the biblical story, it can provide them with hope that their turn is coming soon as long as they continue singing songs and praising the Lord.
ReplyDelete-Katherine Romero