Short Story Reactions Lit/125

"Salvation" by Langston Hughes is an Essay written about the pressures young adults can face in their lifetime. It represented the life of a young boy and the pressures he received to accept Christ into his life. The story reflected lies, sarcasm, and hypocrisy from his peers, his family, both immediate and church. This young boy was told that Jesus would come to him, he would “See” Jesus, he would know. He was faced with the misconception of “How” Jesus would come to him, he was misguided. The young boy went forward anyway, walking to the pulpit, and accepting Christ. Although he had never experienced Jesus coming to him, he had never seen Jesus, he goes anyway, pretending to be saved due to social pressures. Later he returns home and cries

'Salvation', by Langston Hughes is part of an autobiographical work written in 1940. The author narrates a story centering on a revival gathering that happened in his childhood. During the days leading up to the event, Hughes' aunt tells him repeatedly that he will be 'saved', stressing that he will see a light and Jesus will come into his life. He attends the meeting but when Jesus fails to appear, he is forced by peer pressure to lie and go up and be 'saved'. Hughes uses his story to illustrate how easy it is for children to misinterpret adults and subsequently become disillusioned.

In most people's lives, there comes a point in time where their perception changes abruptly; a single moment in their life when they come to a sudden realization. In Langston Hughes' 'Salvation', contrary to all expectations, a young Hughes is not saved by Jesus, but is saved from his own innocence.

In contrary to Young Goodman Brown, the lost of innocence in �Salvation� was due to the loss of faith and social pressures. Langston was pressured into being saved by his aunt because she felt it was the right thing for young Langston to do, and all the other young children were being saved. Langston aunt told him, �when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on!� (Hughes 330). He believes his aunt and most of all he wanted to see the light All the young people, but Langston and Westley, in the church went to the alter to be saved. After unsuccessful waiting and hoping to see Jesus, Westley pretended to see the light, went to the alter, got save, leaving poor Langston alone. Langston decided after the congregation sung and prayed for him over and over, that he would pretend to have seen the light and go get saved. With good intention, � I [Langston] decided that maybe to save further trouble, I�d lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved� (Hughes 331). He thought that no one would ever know. He pretended to see the light and was saved. Later, that night he began to cry while lying in his bed. His aunt thought it was because he had seen Jesus. In

When moving toward the end of the poem, one can find out how Hughes tells in bold words how he views himself and reveals his identity. In the final lines, he wrote, "Then, besides, they'll see how beautiful I

He goes into depth about hoping for something to happen, anything. He expresses himself of what was going through him excitedly for example the author says, “So I sat there calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus to come to me.” (182) He describes his situation attempting to make some sort of relationship with God. He creates an anxious tone in order to demonstrate just how important having a connection was valuable to him. Why having a connection to God was important at that time is because before the big revival was over they called the kids to convert them. When it was time to bring his spiritual needs, he was told by his aunt “when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! …I believed her.” (182) Hughes punctuation creates an ethos tone of voice by being persuaded by his aunt. The author may employ pathos through his emotional language. This rhetorical appeal is often used to emphasize his emotional response towards how he feels about being “saved.” The outpouring of his emotions towards getting “saved” was a big concern that he was trying to achieve. He implicated how not only was he expected to be touched by the presence of God, but every other kid his age. This is how the writer was discussing about him being open about the idea of being “saved.”

Langston Hughes’s personal narrative “Salvation” is a recollection of Hughes’s experience with salvation at a religious revival at his aunt’s church. He recounts his experience in order to describe how it led to his enormous guilt over deceiving his aunt and the congregation and how it stemmed his disbelief in religion. His ironic tone and vivid imagery plays a key role in the development of the conflict and the complications that he faces. In order to dramatize suspenseful moments and magnify key points, he uses an array of rhetorical devices.

In most people's lives, there comes a point in time where their perception changes abruptly; a single moment in their life when they come to a sudden realization. In Langston Hughes' "Salvation", contrary to all expectations, a young Hughes is not saved by Jesus, but is saved from his own innocence.

In "Salvaiton", the main point that Hughes is trying to get across is that he "believed" in something only because it was what he was told was right. There is evidence of where he mentions "I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved." Hughes also mentions that one of his fellow peers at one point had said how "He was tired of sitting, so let's get up and get saved." It is clear that throughout the essay, Hughes delivers an image of confusion and seeing people as hypocrites and it really gives an understanding of what Hughes was going through. The structure of the essay also allows the reader to understand and follow the confusion and these experiences as they unfold on young Langston.

Salvation is defined as the deliverance from sin and its consequences. In a Christianity sense, salvation is when a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, and they believe the fact that he died for the sins of Christians. The term of salvation is often referred to as being “saved”. Salvation is when one delivers not only their body in a physical to the church and God, but it is also a committee to Jesus mentally and spiritually. Getting saved can be a very pressuring and life changing decision. That is sometimes forced upon young adolescents. Ultimately it can cause one to question their spiritually sometimes even damaging their belief in Jesus. In Langston Hughes’

I feel that there were a couple reasons why Langston Hughes cried at night. I think the main reason was because he felt culpable about lying to his aunt and the whole church about being saved. I believe Langston felt pressured into getting off the bench to stand with the saved "Young Lambs". I have grew up in a Christian home, so I know the pressure Langston was feeling that night. Langston was crying because he knew he deceived everybody and that was not right. Another reason I think he was crying is because he did not truly see Jesus that night. I felt as if he was disappointed because Jesus "did not come to help him". I think that the length of this essay was perfect. I feel if you added anymore it would drag the story out. Adding more could

“Salvation” is a wonderful narrative by Langston Hughes explaining his first time attending church. The story is portrayed in both a book and film version. Both versions do their jobs by explaining how Langston felt when he falsely claimed he was saved by Christ. Each version has different strengths and weaknesses, but the book is dull compared to the film. The film gives a better insight into Langston’s life;therefore, the film version is superior to the book.

His father died in World War I, which led to his doubt of religion and his passion for writing about nature. Throughout his life, Hughes felt that the world was a difficult place to live in and after his lovers died, he refuted this idea.

In “Salvation,” Langston Hughes recollects a childhood experience at his aunt’s church revival, which leads to a traumatic moment of disillusionment about salvation. At the age of twelve, Langston’s aunt tells him the way Jesus comes into lives by seeing, hearing, and feeling Jesus in a spiritual way, but Langston understands this explanation as seeing a physical Jesus. Before the revival ends, they hold a special meeting for all the children, and with the church in an uproar with prayer and song; escort Langston and the other children to the front so that they may come to Jesus for salvation. Langston sits on the bench watching as other children go up to give their lives to Jesus; thus, he is left alone while songs and prayers whirl around

The short story "Salvation," which is part of Hughes' larger biography The Big Sea, recounts the author's experience as a twelve year old boy attending a church meeting where he is called to come find Jesus. Hughes was not anti-religious but was certainly not a devout Christian and had several controversial run-ins with religious people in his own community, and thus his description and treatment of religion in this story is of special significance. As a