Salvation By Langston Hughes

Literature opens our minds to imagination, creativity, and individuality. Lamentably, individuality is a treasurable aspect that has begun to be discouraged in modern society.
One of today’s trends is to conform to societal pressures and hide one’s true self, as seen in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation.” Based on a true experience, Hughes exposes how he lost faith in religion as he witnessed his church’s “big revival.” The motif in this piece portrays how children conform to the societal whims rather than expressing their personal beliefs. During the revival, the children of the congregation, such as Hughes, were pressured into going to the church’s stage to become saved. Throughout the piece, Hughes constantly claims he is “waiting for Jesus” to send him any message of acceptance. Turmoil strikes the
After September 11th, 2001, much of society confused Islamic terrorists with Sikh citizens in the United States. During this time, my family and I lived in New York and my father was a taxi driver. The taxi business in New York City, unfortunately, was at an all-time low after this horrific attack (which resulted in us moving to South Carolina). Not only did our income depreciate, but my family was labeled as “terrorists.” My brother cut his long, beautiful hair; I faced countless verbal attacks. Letting a 9 year old child believe that she is not to be loved because she has brown skin and apparently will “bomb a school” is cruel to endure. I was brainwashed into thinking that I should feel disgraced that I am a Sikh. Perhaps it is easier for adults to endure this pain, for they have a stronger sense of individuality. However, I, as a child, wanted to cut my hair to my shoulders. I wanted to feel some form of normalness. I did not understand that it was the ignorant people who were at fault for their discrimination, but rather it was I who should be