The Collection

       “The best way to understand Him is to understand His death.” This line, from the song, “The Size of Grace,” epitomizes the message that the group, Beautiful Eulogy endeavors to convey with their musical creations. Beautiful Eulogy is a Christian hip-hop group from Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2011, and since then, they have released three albums. Since I discovered this group last year, I have been greatly impacted by their passionate expression about their belief and love of Jesus Christ. My first year of college has been a major time of spiritual growth in my life.  Being on my own, it has been a chance to truly take responsibility of my faith life; no more mommy and daddy to wake me up every Sunday to make me go to Mass. This new found freedom meant it was complete my choice, and in that, I have discovered how greatly I cling to my faith. Last semester, I was also blessed with the opportunity to see Pope Francis during his trip to America which helped me come to the realization that my faith is a whole lot bigger than just myself. In this period of spirit discovery, Beautiful Eulogy’s music has and does speak to me in a way that makes me smile every time I think about it. I believe a large part of why Beautiful Eulogy’s music has had such a great impact on me is because of their masterful writing.

       One of my favorite songs by the group is called “Anchor.” This song is about how no matter what trials you may encounter, Jesus is the “anchor of my soul” and He “remains good to me.” What makes the writing in “Anchor” so effective is the relatability that anyone can have with the song as well as how the listener are thrust into the song. “When I'm attacked/ And start wrestling in my head with these bad/ Memories from my past/ I'm aware of my guilt, overwhelmed.” Not only can any person relate this situation, of feeling overwhelmed by one’s past, the artist thrust you into the position of the speaker by using words like “I” and “my.”  To relate this to literacy, good writers, like song writers, should strive to be relatable with their audience. Doing this not only helps the readers to build a personal connection to the work, but it helps them to better understand the message you wish to deliver. In “Anchor,” for instance, though you may sometimes be overwhelmed by the guilt and pain of your past, Jesus is the “anchor of your soul” and He will “remain good to you.”

            Another favorite of mine by Beautiful Eulogy is called, “Beautiful Eulogy.” This song, like groups name, is about the beauty of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The key to the effectiveness of this song is that the writer focus on proving their message and reinforces it throughout the song. The hook of the song, which is, “And when it's my time to go/ Go ahead and take me home/ I know I'll be with you,” to me acts like a thesis statement. The message of the hook, which is that we should not fear death because it we only bring us to eternal life with Christ, is proven by the verses. This excerpt is from the first verse: “Giving His life as a ransom for many when He died and ascended/ And in that one event the certainty of eternal death was circumvented/ Making a way for the day when history stops and time suspends/ Spending eternity in fellowship that never ends/ We see the greatest expression of God's love extended in that moment.” We see how this excerpt support the message being conveyed in the hook. Thus is effective writing. When someone writes a paper, their thesis should be supported by evidence that is focused on the point the writer desires to prove.