Salvation Langston Hughes

Quotation One My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church (p 7, pg. 129) Rhetorical Device/Strategy Personification

Paraphrase/Summary The narrators aunt sits before him crying as the church goes on with their hymns and prayers. Effect/Function Personification is used upon the church to express the true mood of the temple. : The word swirled articulates the dizzying circumstance for the young narrator. The heat, pressure, and confusion have caused the narrators sense of reality to become distorted.

Quotation Two I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened (p 7, pg. 129) Rhetorical Device/Strategy Parallelism/ Repetition

Paraphrase/Summary The narrator expresses his disappointment in not seeing Jesus.

Effect/Function The parallelism of nothing happened, as well as the repetition of nothing conveys the disappointment of the narrators unrealized wish to see Jesus.

Quotation Three Suddenly the whole room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept the place (p 13, pg. 129) Rhetorical Device/Strategy Metaphor(s)

Paraphrase/Summary The room is of nothing but commotion, everyone rejoicing as the narrator lies about seeing Jesus. Effect/Function Here Hughes uses two metaphors that connect the elation in the room to water. The shouting is immense, as a sea is large. The rejoicing washed over him like powerful waves with enough force to sweep the place. Perhaps the narrator is drowning in the commotion that ironically follows an insincere salvation.

Quotation Four When things quieted down, in a hushed silence, punctuated by a few ecstatic "Amens," all the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God (p 14, pg. 129) Rhetorical Device/Strategy Biblical Allusion

Paraphrase/Summary As everyone began to settle and say their amens, they all believed they were blessed by God, even though they werent. Effect/Function The allusion of the innocent and pure lambs helps to embody that all of the churchgoers believed they have all gained salvation though none have had a religious awakening. Paraphrase/Summary The narrator feels ashamed and a bit frightened, no longer believing in Jesus and thoroughly regretful of having to live on with his lie.

Quotation Five But I was really crying because I couldn't bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, 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 (p 15, pg. 130) Rhetorical Device/Strategy Parallelism

Effect/Function The parallelism of negative actions depicts that the narrator is ashamed of his lying and deception, but his despair is rooted in something more profound; he lost his faith