Amazing Grace Discussion Questions

AMAZING GRACE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS PART 1 (from Bryan Bissell)

What scenes did you like best in the movie? How do you think it could have been better?
What character impressed or attracted you most? Why?
What lessons did you learn from this movie? For yourself? For leading successful movements?
What techniques did they use to make people aware of the problem of slavery?
What techniques did they use to make people aware of the problem of slavery? What techniques could be useful today? What techniques do modern human rights protestors use?
Wilberforce was kind of a party animal/playboy when he was in university before he became an abolitionist? Then he became a human rights activist. Why did he change? Do you know other heroes who had a similar change in character? How did it happen?
Why did many of the leaders of England support the slave trade institution?
If you were a politician, could you vote to end human rights abuses? This would mean that many of the people who voted for you would lose their jobs. Would you do that?
The abolitionists had failed many times to pass a law against slavery. So, they passed a law banning trade with France. Since many slaves were sold to French plantations, this effectively ended 2/3s of the slave trade. The abolitionists hid the real reason for making that law. They kind of cheated. Do you think this was ethical? Why or why not?
William Pitt asks Wilberforce: “You don’t believe you and I can change things?” Wilberforce answers, “I would change myself first.” Why does he say that?
Wilberforce was thinking of leaving politics. Pitt needed him and convinced him to stay and fight the slave trade. Should Pitt have manipulated his friend to stay in politics by using slave trade?
Wilberforce nearly gave up fighting against slavery. He was depressed and disappointed. A woman who became his wife encouraged him to continue fighting? Who encourages you in your life? Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband who encourages you? How does that help you?
Christians have been the leaders or pioneers in most of the human rights campaigns in the last 2 centuries (some Christians were also slave traders as well though). Why do you think Christians are so often the leaders in many human rights campaigns?
What bills do you think your country should make?
What human rights abuses do you know about in our modern world?
What human rights campaigns have happened in your country? Who started them? What techniques did they use?
William James said, “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlive it.” Our world benefits from the work of the abolitionists now in many ways. What do you think you would like to give your life to?
What do you think of these quotes? Do you agree/disagree? Why? How can you use them in your life?
--“It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else and stillunknown to himself.” Francis Bacon
--”Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”Leo Tolstoy
--"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand."Woodrow Wilson
--"Small things done with great love will change the world!" ...Mother Teresa
--“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”Aldous Huxley
--“You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi
--“...if we do not change our daily lives, we cannot change the world” -- Thich Nhat Hanh
--“Poverty is death in another form.” Latin proverb

AMAZING GRACE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS PART 2 (from students and the teacher)

Why is the movie called Amazing Grace?
How did you feel when you saw how slaves lived?
How did Clarkson influence Wilberforce?
Is slavery always wrong? Why?
What do you think about slavery? How can we stop it these days?
Some people believed in God, but still were slave traders. How could they trade slaves? Do you ever use or buy products that slaves have made?
What were Wilberforce’s two goals in life?
Do you believe truth and justice will always overcome in the end?
Do you believe all human beings have equal rights?
What tactics did the abolitionists (anti-slavery people) use to stop slavery?
What kinds of things can we do to protect human rights?
Why do you think people didn’t realize that slavery was wrong?
What kinds of slavery are there? What things are we slaves to (What’s the slavery of our souls?)
What are some of the evil things that happened in the slave trade?
What can we do to fight against and stop slavery?
What false accusations were made about Wilberforce?
Why did people trade slaves?
Who do you ask advice from in difficult situations?
Wilberforce was trying to find the will of God for his life, to be a politician or a pastor. How do you find God’s will for your life?
What do you think are the most effective ways to change society or change laws?
Why did Wilberforce persevere in stopping the slave trade?
Why was pastor John Newton living with 20,000 “ghosts”?

HUMAN RIGHTS PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT

There are many human rights abuses in this world and in every country. Slavery is one of these very terrible problems. Many people don’t know about these problems or how to stop them. Choose one of the abuses that you want to investigate in our world. Research and collect facts. Work together with a partner to make a presentation on some important human rights abuse in our world today. Some possible are (30 rights are listed in a short version at: with videos at:

Slavery: chattel slavery, debt slavery, child slavery, sex slavery, etc.

children’s rights: free education, no physical abuse,

women’s rights: education, voting, honor killings, female genital mutilation, abortion, etc.

men’s rights: education, voting, no discrimination, right to fatherhood rights when divorced, right to immigrate

economic rights: right of people to use some part of nature to support themselves

freedoms of safety (war), speech (censorship, political freedom), freedom of worship, free access to medical care,

rights of the homeless or handicapped

Here are some of the human rights that the UN and most people agree on:

Right to live, exist.

To work for anyone (not be a slave)

To own property

Speech

Security

Safety from violence

Protection from the law

Not being arrested unless there is reason to think someone has committed a crime

Having a fair trial

To be seen as innocent, even if a person is arrested, until the person is found to be guilty by a fair court

To be a citizen of a country

To vote

To seek asylum if a country treats you badly

To think freely

To believe and practice the religion a person wants

To peacefullyprotest (speak against) a government or group

To a basic standard of living (food, shelter, clothing, etc.)

Education

Health care (medical care)

That any adults of full age, no matter race nor religion, can marry.



The project should include at least these 4 sections:

1)INTRODUCTION (Catch our interest, explain the problem briefly, and why you believe this is an important human right)
Define the problem and what is happening. Explain why you think your topic is or should be a human right.

2)EXPERIENCES OF REAL VICTIMS
Share some details of the lives of 1 or 2 real people (adults or children) who were victims of this abuse. These are some questions that you might think about in explaining their story:
a) How did they become victims?
b) What happened to them when they were victims? How did they feel? (put some quotes from the victims here if possible)
c) Did they escape? If so, how?

3)DEFINITION AND STATISTICS
In this section, explain different types of abuse and some statistics on how many are involved in this. For example on the topic of slavery, a person should think of these issues:
---What kinds of slavery are there?
---How are people usually caught and forced into slavery?
---How many slaves are there in the world now or in certain countries?
---How many slaves are killed every year?

4)FIGHTING THE PROBLEM
Tell us some of the leaders or groups that are fighting the problem. What techniques have they used? What are some successes they have had?

5)ACTION
What actions or steps can we as individuals do to help the fight against this problem?

IMPORTANT:

Make sure to put BOTH pictures (charts, graphs, posters, powerpoint) and personal stories in your project. This will make it much more interesting and powerful. If possible include some videos.
Helpful websites are listed on the next page.

Good luck! Bryan Bissell

WEBSITES AND TOOLS

VIDEOS: You can download videos on internet using the miro player at from video.google.com, video.yahoo.com and many other places. Videos shouldn’t be more than 10-20% of your presentation.

Youth For Human rights: humanrights.org 30 short human rights videos at:

WEBSITES SEARCH AND LINK SITES

The Human Rights Search Engine - search over 3000 human rights websites.

Wikipedia-human rights: List of many agencies at the end: Easy version:

Human Rights Web:

Human Rights Links:

One World human rights campaigns:

Yahoo Human Rights directory:

Human Rights Net Provides links to human rights organizations and networks.

WEBSITES WITH STORIES/CAMPAIGNS, ETC

Amnesty International: Famous organization that protests for people who need justice:

!!!Speak Truth to Power Dedicated to the promotion of human rights awareness. Includes profiles of human rights activists around the world, timeline searchable by issue, an exhibition of photographs taken by Eddie Adams in four continents, news, and related resources. (click defenders or go to for a list of activists)

Derechos Human Rights

Doctors without Borders:

WEBSITES ON CERTAIN ISSUES:

SLAVERY
(a site that goes with the movie to show the problem of modern slavery)

(simple information…very good to use in your project)
(kinds of slavery)

(“The Slave Experience”)
(“Becoming a Slave”)
(“The Physical Experience” picturesand stories)
(“The Mental Experience”..how it feels)
(“Going Free”…stories of escape)
(click “Slave Stories”)
Sexual Slavery: My friend, Anthony Gilmore made a movie on comfort women, "Behind Forgotten Eyes". You can see trailers at:andand . Youtube: and many others. PBS topic on this:
Illegal Workers Rights: Read about Cesar Chavez. He worked for workers rights (both legal and illegal I believe). He did a lot for worker's rights and esp. helped farm workers. PBS topic on this:, YouTube:
Women's Rights (Female Genital Mutilation): Look at the story of Waris Dirie and how she was mutilated as a little girl. Very sad. PBS topic on this:Many videos online about this at youtube. For example: Also, my friend, Anthony Gilmore made a movie on comfort women, "Behind Forgotten Eyes". You can see trailers at:andand . PBS topic on this:
Handicapped: See case of Terry Shiavo (woman who was handicapped…husband asked for hospital to stop giving her food so she could die) YouTube: ,

NOT ORGANIZED YET: DON’T STUDY BEYOND THIS POINT

Practical demonstrations

Am I not a man?

AMAZING GRACE VOCABULARY

recover
Some have interests in the Indies?
dock
institution
flush out the opposition
brutes
shackles
abolitionist
exhaust
loyal
supporters
inseparable
abolition
botany
surrender
appeasement
“raise the stakes”
repented
dose
reputation
dedicate
wretch
absurd
engagements of state
inconvenient
idiotic
appetizer
transquil
political activist
meditation
stoop
us my private concerns for your political ends
no bolts of lightening
parliament
“have to see things through
solitude
cowers
take them on
dimensions
house of commons
brutal
scalded
molten
exhaustion
dilute
tedious
prime minister
cargo
petition
bills
appease
plantation
coffers
reap
optimist
incurable
humanitation
giddy
thorns
metaphorical
slave
branded
boycott
sedition
flourishing
objection
“rule of the mob”
pledge allegiance
propser
labor
revolution
debauchery
gradualism
insane
suppression of slave trade
reformation of society
conscience
intact
sedition
compassion
urge
flog
crane
congeal
feel
propose
strategy
reform

suppression of slave trade

reformation of society

TOP NOTCH 1

Class Audio Program CD-1