The Battle Hymn of the Republic

SAMPLE EXAM RESPONSES ENGLISH 222
#1
Knowing the historical context of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe, that it was first published during the opening phases of the American Civil War in support of the Union cause, one can infer that a theme in the poem is the abolition of slavery. The first stanza does not seem to allude to this theme as it presents a prophetic vision of “the coming of the Lord.” However, the first hint of this theme comes in the second stanza: “ I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps, / They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; / I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps.” What do these lines mean and what do they have to do with the vision in the first stanza? Because of the context, we can conclude this is a reference to the Union Army in the field. The clincher, however, is in the fifth stanza: “As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,” It is this concept, “to die to make men free,” that is indicative of the abolitionist cause. However, the precise stance the poem takes on this theme of the abolition of slavery goes beyond implying that it ought to be done. In fact, for a poem about abolishing slavery, it has precious little to say about slavery: no descriptions of mistreatment at the hands of masters and overseers, no arguments about the patent injustice of ownership of another human being. These omissions are telling because they are common aspects of anti-slavery literature with which Howe’s contemporaries would have been familiar. Instead, we get are many descriptions of the waging of war. First, there is the vision of Christ’s battle in the Second Coming. But the poem goes beyond this to liken Christ and his coming to the campaigns of the Union Army by seeing the Savior in “the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps” as well as reading “a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel.” But as stated above, the line that most plainly equates Christ’s mission with abolition is, “As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.” Essentially, then, the poem maintains that the abolition of slavery is of such great import as to be comparable to Christ’s redemption of the world in this sacrifice on the cross and his Second Coming. Of course, from this side of history, no reasonable argument endorsing slavery can be made. However, I cannot agree with the ultimate statement the poem makes equating the political and social freedom accomplished by the abolition of slavery with the spiritual and eternal freedom accomplished by Christ. This is not to say that slavery was not—and is not—horribly evil. In fact, I would go so far as to say that those who went to war for the abolition of slavery and did not return died for a noble cause. But saying that such an endeavor is comparable to what Christ accomplished on the cross and will accomplish when he returns once more is not to diminish the cause of abolition. Instead, it is too emphasize just how glorious are Christ and his work. The sacrifice he made was for all of humanity for all time and eternity. So nothing that humans can do, no matter how noble or worthwhile, can ever compare.

#2
The mission of the church is the Great Commission, the proclamation of the Gospel. While “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe is rife with Biblical allusions, the line that comes closest to addressing the Gospel is “As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.” This statement is not a blatant proclamation of the Gospel, but it does cast Christ in heroic terms. Moreover, it associates Christ’s sacrificial death with the Union Army’s waging of the Civil War, which the poem’s contemporary audience (that is, Northerners) was expected to view favorably. So while the poem does not explicitly proclaim the Gospel, one might argue that it implicitly advances the mission of the Church by addressing Christ and the Second Coming in positive terms.
However, I believe such an argument fails to take the whole work into consideration. In the third stanza, the narrator tells us there is a “fiery gospel writ” in the weapons of warfare—the “burnished rows of steel.” What follows that statement is in quotation marks, indicating that it is the “fiery gospel” itself. Here, then, those familiar with scripture may expect the quotation of a passage that proclaims the gospel. That may seem to be the case with the third line, “’Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel.’” This is a clear allusion to Genesis 3:15, which is a prophecy of Christ’s sacrificial death. So its inclusion in the poem would seem to contribute to an advancement of the gospel.
But before that comes this line: "’As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal.’” Unlike the Genesis allusion, this statement does not seem to be referencing any scripture that I can find. And reading it carefully, one can see why. The line implies that there is a quid pro quo relationship between Christ and believers. Specifically, the line indicates that how people treat the enemies of Christ will determine whether or not they receive his grace. This idea is in direct opposition to scripture, which maintains time and again that Christ gives his grace freely with no strings attached, and that there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. And since such an idea is so contrary to God’s great plan of salvation, I have to conclude that the poem ultimately impedes the mission of the Church

#3 The third stanza of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe reads,
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."
These are stirring words that touch at the very heart of the poem’s rhetoric. Unfortunately, that rhetoric is completely unbiblical. The poem insists upon the import of the abolition of slavery by equating it to the crucifixion of Christ (“As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free”). As a consequence, fighting against the evil of slavery becomes a work of salvation not only for the slaves but also for the soldiers in the cause of abolition in the line, “’ As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal.’” Moreover, placing this line in quotation marks suggests that the statement is biblically-based—or at least expresses biblical sentiments. But nothing could be further from the case. The stanza’s assertion that God’s grace will be granted in direct proportion to the extent one fights against his enemies directly contradicts the New Testament’s teachings on grace. Most notably, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” As this passage makes clear, God’s grace cannot be earned or deserved in any way. In fact, if it could be earned it would not be grace since the definition of grace is “unmerited favor.” And due to the centrality of the concept of grace in Christianity, it is not the sort of mistake that is easy to overlook. So while the poem may be laudable for its disdain of slavery, it loses marks for contradicting scripture.

#4
Despite my reservations about the theological inaccuracy of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe, I find that the poem ministers to me greatly. It starts with a very stirring subject, the Second Coming of Christ, and renders it in vivid and emotional language: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; / He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword.” Such language gives graphic imagery to what can be a very abstract concept: God’s majesty and power Yet the second stanza connects that prophetic vision with what Howe and her contemporaries were witnessing on a daily basis: the Union Army mustering and preparing to do battle. This is what is referenced in the lines, “I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps, / They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; / I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps.” Though the import of the lines are theologically suspect (viewing the Union’s campaign as a righteous endeavor), I reminds me of the actual flesh and blood men who not only went to war but did so out of their conviction of its rightness. And, of course, vast numbers of those men were to lose their lives fighting for their beliefs. (It is worth remembering—indeed, never forgetting—that the American Civil War is the bloodiest in this nation’s history.) It is sobering to consider the extent to which people can and have defended or advanced their beliefs, and to what extent those measures may be either admirable or foolhardy (or both?). But for me, it is the lines in the fourth stanza that both minister to and challenge me the most: “He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; / He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat: / Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!” Despite what the rhetoric of the poem advocates, these lines remind me that God is exacting and demands obedience. Nevertheless, to the true believer, God is obeyed not out of fear or even routine but out of joy that comes in the blessing of God’s service as well as in love for our creator and savior. Just so, the poem expresses this attitude. When prompted by the Holy Spirit to act, instead of hesitating or thinking of excuses, I should say, “Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!” It is this mindset of willingness, instant obedience, and the joy of servanthood that I want to emulate.