Analyzing and Unraveling Man&rsquo;s Source of Worth and Identity through Utterances in Selected Modern Hymns

Jethro James  Achivida,

Analyzing and Unraveling Man’s Source of Worth and Identity through Utterances in Selected Modern Hymns

Discipline: Education

Abstract:

Literature is a medium of expressing what it is to be human and to feel human, and religious texts are one category of these expressions of humanity. Christian hymns mirror the right beliefs and right practices of their faiths. As such, this study analyzed where man roots and finds his source of worth and identity through selected contemporary hymns. The hymn “My Worth is not in what I own” and “I’d rather have Jesus” were selected using deliberate sampling. The paper utilized a descriptive qualitative design, and subjected the two hymns to both document analysis and thematic analysis, where several observations and interpretations have emerged. Based on the interpreted data, linguistic features show the dominance of the first-person pronouns and negation as effective devices in pointing the meaning and source of worth and identity. Literary devices such as comparison and rhyme also affect the rhythm and understanding of the hymns toward the discovery of one’s identity and worth. The Searlean assertive, declarative, and expressive acts are found to be evident in the formation and discovery of one’s worth and identity, in that there is assertion, redirection, and response to the newfound/expounded identity and worth. In conclusion, this study provides compelling evidence that material pursuits of the speaker in the two hymns are in no match and comparison to the grander scale of Jesus as ultimate source of identity, worth, pleasure and treasure. These findings have important implications that hymns do not only lay out spiritual and theological truths, but also individual and psycho-social aspects of meaning making of what it is to exist, what it is to be human, and why we exist. As such, this study contributes to our understanding of hymns. Overall, this research highlights the significance of analysis of hymns and suggests potential avenues for future investigation.

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