Salvation

Directions: Please read this very short narrative in 5 sections. You may also find a copy of the passage [|here]. Pause and think about what your read before going on to the next section. Consider things like, what is the author's purpose for writing?, who is his intended audience?, how do individual words or phrases communicate the tone?, how do the descriptions add to the effect of the passage? 1. First two sentences 2. sentence 3 in paragraph 1 through paragraph 5 3. paragraph 6 through paragraph 12 4. paragraphs 13 and 14 5. paragraph 15

After reading, complete the following questions in a discussion post.

1. What impact do the first two sentences - one a rather dramatic statement, the second a qualification - have on you?

2. What strategies does Hughes use to bring the reader into the immediacy of the revival meeting? Which senses does he engage? Make sure you include direct quotes as evidence to your claims.

3. Note the way Hughes uses short, simple sentences in this narrative. How does this style enhance his purpose?

4. What rhetorical strategies does Hughes use in paragraph three to mimic the sound of a sermon?

Extended response: In "Salvation," Langston Hughes describes a childhood experience. Write a multi-paragraph essay explaining

how his language evokes the experience of his younger self

and
how his language conveys his adult understanding of that experience.