Harter 1

Jesse Harter
Tate
English 1213 10:10
23 June 2010
Salvation
Langston Hughes titles his essay Salvation and starts it off by saying, I was saved
from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. This captures the reader, makes
them inquire as to why he titles it after what he says he did not achieve. After this quotation, he
dives into a short narrative as to what happened to lead him to this false salvation; a false
salvation that could be perceived by some as a transitional stage to a greater salvation of freedom
from religious bounds.
Hughes tells us about a big revival his aunts church was having. His word choice
throughout the essay serves to give the reader a feeling of a church-like atmosphere. This is
especially effective for those who have been to church and understand the mood that permeates
the room. He describes to us what his aunt said would happen when he was saved, when anyone
was saved. She describes it to him saying, You saw a light, something happened to you
inside and then Jesus came into your life. What she tells him inadvertently causes him to lose
his faith. As he waits for these things to occur, he witnesses someone using Gods name in vain
and then going to be saved. When he sees that the other young boy is not struck down from
above for his sins, he questions Gods thoughts and wonders why the boy was allowed to commit
such a travesty. Finally, Hughes tires of sitting surrounded by people, and he is ashamed for
making everyone wait so long. So he gets up, he decides that lying is better than making

Harter 2

everyone wait for so long. Thus, this becomes the day that a young Langston Hughes decides
that Jesus does not exist because he did not come to his aid.
I can relate to this story in the fact that I also come from a Christian family. For many
years I attended church with my family, never really questioning what I was told. Then, due to
some unknown catalyst, the questions began to erupt from within me. Like Hughes, I also lost
my faith and had to deal with my Christian familys, as well as the majority of my peers,
reactions to this. However, unlike Hughes, I was not ashamed of myself; I did not cry myself to
sleep. I was, and still am, proud of who I am and the fact that I did not falter when trying to swim
upstream against the society Im surrounded by, despite being discriminated against.
Overall, this is a good essay, it has a clear point and different readers can walk away from
it with a different lesson. Hughes effectively describes the situation, while still keeping it short
and to the point. His style keeps us from getting too much of an insight into his thoughts and
feelings, and thus allows us to draw our own conclusions, make our own assumptions, and
inevitably, apply our own lives and experiences to his.