Terika Zimmerman
Essay 3
The story Salvation, by Langston Hughes discusses how young children were peer-pressured into being saved and giving their lives to Jesus. A thirteen year old boy named Langston Hughes was saved from sin, but was not really saved. The author states how his aunt's church was having a big revival with singing, praising,and shouting. Langston Hughes explained how the preacher wanted all the young children to come into the fold, so they can be saved and give themselves to Jesus. The writer explains how he wanted to see, speak, and feel Jesus come to him, but he never got that feeling from Jesus. Langston Hughes goes on to tell the reader how all the children had gone up to the altar and were saved except for one boy and himself. The older folks continued to pray over the boys. Hughes stated that the boy Westley whispered, God Damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's get up and be saved, and got up and was saved. Langston was left all alone, and his aunt and the rest of the congregation continued to pray over him telling him to come to Jesus, and that Jesus is waiting for yu. The story goes onto detail on how it was getting late and he probably should lie about Jesus coming to him, and he got up to be saved. Everyone shouted with rejoiced as he got up and went to the altar. Hughes sates later that night he cried and cried in bed alone, because he lied about Jesus coming to him. His aunt thought he was crying because of the Holy Ghost and that he had seen Jesus. The writer concluded the story on how he deceived everyone about Jesus coming to him especially his aunt, and now he don't believe there's a Jesus anymore. In my opinion, I feel the story Salvation contains issues about being peer-pressured into giving your life to Jesus. I also feel you should never be forced into giving your life to Jesus, because that's a big part of your life trying to serve Jesus right, and living the life style of being saved.
Salvation by Langston Hughes demonstrates his feelings of peer-pressure, of being too young to make this decision, and of feeling bad after lying about the situation. The author describes the pressure he felt. Hughes stated, I heard songs and the minister saying: Why don't you come? My dear child, why don't you come to Jesus? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why don't you come? Sister Reed, what is this child's name? Langston, my aunt sobbed. Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh Lamb of God! Why don't you come? The minister was putting Langston under a lot of pressure as well as the other older folks. As a young child I was pressured into being saved and participate in church activities. I think just about everyone brought up in church is kinda force to do something in the church such as choir, ushering , etc.
Langston Hughes explains being under peer-pressure at a young age can make you make bad decisions. The writes quotes, So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie too, and say Jesus had come, and get up and be saved. Langston Hughes felt so pressured that he felt like he should rush through the situation, and lie about his true feeling of being saved. A lot of young children make bad decisions when they are becoming a teenager being followers and not leaders. They tend to do what there friends are doing, instead of doing the right thing. What I mean is that young children always get pressured into drinking, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and getting into gangs and fights because everyone else is doing those type of things.
Finally Hughes shows that under peer-pressure at a young age you make bad decisions and you feel terrible after wards. Hughes responds, 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 don't believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn't come to help me. Well to me I feel lying about situations only make you feel horrible after everything is all over with and especially when the truth finally comes out. One day I was watching a TV reality show called Maury, and the topic of the show was how young girls of the ages 13-16 were out of control. The girls were being very disrespectful to their parents and everyone around them. Most of the girls wanted to always fight, get pregnant, and do any bad thing they could think of to get themselves into trouble. Maury had them sent to visit a prison with hardcore women, and showed them the way their lives would be if they kept up the life they were leading to. After the young girls visit they turned their lives around and started making better decisions.
Throughout life there will always be someone trying to pressure you into doing things you do not want to do. You should always make your own decisions. Never let anyone tell you what to do. You should always go with you first instinct, never be a follower, and always be your own leader. Langston Hughes well-tried to please everyone in the church, and he regretted his decision after he lied and got saved. So basically I feel you should never rush into a strong decision, nor lie about a situation, because you would feel even worst after wards. I try to give people the best advice and I never pressure anyone to do nothing their not ready to do. My best advice would be to always make your own decisions, and never let anyone force or pressure you to do something you are not sure of.
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