"Tune me, O Lord, into one harmony"

Question 1

TM,OLIOH: SF of melody/musical harmony/symbiosis

1. ‘T m…o h…c…m’
2. ‘T m’
3. ‘o f r v c’

Answer 1

1. ‘Tune me…one harmony…chord…melody’: This sf of musicality suggests a community united by joyous acts, perhaps symbolic of the unity that one can glean from spiritual participation.
2. Repetition of ‘Tune me’: imbues this with a mantra quality, the recurring call to ‘tune me’ emphasises an all consuming yearning for transformation & acceptance into this religious community. To ‘tune’ someone or something suggests to fix them into alignment with a certain order -> perhaps this is CR illuminating an utter desire to align with god’s will, which is portrayed as hugely positive as opposed to a restrictive religious regime.
3. ‘one full responsive vibrant chord’: musical analogy of a chord => singular auditory sound reflects the unity of different ppl through religion despite each being their own individuals +> singular unifying force derived of the complex cohesion of individuals to create this beauteous noise.

Question 2

TM,OLIOH: Growing militaristic semantics

1. ‘N I f n d, n f, n s’
2. ‘D a w, g m w s t f’
3. ‘a m w T w’

Answer 2

1. ‘Need I flee nor death, nor fire, nor sword’: triadic list of negated concepts with the potential to inflict extreme violence. The constant ‘negation’ of these concepts reveals that these are utterly unnecessary fears as one/the speaker is fortified and protected from them under God’s authority & guidance. Each of these items act as symbols of the earthly trials one must face i.e. fire as a representation of a divinely ordered punishment, sword as a symbol of the destructive capacity of war.
2. ‘devil & world, gird me with strength to flee’: exceptionally interesting collocation of ‘Devil’ & ‘world’ suggestive of the world being wholly immoral, filled with devils. = reflects CR own dissatisfaction with life. Perhaps as St Augustine offered, evil is merely privation, the absence of good, which God himself has divinely ordered so that we ourselves take advantage of these opportunities of suffering and temptation to aid our moral growth.
3. ‘arm me with Thy word’: militaristic connotations portray God’s word as a form of divine protection or weaponry required to advance through each stage of life in relative peace. Reflects the sheer power of the divinity of God’s guidance as it alone can ward off societal evils & temptations.

Question 3

TM, OLIOH: Structure/Form

Answer 3

• Written in Roundel form e.g. a refrain after the 3rd and last lines which must be identical to the first line & 3 stanzas long.
• Roundel form typically reserved for hymns = reinforces that this is CR own plea to God to provide her with a spiritual community.
• Internal rhyme: ‘flee, be, be, thee’ = emphatic of complete unnecessary fear of these concepts as God will provide us with mental, moral and spiritual fortitude. & quickened pace adds to the fleeting, temporary nature of life.