LANGSTON HUGHES "SALVATION" BLOG

PoeticJustice1101

Professor: Cantice Greene         

September 17, 2012

 

              In Langston Hughes’ literacy narrative “Salvation” (1940), Hughes claims that he lost his faith in God because of his inability to see Jesus, which would’ve acknowledged his genuine retrieval of salvation. Langston Hughes supported his thesis by giving vivid descriptions of the reflections he had about his spiritual encounter at the church. Hughes’ purpose of the narrative essay was to inform his audience of his personal experience while receiving salvation, in order to elaborate about his reasoning of losing faith in his religion. The audience who Hughes may have been intending to target was people who most likely contemplated or doubted whether or not to have faith in their religion.

            Personally, I was very satisfied with the text. I loved the imagery and vivid images Langston Hughes used, as if he were literally painting a picture for me. Towards the end of the narrative, I was very shocked at the outcome of him getting saved. Although he received salvation at such an early age, he didn’t understand the true meaning of belief in his religion, which is why he felt that Jesus didn’t exist anymore. He didn’t understand that God deals with things on his own time, unexpectedly. For example, when he mentioned his friend saying God’s name in vain with no form of punishment at that moment, he took that as a source of evidence that God and/or Jesus were nonexistent. Additionally, I felt that it was bizarre how the children were somewhat forced to go to the altar, whereas of nowadays, churches allow children to go up by their own will. Hughes’ final thought of his religion doesn’t agree with my own; however, his narrative demonstrates an excellent narrative, with a very deep and spiritual meaning behind it.
                Langston Hughes’ text is mainly focused on his understandings of his spirituality as a 13 year old boy. His expectations of his spiritual encounters were based on verbal comments made by his aunt. For example, in paragraph 2 he stated, “My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light. . . She said you could hear and feel Jesus in your soul.” (69) As a 13 year old, those words were very convincing to him, which is why he put so much faith in her words. Hughes mind was set on the literal aspects of her words, rather than a spiritual viewpoint of them. As stated in the essay, he stressed the fact that he waited a long duration of time to “see” Jesus, which was why he was the last to get baptized. The final straw was pulled when he witnessed his friend disrespect God, “see” to god, and then suddenly become saved without any consequences. In Hughes’ narrative, he states, “God had not struck Westley. . .temple” (70), prior to calling Westley a liar. Unfortunately, because of his aunt’s words of visually seeing Jesus, when he didn’t, he was brought to the conclusion that Jesus didn’t exist. Perhaps if he were taught a little more of the religion, or even that the realest things in life are what you can’t see, he would’ve still had his faith in God, without any doubts.