Experiencing salvation looks differently for every person; not everyone experiences salvation in the same place or at the same time. We often put human restrictions on God’s actions, saying exactly how and when Jesus will show up. As humans we do not obtain the authority or ability to say how or when Jesus will show up, only God has this power. There are many times people feel pressured into salvation or forced into religion; I believe this is something which drives people away from God and the church. Langston Hughes felt pressured into an artificial salvation, and this caused him to turn away from Jesus. Langston Hughes shares his salvation experience in the short story “Salvation”. Langston Hughes is the narrator of the story and shares …show more content…
The individual either turns from God as Langston Hughes did, or runs toward God as I did. Langston Hughes was aware of what he had done, and was aware that his salvation was not authentic. His experience did not bring him to Jesus, rather pushed him away from Christ. In my case, I spent many years thinking I was saved and discovering I was not saved. This caused me to be insecure about my faith, and ultimately led me to the realization that I needed Jesus. During the ages from seven until thirteen, there is much confusion with one as they begin to discover who they are. Often during this time one may get led astray from Jesus or brought to His fold. The way Auntie Reed presented Jesus to Langston Hughes in this way, “…when you are saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life!… you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul”(369). This confused Langston Hughes as he did not understand Auntie Reed’s use of words. He thoughts Auntie Reed was being literal as to how Jesus would show up for him. When this exact experience did not happen for Langston Hughes he felt as though something was wrong because he did not experience God exactly how he was told he should. Using language that children do not understand, and saying exactly how Jesus will show up can be extremely confusing to children. Also, when peer pressure is a factor it is evident that children will do things they do not sincerely mean. Langston Hughes, his friend and myself all did things that we did not mean to because other children were doing
After reading the short story “Salvation” by Langston Hughes and an excerpt from Black Boy by Richard Wright, it is apparent to the reader that both stories reflect how young African American males perceive church. Both experiences in church talk about how the idea of God/ faith is imposed upon young Hughes and Wright by loved ones as well as society. However, each character undergoes the internal conflict of whether or not to conform. The validity of the central idea, individual versus society, is revealed through both character’s choices to either be the pariah within their community or fall under peer pressure in order to attain false acceptance.
Langston Hughes was a large influence on the African-American population of America. Some of the ways he did this was how his poetry influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and the Harlem Renaissance. These caused the civil rights movement that resulted in African-Americans getting the rights that they deserved in the United States. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was young and his grandmother raised him. She got him into literature and education; she was one of the most important influences on him. He moved around a lot when he was young, due to his parents divorce, but remained a good student and graduated high school. After this he traveled the world and worked in different places, all the things he saw in his travels influenced him. In 1924 he settled down in Harlem where he became one of the important figures in the Harlem Renaissance. He enjoyed listening to blues and jazz in clubs while he wrote his poetry. The music that he enjoyed greatly influenced the style and rhythm of his poetry. The poem “Dream Variations” by Hughes is about an average African-American who dreams of a world where African-Americans are not looked at or treated differently and they can rest peacefully. Yet in real life this was not so, black people and white people were not equal. And the world was not as forgiving and nice as in their dream. This poem is a good example of Hughes writing because it is typical of three things. The first is the common theme of the average life of an African-American and their struggles. Secondly, the style of his writing which is based on the rhythm of jazz and blues- he uses a lot of imagery and similes. Lastly, his influences which are his lonely childhood and growing up as an Afric...
On the other hand we have a story that is also humorous; however, his literary devices achieve a more childlike tone and his story concludes with a sympathetic effect on the reader . In “Salvation”, by Langston Hughes he takes us back to his inner thirteen year old self and his experience with being “saved” in a church. He explains the internal struggle he faces when he is pressured by a whole congregation to “see jesus” and the ironic effect it has on his perspective towards Jesus.
As a child, when it is time for him to join the children at the front of the church, would not think about twice about pretending to find Jesus in order to relieve the focus quickly narrowing down to only him. As the last child left young Hughes, he whispered, “God damn! I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved.” (Hughes, 111), which leaves Hughes kneeling before the entire church.
In Langston Hughes’s narrative essay “Salvation”, Langston talks about how his experience at church caused him to crack under pressure and pretend to be saved from Jesus, which leads him to not believing Jesus is real anymore. I personally felt like he relates to real-world problems when it comes to Salvation. How you're expecting to feel this tidal wave of emotions to flourish and have these signs of repent to show up but doesn't happen. Another thing is, I like how he explains how tense the room felt when it was just him alone on the mourning bench and how the pressure to be “Saved” makes him lie to everyone. Within the essay, Hughes touches on many different types of ideas and feelings that most people can relate too.
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 Langston Hughes’ short narrative, “Salvation”, Langston struggles with his belief and feels pressured to conform to the church. He struggles with his faith as his family and the church push him to being saved. Hughes does not want to upset his own family and the church for not being saved. This causes him to lie about “seeing Jesus” to avoid sitting alone on the mourners’ bench and feeling different from everyone surrounding him. As a twelve year old, he most likely did not want to feel different from his peers and wanted to feel accepted. Peer pressure from family members and people one cares about can lead one to believe that they a disappointment and guilty that they are letting their loved ones down.
Langston Hughes ' "Salvation" is about the life of a twelve-year-old boy. The essay talks about an episode from his life, an episode that helps him re-create his understanding about his religious beliefs that were significantly different as compared to the beliefs of his Auntie Reed. The boy then narrates the incident that according to him "saved him from sin" and gave him an insight into the truth of religion and faith in God. The narrator begins by telling that there was a special church meeting that preached about religious revival. His Aunt Reed was a part of the meeting too. She used to tell the boy that when he attained salvation, he would witness the presence of Jesus Christ in the form of a divine light
'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.
When Hughes was thirteen he attended a revival with his Aunt it was his turn to "see Jesus," his entire community and church all waiting expectantly for the moment when he was finally saved from sin. Unfortunately for Hughes, salvation did not occur. His fellow peers that he would be delivered, to Jesus convinced him. He was so caught up in the idea that when it did not happen, and when it did not, he felt like an outcast amongst his religious community. People crying, and praying for him at his feet, Hughes did not want to be the reason for all the madness happening around him. He stood up and acted as if his salvation had come to him, although deep within he knew it had not. "My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and songs swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices” (Hughes 111-112). Influenced by the wales and the cries, Hughes started to feel as if he was the problem, that something was wrong and it was up to him to fix it. As the congregation prayed for him alone, and his aunt cried and prayed by his feet, a wave of social pressure came to him at once. To stop the crying, and the constant praying there was only one thing to be done, although he knew he was never actually saved, he stood to his feet, and the religious community and church all rejoiced as they
James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin , Missouri . His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico . He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln , Illinois , to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland , Ohio . It was in Lincoln , Illinois , that Hughes began writing poetry. Following graduation, he spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University . During these years, he held odd jobs as an assistant cook, launderer, and a busboy, and travelled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman. In November 1924, he moved to Washington , D.C. Hughes's first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later. In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter, won the Harmon gold medal for literature.
“I was saved from sin when I was on thirteen. But not really saved. (Salvation, By: Langston Hughes). “They should have put the men in the lifeboats. Men can marry again, have new families. What’s the use of all those widows and orphans?” (Carpathia By: Jess Lee Kercheval). Both of these quotes retrain from two short stories by Jesse Lee Kercheval and Langston Hughes. Jesse Lee Kercheval is a professor of writing at University of Wisconsin. She writes dozen of books. ”Carpathia” is a short story she wrote for a textbook called “building Fiction. Langston Hughes was an American poet, participated in the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz poetry. He also wrote a dozen books. ‘Salvation” is a narrative story he wrote to express his experience at a revival. “Salvation” and “Carpathia” will be explained in the following paragraphs of a 12 twelve years belief’s and a grown man perceptive of the importance of woman and young child.
1) but was mislead to believe he would be. He enticed the audience's attention to provoke an inquiry into the nature of his preservation. It is vital to comprehend that at the certain age of twelve and thirteen the adolescents are finding their place in their congregation; it becomes difficult for some to surrender to the pressure of the congregation. The “lambs” ( Hughes para. 3 ) were to be strengthen into the inclusion of the elder’s society, thus they would be accepting of their church and faith. Despite the fact Hughes needed physical credibility to believe in Jesus, he wanted to believe his aunt regarding his newcome salvation. He realized that in reality he was not saved, rather he was corrupted by the pressure from the congregation leading to the loss of
Critical Essays on Langston Hughes.
“Goodbye Christ.” Meyer, 898-99. Meyer, Michael. A. ed. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. “Langston Hughes (1902-1967).”