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Salvation Langston Hughes Analysis

718 Words3 Pages

To a developing mind, communication and understanding are first grasped literally. In the case of children, figurative speech is more difficult to comprehend due to its abstract nature. This is explicated in the short story “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. Langston goes through a dilemma during salvation, defined in the sense of Theology as “the deliverance from sin and its consequences,” (“salvation, n”) when his aunt apprises him of Jesus coming down in the form of bright light for his liberation. His literal interpretation of his aunt’s metaphoric language led to a host of emotions and confusion on his path to redemption. The essay becomes one of consternation and cynicism toward his religion. Living with his aunt and uncle at the time, Langston was now 13 and ready to be redeemed. Regrettably, the outcome was not as intended. His aunt, being a dutiful, archetypal devout, “spoke of it for days.” (547) She once elucidated, “when you were saved you saw a bright light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life!” (547) Polysyndeton is used to illustrate his aunt’s enthusiasm toward the event. As well, the quick, overbearing nature of this passage, paired with using exclamation marks powerfully conveys the expectation and perturbation felt by Hughes to experience deliverance in this fashion. A definite shift in attitude is …show more content…

It is, thus, a pressuring and life-changing moment. Langston Hughes, the author and narrator of the composition, “Salvation,” is met with a barrage of thought and emotion come deliverance. Langton’s naivete mistook his aunt’s metaphoric description of salvation, and this led to an absence of spiritual epiphany when the time came. Ultimately, this evoked great dismay and skepticism toward his indoctrinated ideology. Langton's failure to understand the nuances of language is thus the cause of him losing faith in the church and

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