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Salvation langston hughes analysis essay
Salvation langston hughes analysis essay
Salvation langston hughes analysis essay
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A time comes in everybody's life where they need to be "saved." When this happens a spiritual bond is formed with in that individual. In Langston Hughes' essay, "Salvation," that bond is broken because Langston wasn't saved. It is because Langston turned to Jesus, and in his eyes Jesus wasn't there. This creating a conflict within himself and the members of the church, with the end result being Langston's faith being destroyed. The people at the church believed in Jesus because that was how they were raised, and that is how it was. This is why Langston Hughes wanted to see Jesus because he wanted to have a better understanding of his faith and be saved. Being told to worship and honor Jesus blindly, raised many questions in his mind and before his relationship could grow with Jesus he needed them answered. So he figured that if Jesus came like the church promised Jesus would, he would be enlightened and would honor and worship him. So Langston waited and waited, but Jesus never came. The longer Langston waited, the more faith he lost. This forced Langston became like Westley, getting up out of his seat and going forward to the minister for no reason. But he didn't get up for the right reasons. This is shown when Westley said, "'God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's gut up and be saved.'" When Westley did this, he left Langston standing alone, defending his own beliefs. Langston's aunt put a lot of pressure on Langston when she said, "Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you want to be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you come?" Searching for a handle on the moment and not knowing what to do, Langston remained seated, but he realized that in doing so, he was only hurting his aunt's love for him. She wanted to see Langston saved, and abandoned. It was due to the enormous pressure from his aunt and everyone else in the church that Langston got up. With Langston refusing to get up to be saved, he created a conflict between him and everyone in the church. He felt that if he got up, it would be degrading to his character. Not everyone can believe that what you tell them is automatically true, no matter how many stories you tell them; they have to find that out for themselves.
The fact that he used the Bible to condemn their actions is important for a few reasons: 1.) these people claimed to be Christian men and women, 2.) the Bible was the premier book of history in those times, and 3.) while the slaveholders and the oppressive race might not have feared the consequences of their actions here on Earth, they surely would have feared the consequences for their actions in the afterlife. Asking “ Have we any other Master but Jesus Christ alone? Is he not their Master as well as ours? -- What right then, have we to obey and call any other Master, but Himself?” (Walker) is asking a loaded question. He’s saying to these men “surely you’re not placing yourself about Jesus Christ, are you?” These people may have been slaveholders, but they never would have considered themselves to be
For a moment, imagine being in young Hughes’ place, and hearing, “Langston, why don’t you come? Why don’t you come and be saved? Oh, lamb of God! Why don’t you come?” (Hughes, 112), being whispered into your ear by your aunt as tears rush down her face. Would you not take the easy way out? How could someone at the age of twelve understand the torment that follows such an event? Hughes learned that night just what he had done, and what it meant, as he mentions in his essay when he says, “That night, for the last time but one- for I was a big boy twelve years old- I cried. I cried, in bed alone, and couldn’t stop. I buried my head under the quilts, but my aunt heard me….I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, and that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn’t come to help me” (Hughes, 112). At the first moment he was alone in silence, he understood what he had learned, and what it meant. That not only did he lie to his aunt, and to the church, but in his time of need, no one was there to help. There was no God by his side as he knelt on the church
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
Through the use of personification, Langston Hughes shows that learning is important is this story, the professor just teaches but langston is also teaching the professor that different races are equally important and that we are all the same. People in this time period were rude to black people back then then and they treated them like they were different, but Langston is trying to teach his professor that everyone is the same and know one deserves to be treated badly just from the color of their skin.”You are white--yet a part of me,as I am part of you. That's American”.This quote is langston saying that we are all the same and we are all american and nothing else is different. As a conclusion hughes was making a good point in the fact of
Baldwin realized that the church connected all black people to all white people, because the same corruption was occurring in both houses of "God." That both churches operated in the same corrupt manner. He realized that the church was supposed to promote love and kindness, it did, but only to the members of the congregation and other like them. This was too much for Baldwin, so he left for good.
One of the few venues for African American reaction was Frederick Douglass' Paper. William G. Allen, a free black teacher, comments on a particular scene of dialogue in Uncle Tom's Cabin in his letter to this publication: "The religious conversation between the slave-tenders . . . is a capital thing . . . . How it tells upon the miserable spittle-licking religionists of the present day, who, as Tom Stoker has it, are running up a bill all their lives with the devil, calculating to sneak out when pay time comes" (Allen). This discussion between Tom Stoker, Mr. Marks, and Mr. Haley is about whether the slave trade is a Christian business. Mr Haley says, "I b'lieve in religion, and one of these days, when I've got matters tight and snug, I calculates to tend to my soul and them ar matters; and so what's the use of doin' any more wickedness than 's re'lly necessary?--it don't seem to me it's 't all prudent" (Stowe 57). Tom Stoker replies that Mr. Haley is just trying to do evil things all his life with slavery, only to sneak out in the end and go to heaven. William G. Allen, in reference to this scene, commends Stowe's comparison and the relationship between Christianity and slavery.
Lewis states, “An uncle gave me a bible for Christmas when I was four…” (Lewis & Aydin 1:26). Lewis doesn’t mention what uncle gave him the bible but in hindsight, it reflects on Uncle Otis. The bible gift inspires Lewis to want to preach even if it was to his chickens on the farm. Lewis acknowledges, “Uncle Otis had always taken a special interest in me… not just with my school work, but with the way I generally acted.” (Lewis & Aydin 1:37). In other words, Uncle Otis took the time to go the extra mile to make sure Lewis was always in good moral. Uncle Otis seemed to be there for Lewis in a way that his family couldn’t be. Lewis didn’t think much of him until he made a trip to Buffalo, NY with him. John Lewis later emphasizes, “But other members of my family helped open my eyes…Otis Carter… arranged the journey. He planned it completely for my sake.” (Lewis & Aydin 1:36). Uncle Otis took massive interest in assuring that Lewis was aware of his surroundings. I felt like Uncle Otis saw a lot of potential in Lewis to take that much interest in him. Uncle Otis assured himself that Lewis knew another world other than the farm he grew up on. When they got to Buffalo Lewis mentions, “They have white people living next door to them. On both sides.” (Lewis & Aydin 1:43). Lewis was astonished to see the vast difference, to
Spirituality is a very strong way to gain conviction in what you believe to be what’s best in your interest when you die. Before Newton’s death he thought that “advocating the Christian view” was to take precedent in his life.(www.princeton.edu/achany/tmve/wiki100/docs/Amazing-Grace.html} The impact that this song must have had on all of the slaves that he brought here on the ship must have been amazing because many African Americans today still sing the song except now it is along side white people. Everybody that is religious wants the promise of a better after life and most aren’t will to sacrifice things in this life to get there, so it was time for John Newton to
In Langston Hughes 's definition essay entitled "Salvation" he discusses the social and emotional pressures that effect young people. He pulls in his own experiences from being an active member in his church, and the moment he was supposed to experience revival of twelve. Hughes 's purpose for writing this definition essay is to show the peer pressures and internal conflicts that come from both church and the religious community, and his personal experiences that led to the pressures that were put upon him in his youth. The audiences that “Salvation” was pointed towards are adults; it shows the pressures that are put upon the youth, while the child does not fully grasp the idea being expressed to them. Langston Hughes 's overall message to
Each time I have read this narrative several times and each time I learn more about history and my interpretation of historical content. This particular has allowed me to focus closely on interpretations of Negro spirituals and mainstream media trivialization of the slave song. Frederick Douglass in his autobiography spoke of the “Ring Shout” and I learned that the music is not about shouting. In researching the ring shout, the word shout is a derivative of the Arabic word “shawṭ”. Scholars have commented that the word origin probably comes from enslaved Muslims from Africa and subsequently was engrained in the slave culture before Christianity was forced upon the culture (Stuckey). I would surmise that it would infuriate Douglass and the enslaved people of history to know that their heartfelt spirituals are now trivialized by the media and entertainment industries. One particular spiritual that comes to mind is “Go Down Moses” which contains the famous line “Let My People Go”. There are countless references to that one particular line in movies, television and other media sources. Most of the time, especially in the visual entertainment industry the line is part of the dialogue for a laugh.
Langston Hughes in his personal narrative “Salvation” illustrates his first and lasting impression of organized religion. Hughes narrates a personal experience in his past that explains why he lost his faith. Hughes use of a cynical tone explains his inability to believe in God.
Langston Hughes was spending time with his aunt and uncle at the time. He was from an African American family. The family was not the poorest of families but quite the opposite. He even had his own room in his aunt and uncle’s home. The family was a Christian family and the story took place at his aunt’s church revival.
Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties are supposed to use on this search for truth and God. There are many stances and viewpoints on the issues of faith and reason. Some believe that both of these ideas cannot and should not be combined; these parties deem that faith and reason must be taken as merely separate entities. However, this writer does not understand why both entities cannot be combined; both terms are so closely compatible that it would make sense to combine the two for a common task. Based on various class discussions and readings, there are many philosophers and theologians who have certain opinions regarding faith, reason and their compatibility; these philosophers include Hildegard of Bingen, Ibn Rushd, Moses Maimonides, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The following essay will examine each of the previously stated philosopher’s viewpoints on faith and reason, and will essentially try to determine whether or not faith and reason are ultimately one in the same.
Langston Hughes and Religion Langston Hughes in several poems denounced religion, inferring that religion did not exist any longer. In reading these poems, the reader can see that Hughes was expressing his feelings of betrayal and abandonment, against his race, by religion and the church. Hughes had a talent for writing poems that would start a discussion. From these discussions, Hughes could only hope for realization from the public, of how religion and the church treated the Black race. Hughes wrote two poems that generated a lot of discussion about religion and African-Americans.
Is it possible to understand the gospel message, serve as an officer in a church, be sure of your salvation, and yet still not get into heaven when you die? Matthew, one of the original twelve disciples, answered this question clearly. Yes, on “that day”, many will stand before God and hear Him say, “I know you not; depart from me.” (Matthew 7:23 KJV)