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The role of religion in society
The role of religion in society
The role of religion in society
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How far is one expected to go to be accepted in his or her community? It is a question faced by many throughout their lives. This question is also addressed in two memoirs, “Salvation”, by Langston Hughes, and “Shame”, by Dick Gregory. “Salvation” tells the story of a young Langston Hughes who has grown up surrounded by religious influences. During a revival at his aunt’s church he is called on to be ‘saved’ alongside the other children. However, he never feels the presence of God, and rather than tell his aunt and her congregation he chooses to lie and claim
Despite the tough environment around the Ida B. Wells, people who live there are still faithful in God. However, some of them also question God for ignoring the black community. Based on this ambiguity, I think the gospel jazz “Is God a three letter word for Love” by Duke Ellington precisely portrays the complex emotion of the residents.
In the book, “Jesus and the Disinherited,” the author, Howard Thurman in chapter five expounds on “Love.” Moreover, Thurman, a black man in the early 1900, with the ultimate goal to offer a humanizing combination as the basis for an emancipatory way of being, moving toward an unchained life to all women and men everywhere who hunger, thirst for righteousness, especially those “who stand with their backs against the wall.” By the same token, Thurman experienced “Fear,” “Deception,” and “Hate” that causes internal, spiritual damage to those who choose compliance, isolation, and violent resistance over the way of Jesus (www.smootpage.blogspot.com). Notably, Howard Thurman’s message helped shaped the civil rights movement that
Although Langston Hughes’ “Why, You Reckon?” is a short story, it encapsulates differences between races and classes in American society. The story highlights the desperate and hopeless lives of poor African-Americans in Harlem, New York, who would do anything just so they can fill their stomachs. Hughes adds a contrast by putting in a white man who uses his money and privileges to try to experience the exuberance of Harlem but fails to do so. Written in 1934, during the peak of racial divide in America, Langston Hughes’ “Why, you reckon?” shows that real experiences, not money, contribute to happiness.
In his poems, Langston Hughes treats racism not just a historical fact but a “fact” that is both personal and real. Hughes often wrote poems that reflect the aspirations of black poets, their desire to free themselves from the shackles of street life, poverty, and hopelessness. He also deliberately pushes for artistic independence and race pride that embody the values and aspirations of the common man. Racism is real, and the fact that many African-Americans are suffering from a feeling of extreme rejection and loneliness demonstrate this claim. The tone is optimistic but irritated. The same case can be said about Wright’s short stories. Wright’s tone is overtly irritated and miserable. But this is on the literary level. In his short stories, he portrays the African-American as a suffering individual, devoid of hope and optimism. He equates racism to oppression, arguing that the African-American experience was and is characterized by oppression, prejudice, and injustice. To a certain degree, both authors are keen to presenting the African-American experience as a painful and excruciating experience – an experience that is historically, culturally, and politically rooted. The desire to be free again, the call for redemption, and the path toward true racial justice are some of the themes in their
In the story “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” the author Jonathan Edwards uses
An analysis of “Salvation” Langston Hughes, in his essay “Salvation” writes about his experience as a young boy, at the age of 12, where he finds himself being inducted into a local church. An analysis of Hughes’ essay will describe and elaborate on both emotional and social pressures. He reaches out to an audience of adults find themselves in the position to influence a child’s thoughts, or ideals. Hughes’ message to the reader is that adults can easily manipulate a child’s ideals by pressuring them into doing something they do not truly wish to do.
Salvation is commonly used as another word for redemption, and saved from your sin in many religions. The theme of this story is that the author, Langston Hughes, lost his faith in Christianity. He chose narration to explain the theme of the story because it will make more sense to be in his shoes to tell an experience than to speak on someone else’s behalf. This story was also written to show the pressure adult put on children that is not aware of exactly what’s going on in a church or a way to show that not everyone beliefs are the
"A Centennial Tribute to Langston Hughes." Library System - Howard University. Howard University, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
Authors tend to have writing styles that set them apart from other authors. “Salvation” by Langston Hughes and “Reunion” by John Cheever are two short stories, both written by acclaimed authors, describing a life changing experience each author had at a young age. It may seem like both stories are completely different in every aspect. However, after analyzing both stories, it becomes apparent that they have plenty in common. Both stories are similar in terms of motifs and the use of dialogue, yet they contrast when it comes to the tone of each story.
Another example of Hughes’s constant struggles with racism and his inner and thoughtful response to that is clearly seen when he recalls being denied the right to sit at the same table. His point of view identifies that he was not able to sit at the table because he was an African-American. Yet, he remains very optimistic in not letting his misfortune please what is considered the “white-man” in the poem. Langston Hughes’s states,
Langston Hughes', "On the Road," uses beautiful symbolism and imagery. He offers a gift to his readers: Open your heart and life will provide unlimited abundance. During this literary analysis, we will take a look at how Hughes uses nature to demonstrate his main character's unwillingness to participate in life. Another point we'll examine is the use of anger and survival and how it can be used as a powerful force in breaking down racial barriers. Next, we'II look at Jesus Christ as a metaphor for how we experience life and how traditional church values contradict each other when it comes to the acceptance of human beings. Finally, we'll briefly take an historic look at how the Depression gave blacks an even playing field with whites.
Hughes wrote two poems that generated a lot of discussion about religion and African-Americans. One was “Drama for Winter Night (Fifth Avenue),” the other was “Goodbye Christ.” Once when Hughes was asked about religion, he responded, “ I grew up in a not very religious family, but I had a foster aunt who saw that I went to church and Sunday school” (qtd. In Emanuel 914). Even though Hughes grew up attending church and Sunday school he could see how religion and churches treated his race. This is evident in “Drama for Winter Night (Fifth Avenue)”. The poem begins:
The lens of cultural understanding is something one must either experience firsthand, or willingly put on, in order to understand it. Seeing life through this lens requires a willingness to change one’s thinking, to see oneself clearly, without the accoutrements of privilege, popularity, rank or wealth, and to reduce ones’ perception of self to the bare elements of character. Essentially, looking through the multicultural lens is an active form of living by the Golden Rule; to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Through devices of character and setting, symbolism and contrast, Langston Hughes, in brilliant but subtle persuasion, invites us to try the lens of understanding, and measure ourselves as God, the Father of all, and
from the short story “salvation” by Hughes he narrated his experiences at the church when he was in his thirteen. Most people have more expectations of how things are going on in life; therefore, they usually want to have a real view or seen of certain. In this poem Langston Hughes share his expectations and experiences of seeing Jesus Christ. in this short story, there are some experiences, thoughts and lessons that can be learned.
The United States of America is known today as the land of the free and home of the brave, but it has not always been like this. Equality among all is nothing but a dream. The year is 1951, and racism is stronger than ever. In cities around the country, African Americans are segregated and deprived of their goals and dreams. Not many voices speak out against this injustice, but one man stands strong to face such an injustice. Throughout the criticism, he held the same message: the world needs to change. In Langston Hughes ' work, "Harlem", Hughes speaks for civil rights through the influence of the jazz age and observation of oppression.