Meaning
1. The main point of Hughes’s narrative is that one event changed his whole life and can be looked down upon by other Christians. When he didn’t “see” Jesus, like his aunt told him that he would, he lost faith and didn’t believe in Jesus anymore.
2. The night at church was getting late and Hughes felt guilty that he was holding everybody up from going on with the service and eventually going home. Once he concluded that God wasn’t going to hurt from seeing that Westley was unharmed, he figured it was safe for him to get up. However, that decision affected him emotionally. He felt guilty that he lied to his aunt because it meant so much to her.
3. The first two sentences mean that Hughes was saved from the “sin” of disappointing his aunt and the other church members, but ended up disappointing himself because he felt ashamed that he lied. Another definition of salvation is “saving someone or something from harm or from an unpleasant situation.” That definition really connects with the short narrative because Hughes had to rescue himself from an uncomfortable position even if he hurt himself in the end.
Purpose and Audience
1. I think Hughes wrote “Salvation” because he wants to show that sometimes adults have to explain things to children in depth. When his aunt told Hughes he would see Jesus, she meant figuratively. Hughes took it literally. If his aunt would have explain to Hughes what she meant by “see,” he would’ve tried to connect with Jesus spiritually instead of waiting for him to walk through the church doors.
2. Since he jumped right into the revival meetings, he assumed the readers immediately knew what he was talking about. In the time period that he wrote this essay, religion was still a big part in people’s lives so he didn’t feel the need to explain it.
3. Dialogue, lines from hymns, and details of other sounds helps re-create the increasing pressure because the adults are trying to rush Hughes, but he can’t get up. He’s trying to see Jesus but can’t spot him. The fact that the night was getting late was also increasing Hughes’s pressure. He begun to feel bad that he was holding everybody up so he got up from the bench even though he didn’t see Jesus like his aunt told him that he would.
Method and Structure
1. I think Hughes chose narration because he can insert so many things into his essay. He can add his inner thoughts as he sat on the mourner’s bench. He can describe the emotions he went through as he saw his aunt and the church members throughout the service. He can add some dialogue in between the paragraphs. When writing a narrative, it’s so much easier going into much depth and talk about every little thing. An argumentative essay wouldn’t fit with this essay because it can’t capture the same emotions and feelings like a narrative essay. The most Hughes would be able to do is mention the experience and move on to the next subject.
2. In the first paragraph, Hughes immediately skips the revival meeting for adults and goes right into the one for children. Then he goes on to describe how the rest of the church was praying and singing for the children to be saved and what the preacher was saying to him. Hughes quickly gets to the point where he was the only person left on the bench. He writes a couple of paragraphs of how the preacher and his aunt beg him to get up and finally rises up. Hughes, then, fast-forwards to the part when he feels guilty for lying and holding back his true feelings of the Christian faith. Each insertions and manipulation fit well with each other because it gives the reader enough information to understand the story but, at the same time, doesn’t put them to sleep.
3. Hughes uses “finally” in the fifth paragraph. Also, he uses “that night” again in the last paragraph.
4. The process of a revival meeting analysis is essential to the essay because it helps readers understand, not only the actual narrative itself, but Hughes’s guilt at the end. Some readers may not have gone through the experience or attend church so they don’t know how the revival meetings go. It creates less confusion and keeps the story flowing smoothly. It also helps understand Hughes’s guilt because they know how important it was to his aunt and the church members. They read how people were getting emotional and praying for him to get off the bench. They now know in depth why Hughes cried in the end.
Language
1. I think Hughes still felt as guilty as he did two decades ago. He went on to describe how his aunts and the other adults were crying and begging him to rise up. When he finally rose up, they were celebrating and singing like they won the lottery. He understands how important the revival meetings were to them and now he feels guilty that he lied just to save himself from an uncomfortable situation.
2. I think Hughes wants to get into the role play as a child. This experience happened when he was twelve years old, just a pre-teen, and he wants to capture every emotion and thought he felt at that age.
3. When Hughes’s aunt says that he has seen Jesus, she means that his soul and spirit has made a spiritual connection that only he and Jesus could feel. However, Hughes took the word “see” literally. He expected Jesus to physically come to him. It affected Hughes because he was expecting something that was impossible and lost hope when it didn’t happen. If he understood what his aunt was saying, then he would’ve tried to make that spiritual connection.
