For homework, you were assigned Hughes's "Salvation." Answer the following question in one-to-two paragraphs by Tuesday, January 11, 2011 (before 11:59 p.m.):
Did you find Langston's excerpt amusing, serious, or both? Explain your answer.
When you post response, please remember to use your first name and last name's initial (i.e. Billy J.).
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Childhood is full of innocence and naivety. Children are pure creatures that have never faced the rough realities of life. There is no evil in a kid’s mind; however, there are some rogueries in kids that seem quite amusing, but they are actually very serious. This is the case of a twelve-years-old child whose name is Langston.
Langston was said that he would be brought to God, and that in the process he would feel something very special, and see a light coming up to him. However, Langston did not get to experience this feeling, and he lied by saying that he had already felt the presence of God. Is this a serious event? I would say yes. I do not remember the first time I burned myself with a match, but I learned at that moment that fire is not something to play with. This also could be the case of Langston, who did not have a good approach to God. He thought that God had not helped him, and that he would never be salved. Our beliefs are formed and molded since we are kids, and a single event could affect our whole entire life. This is why I personally found Langston’s excerpt very serious.
It is amusing to say that Langston Hughes had an act of diligence at the age of twelve, going on thirteen. The story was set in Langston's Auntie Reed's church where he and a boy named Westley were escorted to sit on the mourners' bench with all the other young sinners, because they were not yet sent to Jesus. What was amusing to me was that Langston thought he brought the church people's attention saying that he was feeling the presence of Jesus, saying that He had come to salvage him from his sins.
There is no reason to blame a child for the wrongful acts they attempt to do unless it conflicts whether bad behaviour as been prominent of that child's parents. Langston felt obligated to lie in front of his peers because his acquaintance, Westley, was not struck by God for taking His name in vain or lying in the church. The serious part of it though, was what Langston had done to save furthur trouble and for him having to cry, regretting for what he had done. If he had not been tempted by his aunt's input on Jesus coming to people's lives and save them from their sins, then possibly Langston's lie would have not occured. All in all, I found that the beginning of the story was amusing, but some of the hooks from the middle to the end turned out to become very serious.
Reading Langston’s Hughes salvation piece was both amusing and serious to me. This story shows how a young child can be more aware of the situation and their environment more then we know. The author showed the readers that he was under a type of peer pressure to please the congregation and his aunt, but deep down knew that he wasn’t fully happy. Langston Hughes felt that he didn’t want to hold anyone in the church any longer than it already had been and he felt he would have to lie to the church to please everyone. But felt sad since he had lied that he had seen Jesus, he had really had not. This story was however amusing because It was able to kept me on the edge of my seat. Reading this story I was waiting for Langston to see Jesus come to him, only to end with Jesus not showing himself at all. This was a perfect example of Langston dealing with an internal conflict, or Man Vs. Self. This is why I felt this Story was both Amusing and Serious.
I found Langston’s escerpt both amusing and serious.When speaking of religion matters , the introduction took a thoughtful meaning concerning the children and their salvation.As it went on when Langston and the other boy were the only two left waiting and waiting to be saved , it turned humorous how they expressed themselves. When the story was half way told I felt it would have a positive ending however it ended in a serious manner when Langston lied and said he was saved when really , all that was left in his mind was regret , and doubt about Jesus existence .
The Langston Hughes’s “salvation” is a very serious story. Childhood is in everybody’s life an important period, it is the time when many things are discovered and people develop identity. Religion, and society are just two important things in everybody’s life, and twelve-year-old Langston Hughes was not the exception.
Being part of a society is something that brings certain kind of rules. Hughes in the story “salvation” shows how hard is childhood when trying to please people from the church he lies to everybody and even himself, generating a big conflict that involves his believes, honesty, and values.
There are many moments in life when a person has to stand up and defend himself, or just communicate what he/she feels and thinks. It is not always good to please everybody because it is going to generate regrets and questions that are going to perturb our conscience.
Society and the need to belong to a group, sometimes leads people to do things that they really do not want to do. In some cases, those things are the only way to make people accept others, or sometimes those things help some people believe and/or feel what they want, but inside they know what the true is.
Christopher A.
As we get older, we start realizing that we have choices on what we beleive in. When we were younger, we were taught what to think and it was a mandate. In the story Hughes feels the pressure of being accepted by Jesus and his fellow man. Like Hughes most teens feel obligated to go along and pretend that they believe in the spirit of Jesus. But without proof it is just another story. In my opinion i believe this exerpt was very serious. Throughout the story the feelings being expressed are very common but yet meaningful. Hughes had to lie to convey his indivudualality. It seemed as if he wanted to be a part of the majority but failed because of the intense pressure being applied to him. Salavation was never going to be furfilled and Hughes felt lost and an outcast. His preception of church seemed to shift from pure entertainment to something very significant. In summary, this topic is very important. Becuase in this day in age, where there is so much conflict and despair. The only thing we can hold on to is something to beleive in to help us overcome. In Conclusion, your religious oriantation should not be a mandate but instead a choice.
Benedict L.
Langston Hughes revealed imagery like “Every night for weeks there had been much preaching, singing, praying, and shouting, and some very hardened sinners…” demonstrated a spirited church that was full of faith and serious in Gods beliefs; therefore I found Langston Hughes childhood story amusing and serious . Langston Hughes was precise at describing his church members around him giving them each individual a unique characteristic.
Religion is an important role that is serious in many people’s lives. Lying is a sinner according to the Bible of Jesus Christ. The twelve-year-old boy; Langston, commits a sinner by lying to his fellow church mates and receives own guilt for his actions. It is a serious consequence when committing a sin. Although Langston made it seem he was troubled by the Holy Ghost, although realistically he is guilty for lying. Langston demonstrated a story that revealed amusement and seriousness in his Auntie Reed’s church that lead to an optimistic life ahead for him.
As children, several pretty pictures are painted for us. Being so naïve and pure, full of innocence, we are most likely to believe anything which adults tell us. Such as the tale of Santa Claus, only to be rudely awakened by the sad truth that mommy and daddy are responsible for those gifts under the Christmas tree. In this story we meet Langston Hughes as he recounts the story of the day he was “saved”. His aunt tells him that when it happens he will see a bright light and a special feeling will come over him. After only a short while he came to the realization that God would not come nor strike him down for his deceitful actions. I find this both serious and amusing all at once. The cries from the congregation begging for his salvation as though they have experienced something real and he had yet to receive the same gift. It is such a serious adult decision to come to God for an innocent child, yet so amusing how people not only lie to others but themselves as well. It is almost as if they truly feel that if they swallow their own lies long enough this beautiful promise will materialize in due time. Who is naïve? Is it the child for believing the adult or the adult for believing the child capable of making a decision based in fallacy?
In my opinion i found the writing both amusing and serious as a child when a adult tells you something you believe it. at the age of twelve langston hughes was told that he would see jesus and that once he sees jesus he would see a light come upon him. unfortunately langston hughes did not get to experience this feeling. langston hughes wanted to please his auntie so he lied that he felt the presence of God come upon him. i would say this is serious . langston hughes was very emotional ,disappointed and crying at the end because he felt as if god did not come to help him . as a result of our upbringing and beliefs we are taught to believe and think one way in which can limit our views on life. i found this piece very serious.
Being a Catholic should mean I find this excerpt serious but for some reason it amuses me even though it is of some offense towards the church. I'd incline more to amusing because Hughes describes this story with such great detail that it makes you feel like you were a part of it all. Sure it might of not been the right thing to do, but you can only do so much in a situation like this. Hughes thought of others and pleasing them before he thought of himself, which took a great deal of sacrifice being that the story ends off with him in his room weeping.
Life has many ups and downs, along the way we discover that it also can be filled with joy accomplishment, disappointment, and failure. I remember as a child how excited I was to wake up on Christmas morning, to see the Christmas tree full of presents for me. Moreover I also remember the shock and disappointment I felt when I came to the realization that there was no Santa Claus, but instead my parents who brought the gifts for me. The same can be said about Langston’s essay Salvation. Which I found to have a serious tone to it being that he was raised to believe that God would send Jesus to him and save him. Langston had strong feeling about this, and the night he attended the revival he is anxious to see Jesus. At the revival, he and all the other children sit on the benches waiting for their turn to be saved, so they can go unto the altar and see the light. Eventually, he is the only one left he becomes ashamed of himself that he could not see or feel God presence anywhere. Finally, he decides to lie like his friend Westly did, so he walks unto the altar and claims he saw Jesus. Later that night he states “how he cried about deceiving everyone, how he no longer believed in Jesus since he did not come to him, and how all what he believed before came into conflict.” Thus From reading the essay I discover that it is serious, because like me when I discover there was no Santa Claus I felt the connection to how he wrote, which is why I viewed the excerpt as serious.
Raul C
I found the reading “Salvation” amusing and serious. First, I think that the author complies with the purpose of entertaining the reader. The style and selective language make this story very enjoyable. Second, for me this story plants a serious conflict on the protagonist, his religious disappointment and his shame for not following his convictions. Through selective and effective language Hughes takes the readers to one of his childhood’s most difficult moments, when he did something he will remember during his lifetime. He pictured the community of big fervorous religiosity where he was raised; how he, as a child, wanted to follow the others and how he felt when he was left alone and had to lie to everybody to end with the unpleasant moment he was living. Hughes is very successful in provoking encountered feelings in the reader that help to highlight the problem he wants to emphasize.
Langston Hughes "Salvation" is both Amusing and Serious for several reasons. It starts off with an amusing attention getter, that he was saved, but not really. The excerpt continues on to describe the anticipation of seeing Jesus, of knowing his love. To a child, who doesn't really understand those kinds of things, Langston believes it to actually see Jesus. And one by one all of the "young sinners" are saved. In the end its just him and another boy, who goes up to be saved so he did not have to wait anymore, leaving Langston on his own to find Jesus. It is amusing that he expected to actually see and feel Jesus, but it does end on a serious note. Because Langston did not find the lord, and lied about finding him to the congregation, He feels that he does not believe there is a Jesus, since he never came. It makes the title of the piece, "Salvation", Ironic since in fact he did not find salvation. It was both amusing and Serious to watch a little boy attempt to find something that cannot truly be found.
I found the story "Salvation" to be serious for the most part but it has its amusing parts. Due to the fact that it is a religious story I take it . It shows the stress that very religious families can put on there kids sometimes. This is a perfect example of the phrase "Too much of anything is not good."
Yet at the same time I can also find it amusing when Westley says he is saved and just stands up. I can relate to Hughes because there has been times where i would lie to my mom and tell her the food was good when it really was not because i know that is the response she wanted. Langston somewhat does the same thing by telling everyone he is saved when he knows himself he was not
As a kid, my parents made me believe that Santa Claus existed, but , was it true? As i became older i came to the conclusion that he does not exist, and i was dissapointed. Langston Hughes excerpt showed me how dissapointed he was when he discovered that Jesus never came to him.Langston's story was amusing. The story brings a message full of culture, religion, fear of God. Langston was treated like a child but he did not behave like a kid.
"Still I kept waiting to see Jesus", this line, in my opinion means that Langston was dissapointed because he thought that Jesus was going to come to him but he never showed. It connects to life just in the same way kids believe in Santa, Santa is never going to come because he does not exist, as well as Jesus. The ignorance of the religious people was amusing because they all believed that they were going to be saved by a light. He never actually found salvation, its the irony in this story and that is why i found it amusing.
I found that this excerpt by Langston Hughes was both amusing and serious. It was amusing to see Hughes in the predicament of weather to lie or join his friends in the altar, end the ceremony, get out from crowded church and escape the heat. Although I also think it’s a very serious subject, because I have a strong religious background and understand the importance of being saved, and I think that pressuring someone to be saved is both ridiculous and counter productive, because accepting Christ is an important decision and it is reached after much thought and careful consideration. I do hope Hughes true and genuine salvation.
I found Langston Hughes' excerpt "Salvation" to be primarily serious. The crisis of committing to Jesus/God at a young age before they are mature enough to fully comprehend the concept of a superior unseen being and further committing to him is not unique to Hughes but the plight of many who are raised in a religious household.
Hughes was raised by his Auntie Reed who was a devout Christian woman and with all good motives wanted Hughes to be touched by God as she was.This poem depicts a scene where Hughes and other young boys sitting in front of the congregation is pressured into going to the alter to be saved.Its serious to inflict such pressure on a young child even if its for their own well being. Spirituality and committing to a superior being develops as one gets older.
Hughes faces a conflict versus man and versus society.He is forced to conform, eventually conforms by going up and being saved but ends up crying in bed later that night and not even being able to tell his Auntie Reed the reason for his crying.Hughes cried because he was scared to tell her that he had not seen Jesus
and at this point he did not even believe in Jesus anymore.
Hughes now had to struggle alone emotionally battling with a wounded conscience at such a young and innocent age.
After reading the poem salvation by Lengston Huges, I felt sorry for the thirteen year old kid. This kid wanted so badly for God to save him and at the end he ended up alone after everybody had already standed up and been saved. After reading this poem I can see the phanatism that people have for a religion and I personally think that being a pahanatic tto religion is not healthy at all. People that become obsessed with a religion tend to become crazy. At the end of this writing I did feel sorry for this little kid. Defenately this author writes really well because he makes the wriyer have a feeling for the kid that is in the church.
“Salvation” by Langston Hughes is a very serious short story. We are introduced to a young boy who is confused and alone with his conflicting thoughts. He is pressured in to doing something that he is not comfortable with and later faces personal repercussions for his actions. Over the weeks before this incident took place, he was lead to believe that being saved meant to literally see a light and then feel something special inside. He was too young to understand the true meaning of the term. So after spending hours on his knees and hearing the entire congregation pray for him, he felt as if he had no other choice but to walk up and be “saved”. Even though he did not see a light or feel Jesus, he felt obligated to put everyone’s weeping to an end and “pretend” to have found salvation. Although this may seem like an effortless task, it was very difficult for him. He was only a child and he lived in a time where disobeying or deceiving an elder was, in a sense, forbidden. He respected his aunt very much and cried himself to sleep while silently suffering from his guilt of lying to her and everyone else. This issue of salvation is a problem for many adults, let alone a child of only twelve years old.
I found Langston Hughes’s “Salvation” to be both amusing and serious. “My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside!” This is amusing because of the unrealistic beliefs Langston Hughes’s aunt provided to him before walking into the church. Being an adolescent, one is taught to listen and believe your elders. Naturally, Hughes believed what his aunt told him, later to be disappointed and felt ashamed that Jesus never appeared before him. As we become adults and learn more about religion, we begin to realize that Jesus will not appear before you, nor does a shining a light; which is why it is amusing that the congregation and his aunt believed Hughes when he said he saw Jesus. Nobody has seen “the light” or Jesus, but their faith tells them that it is possible for someone to do so, and to question Hughes would be sinful. I think that this is a serious matter and a flaw in society because people tend to follow the masses in order to fit in. It is amazing how the pressures of society can cause someone to say they saw or believed something even when they didn’t. I think the biggest lesson seen here is that we all must remember to think for ourselves and not let others influence your actions.
Inosence is a big part of being a child and what ultimately makes a child so special. In salvation Hughes is struggling with an issue that many adults go through on daily basis and that is making choices. It seems to me that now at the age twelve Hughes has to make a very important decision about his faith. It is i would say a pretty humerous story. The conflict that Hughes has with himself while being up on that alter.
In the short story "Salvation" I found it serious, reason being because Langston Hughes lied about seeing Jesus. I wouldnt blame it on him due to the fact that everyone in church including his aunt were pursuing him to let jesus save him. Hughes did not lie intentionally. Why did he lie? at a young age langston hughes wanted to be part of society and please everyone around him. His aunt expects him to be perfect but why not let Hughes choose his own path. There is a reason for not meeting Jesus that day. lieing to everyone is like betraying Jesus. at the end he was left with regret.
“Salvation” by Langston Hughes I thought for the most part was rather serious, but it definitely had its momentary tones of amusement. It definitely elaborates on the Baptist and Evangelic type of churches. He was very much observant and aware of his entire surroundings, trying to fathom what he was supposed to be feeling or envisioning. It’s a difficult and guilty feeling you get pushed into as a child sometimes, when an entire congregation and your family are watching and expecting a specific reaction-scoffing at you if you do not respond properly. At twelve years old, losing sight of a God you’ve been raised with definitely causes an anxious, existential moment. It also picks up the innocence and peer pressure stemming from adults, as well as his observation of a friends reaction; getting away with swearing and lying amongst God and all the adults. The amusing tones came in, I thought, with the friend’s swearing and the aunt sobbing hysterically in front of the crowd. Ultimately, It was pretty consistent with the seriousness, especially with how it ended-twelve year old Langston Hughes no longer believing there was a Jesus.
Inosence is a big part of being a child and what ultimately makes a child so special. In salvation Hughes is struggling with an issue that many adults go through on daily basis, and that is making choices. It seems to me that now at the age of twelve, Hughes has to make a very important decision about his faith. It is I would say a pretty humerous story. The conflict that Hughes has with himself while being up on that alter.
One’s childhood is full of the purest version of innocence, which makes for naturally amusing moments such as, reliving your first religious encounter, because the perspectives of a child or young teen compared to that of an adult are so different. Having said that, I personally found Hughes’ excerpt, “Salvation”, both amusing and serious but experienced both feelings at separate parts of the piece. The overall short story, to me, had a serious meaning behind it and expressed a good life lesson of how one should never lie, however, parts of it in which Hughes described his exact feelings in that moment amused me. Lines like, “God damn! I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved.” said by the Westley character in the piece, made me smile because those are the thoughts that run through a child’s mind in a moment like that. Most of the excerpt took me back to remember of when I would attend church with my family and I related so much to him on how he felt and the confusion that a child undergoes when being placed into such a mature, adult situation, children automatically do what they believe is being shown to them as right. In this case Hughes’ character betrays his aunt, the church, and God by lying and making it seem like he is being saved all in the hopes that, that act will help his fellow church goers feel like they did a good job and helped him reach his salvation. It was the realistic tone set throughout this entire excerpt that made it so entertaining and intriguing to continue reading.
Langston Hughes's, Salvation was more serious than amusing. Yes, Westley complaining "God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's get up and be saved" That might have been the most amusing part.
To me, it was all serious. Langston Hughes really felt ashamed of what he had done and lied about. Feeling as if you need to do something just to feel "admitted" into the group is just everyone trying to be a conformist just to try and not stand out in a negative way. Lagnston Hughes actually feeling remorse towards what he did shows that just because you're a child doesn't mean you don't know right from wrong. Even so, when he said he didn't believe in Jesus because he hadn't come to save him also made this piece serious because what kid at the age of 12 is going to deny faith because of a situation like that. Inside he felt obligated to do what he did so the congreagation wouldn't think anything less of him but he was really lying to himself trying to conform.
Ivette M.
In the story "Salvation", we come across young 12 year old Langston Hughes, on a Sunday church session. He is naive and young, when it came down to his time for Jesus to "save" him. With the pressures of his family and the church, he deceided on lying toend the woe he was feeling. He did n't "feel" Jesus inside of him, but didnt want to seem like the outsider. He took on a great lie, which is looked down uopn in the house of Christ, to get out of the individual solitude he was in. He wanted to be saved, but not having the solitude, so he walked forward. The congregation was shouting and rejoicing. It was not his fault the miracle didnt happen. It was his youth and deception that took him forward.
The title "A Good Man is Hard to Find" relates to the story in many ways. Throughout the story we are introduced to several male characters. Bailey, the son and father, we find out is a rude, ignorant man, who mistreats his mother throughout the story. From ignoring her, to making her cry in the face of danger. A good example of a what a "good man" is not. Then we meet Red Sammy, who owns a restaurant, he is trust worthy with people, but is married. He also, agrees with the grandmother by saying " A good man is hard to find". Last we meet "The Misfit", an escaped prisoner. The Misfit seems to be not that bad of a guy, until we find out he is a killer. He talks about how he was brought up with morals and consistently, excuses himself for not wearing a shirt. None of the male characters portrayed in this story, would be the ideal man, a woman would want. In fact, this story is the exact opposite of what a good man really is.
iIn my words its should not be done because then you are using someone else work instead of yours. It is always good to do your own work to test your skills and build on whta you have to become a better writer.
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