[Prof. Masiello]

Questions about the readings.  You should refamiliarize yourself with these matters discussed in class.

It is not necessary to write out your answers if you were in class, but you should if you were absent:

“Salvation” is a narrative essay, a memoir that is non-fiction. When you include it in your essay in a couple of weeks, please just call it an essay or a reading, not a short story.

Please do not just answer with a yes or a no. Imagine you are in a classroom and raising your hand. You would have more content to say in such a setting in college. However, since there are so many questions, your answers may be short.

1 Whose story is this, i.e. who is the author?

2 How old is he in his narrative?

3 Do you have any experience in a similar or different house of worship?

4 What exactly is happening on this particular day in his church?

5 Why does the boy say he sees Jesus?

6 Explain something that you may have said or done because you felt pressured by someone else.

7 How would you define peer pressure? Who are your peers?

8 Is peer pressure wrong all the time or could you be pressured to do something very good?

“Peer pressure” is a phrase that has a negative connotation.

9 Please explain the difference between connotation and denotation.

Good writing has sensory appeal. What are our five senses? Which of these senses are easier to appeal to in words? For example, with the sense of smell, if you read that something smells bad, does that have any appeal? When you look at an ad for a cologne or perfume, can you smell it in your mind or does the ad have to appeal to a different sense?

When you see a movie or show and something is supposed to smell bad or good, how do you know?
(In comparison, if something is ugly or pretty you can see it in a film or picture it in your mind’s eye.)
Without going back to look, did you remember seeing any particular visual in this essay? If so, what did you make mental note of?

10 What was the boy’s actual mistake regarding what his aunt told him?

11 In the end, he implies that he does not believe in God. Do you think a person as young as he is can actually make such a decision in having faith?

• This topic was modified 4 months, 4 weeks ago by Prof. Masiello.

[tanya]

1. The story is written by Langston Hughes and it is his story

2. He is 12 years old

3.I don’t have any experience similar to this, I am Muslim and we don’t have any ceremonies that relate.

4.On this specific day, there is a ceremony held for children where they show their faith by being “saved” by Jesus.

5.The boy says he sees Jesus because he felt pressured by his aunt and the Church. He says that he saw Jesus so he wouldn’t let them down in the ceremony since he was the last one who didn’t claim he saw him.

6.I can’t think of anything specific about being “pressured” but one example could be my friends and I making sure were good on our faith and schoolwork.

7.Peer pressure is the influence of others to do something. Your peers can include your friends, classmates or anyone in your age group.

8.Even though peer pressure has a negative connotation, you can be peer pressured into doing good things too. You can peer pressure someone into making positive choices or just doing good things that can benefit themselves and others.

9.Connotation is the feeling a word gives you, whether its good or bad. Denotation is the actual definition of the word. Our five senses include sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. In my opinion, sight is the easiest to appeal to in words. Its easier to describe what you see rather than describing what something smells or sounds like.

10.The boys mistake regarding what his aunt told him is that instead of taking her statement of “being saved” by Jesus as something you see, he took it to a deeper meaning; he didn’t feel like he was being saved.

11.I think a person as young as he is can make a decision of having faith. He didn’t have strong faith because he misunderstood the situation plus the whole Church was crying and praying for him, pressuring him to say something he didn’t believe in. If someone his age took time to learn religion without negative pressure from others Im sure he could make a decision of his own.

 

[Mariadelmar Marin]

1) The author of the story written is Langston Hughes, the narrator.

2) Hughes was twelve years old going thirteen.

3) I do know that catholics have a similar ceremony called the confirmation however, my parents didn’t really go to church, they have a different mindset of how churches operate and its audience.

4) Hughes was taken to the church by his aunt to be saved like the other boys and girls attending. He was told about seeing a light (seeing Jesus) and experiencing christ’s love, which was the sign of being salvaged from his sins.

5) I don’t think the boy saw Jesus, on the story he clearly states that he kept waiting for Jesus but he didn’t come and nothing happened to him. He wanted something to happen, based on how his aunt portrayed it to happen.

6) Like said in class, I was under pressure while in high school and I smoked marijuana, trying to be popular.

7) Peer pressure is an influence by a group of people your age or somebody you look up to.

8) In my own opinion, peer pressure can be both good and bad. I had some peer pressure in a bad way while young but I have also experience peer pressure in a good way by returning back to college to finish my degree and have a better future.

9) Connotation is how we feel about a word and denotation is what a word actually means.

*Our five sense are:

1-Touch

2-Sight

3-Taste

4-Hearing

5-Smell

*In my opinion, I believe sight is the most easier to appeal. You can tell a lot from something by just looking at it. You can’t smell something just by reading about it, you would have to use your sense of smell to be able to smell if its pleasant or bad.

*In the story, I was able to visualize how he described the church people as “old people” that came and knelt around them, starting to pray and sing.

10) The boy’s actual mistake was taking everything his aunt told him, about what would happen once he is saved by Jesus out of context, expecting and believing to see Jesus in church.

11) I think a person as young as he was, can’t make a decision about faith. Around 12-13 years old, we are thinking about other things but religion. We are discovering ourselves and learning things about life itself around this age. Religion is a very strong belief and it can’t be forced.

[Osman]

1. Authored by Langston Hughes, the narrative is his personal story.

 

2. The protagonist, a 12-year-old boy, is the central figure in the story.

 

3. As a Muslim, I don’t have any comparable experiences, as our faith doesn’t involve ceremonies  to those described.

 

4. Specifically, the recounted events revolve around a ceremony for children, during which they express their faith by being “saved” through Jesus.

 

5. Feeling compelled by his aunt and the church, the boy claims to have seen Jesus, motivated by a desire not to disappoint them during the ceremony, especially since he was the last one not professing such an experience.

 

6. While I can’t pinpoint a direct example of feeling “pressured,” there may be instances where friends and I collectively prioritize our faith and academic responsibilities.

 

7. Peer pressure denotes the influence from others to engage in certain actions, encompassing friends, classmates, or individuals within one’s age group.

 

8. Despite its predominantly negative perception, peer pressure can also manifest in positive forms, encouraging individuals to make beneficial choices that contribute to personal and collective well-being.

 

9. Connotation refers to the emotional tone associated with a word, while denotation is its literal definition. Our five senses encompass sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Personally, sight seems most accessible for word descriptions, as it’s easier to articulate visual details compared to other sensory experiences.

 

10. The boy’s misunderstanding lies in interpreting his aunt’s statement about being “saved” by Jesus as a visual encounter rather than a deeper, symbolic meaning.

 

11. I believe a person of his young age can decide on matters of faith. In his case, misconceptions and external pressures clouded his understanding, but given genuine learning opportunities without undue influence, a young person could form their own beliefs.

[JaNiya J]

1. The story “Salvation” is authored by Langston Hughes.

2. In the narrative, Langston Hughes is around twelve years old.

3. No i don’t, when or if i do go to church, it’s more of something that we sit and listen to the word. No one is really up and dancing unless they sing a song.

4. On the particular day in his church, there is a revival meeting where young children are expected to experience and confess their faith in Jesus.

5. The boy says he sees Jesus because he feels pressured to do so by the adults around him, especially his aunt, who expects him to have a religious experience during the revival meeting.

6. One example of feeling pressured by someone else might be agreeing to participate in an activity or event that you’re not interested in because your friends or family members want you to join them.

7. Peer pressure refers to the influence that members of one’s peer group have on an individual, causing them to change their attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs to conform to those of the group. Peers are typically individuals of similar age, social status, or interests.

8. Peer pressure is not inherently wrong, it depends on the context and the nature of the pressure exerted. While peer pressure is often associated with negative behaviors, such as drug use or bullying, it can also be positive, encouraging individuals to engage in activities that are beneficial or morally upright.

9. Connotation refers to the emotional or cultural associations that a word carries, while denotation refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a word.

10. The boy’s mistake regarding what his aunt told him was misunderstanding the nature of the salvation experience. He believed that he would physically see Jesus and be saved, but when he didn’t, he felt guilt and shame.

11. Whether a person as young as the protagonist of “Salvation” can make a decision about faith is subjective and depends on individual beliefs about the capacity for understanding and belief at a young age. Some may argue that young children are capable of forming their own beliefs, while others may believe that such decisions are influenced heavily by external factors and may change over time.

[Juan B]

1 The author is Langston Hughes and it is his story.
2 He is around 12 years old
3 I do not
4 On the particular day, there is a ceremony held for children where they represent their faith by being “saved” by Jesus.
5 I believe the boy says he saw jesus due to the fact that he was pressured by his aunt, which led to him saying that he saw Jesus,
6 I once went on a rollercoaster because my friends said i was scared, even though i was scared, i genuinely enjoyed the ride and became a rollercoaster fan right after.
7 Peer pressure is when you feel obligated to do something either because your peers did it, or they want you to. I see peers as classmates, friends, and even younger siblings.
8 Most of the time it is bad, but it can be good when forcing your friends to lose fears of things such as rollercoasters
9 Connotation is how we feel about a certain word while denotation is what a word actually means (its definition). Our five senses are touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste. I believe sight is the easiest one to appeal with words. Since its not difficult to make a reader envision a setting with words.
10 The boy’s actual mistake was taking everything his aunt told him about what would happen once he is saved by Jesus out of context. This led to him expecting and believing that Jesus would appear in the church, which was not really the case in the end.
11 I do believe a person as young as him can make a decision when it comes to faith, but since he was influenced to believe in something specific, he was unable to form his OWN beliefs.

[Yaritza Torres]

<li style=”list-style-type: none;”>

1. The story is about the author, the narrator, Langston Hughes.

2. He is twelve years old in the story.

3. My family is Catholic, and I had my first communion when I was eleven. I didn’t want to do it since I don’t think that kind of thing is real. It was my parents’ religion, so I felt obligated to abide by it.

4. The church was carrying out a custom where kids are saved by Jesus.

5. In the story, he doesn’t see Jesus but he says he does due to pressure from his aunt. He didn’t want to let the church and his aunt down.

6. My mother used to ask me which parent was my favorite, my dad or her. I would feel pressured to say she was my favorite because I knew she would get mad if I said my dad.

7. I would define peer pressure as being influenced by people your age so they can like you or be like them. My peers are people that are in my age group.

8. Not all peer pressure is negative. You can be positively influenced by your peers. For example, whenever I see my friends doing their homework, I want to be like them and finish my homework too.

9. Denotation is a word’s true meaning, but the connotation is how we interpret a term.

•  touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
• I think the easiest to appeal to is sight. People can reveal a lot about themselves just by observing it.                                                                                                          10.  The boy misunderstood what his aunt had said since he took it too literally. He felt as if he wasn’t being saved, even though his aunt assured him that Jesus would save him.</span></p>

11. He is old enough, in my opinion, to make decisions concerning his beliefs.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by Yaritza Torres.

[Kyyoung98]

1. This story is about Langston Hughes, narrative by him.

2. In Langston Hughes’ narrative “Salvation” he was 12 years old.

3. I grew in a Christian and Muslim household, so I spent some days in the Mosque and some days at church but no I don’t have similar ceremonies that are relatable.

4. On this particular day, there is a revival meeting where kids have to attend the meeting with expectations of being saved.

5. The boy say he sees Jesus because he feels pressured by the expectations of his family and the congregation.

6. As a young boy I was pressured to get baptized because I was told if I didn’t, I would go to hell and when I grew up, I figured whether your baptized or not you can still go to hell.

7. Peer pressure is the influence applied by members of one’s peer group to conform to certain norms, behaviors, and attitudes.

8. Peer pressure is not essentially negative or wrong; it can influence a person to engage in both positive and negative behaviors.

9. Connation touch on the additional emotions, meanings, or associations that a word carries beyond its actual definition. Denotation refers to the actual or dictionary definition of a word.

10. The boy actual mistake was when his aunt told him he would see Jesus he expected to see a physical manifestation of Jesus.

11. I believe that is no age on whether you don’t believe in a religion because at the end of the day it’s a belief and everyone beliefs are different regardless of age.

[Gana Elhanafy]

1) The story is by Langston Hughes who is also the narrator.
2) He was 12 years old going onto 13.
3) I never experienced a ceremony like that.
4) He was taken to the church by his aunt to be saved like the other children attending and to be saved from their sins.
5) The boy said he saw Jesus in order to live up to the expectation of his Aunt and church, although he didn’t and was very much disappointed.
6) Growing up I was always pressured to memorize the holy Quran.
7) Peer pressure is when members of a social group influence each other to do things they wouldn’t do on their own, “peers” can include your friends, siblings, classmates, a study group etc.
8) Peer Pressure is not always a negative thing. Sometimes can be good sometimes, like when people make study groups to influence themselves into studying, both helping and competing with their peers in this case.
9) Denotation is a word’s dictionary definition, while connotation is the feelings or associations associated with a word.

Our five senses are smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing. The easiest of these to appeal to are the senses of sight and hearing while the sense of smell is more difficult. This is because when you look at perfume advertisements, they always use something you already know the smell of like a citrus fruit or flowers, and use it in the ad to give you an idea of what their product smells like. In movies and shows, they usual have the actors react to the smell for the viewers to know it smells bad or even add flies in the scene to show its gross smelling.
10) The boys mistake regarding what his aunt told him is that he took what she said too literally, as a result he expected to literally se Jesus in the Church during the ceremony.
11) A person as young as this boy isn’t in the mental state of being able to actually make such a choice in having faith because at the end of the day that’s just a child. On top of all that he misunderstood the situation, and he also was under a lot of peer pressure, but if he was given the time to truly understand Christianity and give time to his faith, then he can make a more solid proper choice.

[Ahasan Ali]

1. The author of “Salvation” is Langston Hughes and also the narrator.
2. Langston Hughes was 12 years old.
3. I never experienced a ceremony like that.
4. His aunt took him to the church to be saved from sins.
5. I assume the boy said he saw Jesus because he felt pressure from his family member, thats why he said he saw Jesus,
6. Since I was a child I was always incouraged to memorize the Holy Quran.
7. Peer pressure is the influence from peers that prompts individuals to conform to group norms or expectations, often to fit in or be accepted.
8. It can lead to both positive and negative behaviors, impacting decisions in various aspects of life, such as academics, social activities, and substance use.
9. Denotation is the literal definition of a word, while connotation refers to the emotional or cultural associations attached to it.
10.The boys mistake was he toke what his aunt said to literally and actually expected to see Jesus.
11. think a person as young as he is cannot make a decision. He misunderstood was said to him, and acted as everyone was expecting him to do. Rather he should do and follow how he wants to do it with any pressure.

[braulio]

<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”> 1.The story is written by Langston Hughes and it is his story</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>2. Hes 12 years old</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>3.I don’t have any experience similar to this</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>4 There is a ceremony held for children where they show their faith by being “saved” by Jesus.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>5.The boy says he sees Jesus because he felt pressured by his aunt and the Church. He says that he saw Jesus so he wouldn’t let them down in the ceremony since he was the last one who didn’t claim he saw him.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>6.I can’t think of anything specific about being “pressured” but one example could be to do good in school.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>7.Peer pressure is the influence of others to do something. Your peers can include your friends, classmates or anyone in your age group.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>8.Even though peer pressure has a negative connotation, you can be peer pressured into doing good things too. You can peer pressure someone into making positive choices or just doing good things that can benefit themselves and others.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>9.Connotation is the feeling a word gives you, whether its good or bad. Denotation is the actual definition of the word. Our five senses include sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. In my opinion, sight is the easiest to appeal to in words. Its easier to describe what you see rather than describing what something smells or sounds like.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>10.The boys mistake regarding what his aunt told him is that instead of taking her statement of “being saved” by Jesus as something you see, he took it to a deeper meaning; he didn’t feel like he was being saved.</p>
<p style=”box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 14px; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;”>11.I think a person as young as he is can make a decision of having faith. He didn’t have strong faith because he misunderstood the situation plus the whole Church was crying and praying for him, pressuring him to say something he didn’t believe in. If someone his age took time to learn religion without negative pressure from others Im sure he could make a decision of his own.</p>

[Myfab06]

1. The author is Langston Hughes, and it’s his story.
2. The narrator is about 12 to 13 years old.
3. No, I haven’t experienced that.
4. On that particular day in church, there was a ceremony where you would express there faith in Jesus.
5. The boy felt pressured by his aunt, so he lied so he wouldn’t disappoint anyone.
6. When I was in high school, this day felt like if I didn’t cut school that day, they would stop inviting me places, so I cut school that day.
7. Pressure, to me, is doing something you do not feel comfortable with, yet your “friends” still try to get you to do it.
8. Peer pressure can be positive or negative. Good peer pressure is being pushed into something that you didn’t dare to do.
Bad peer pressure is when a friend or group makes you feel you must do something to be accepted.
9. Denotation is a literal or dictionary definition of a word. Connotation is used to describe a feeling. The five senses are sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. The sense of smell makes it far easier to tell a visual better.
10. The boy’s mistake regarding what his aunt told him was taking what his aunt told him literally when he thought he was going to see Jesus in person.
11. A young person can’t decide on faith, let alone decide life at that age. They are still learning about themselves.

[Sofia Quinde]

1. The story is about the author, Langston Hughes.
2. He is twelve years old.
3. My grandparents are religious, they attend church every Sunday and they drag me and my siblings along with them. I so much do not believe in the church but I go anyway since my grandparents would hold a grudge if me and my siblings did not go (this is a common occurrence)
4. A ceremony was held for the children on that day, where they would see and be helped by Jesus.
5. The boy lies about seeing Jesus, he only said that to please his aunt.
6. One day I told my grandma I did not want to go to church because I did not believe in it and she began to cry, telling me in Spanish that I do not love her and that I am disobedient. It made me feel bad and I truly felt I let her down, so I stopped complaining and from then on went to church every Sunday (till this day)
7. Peer pressure is where a person(s) pressures you into doing something you do or do not want to do. My peers are people around my age group.
8. Peer pressure is not always a negative thing, someone can peer pressure you to do the right thing, for example, go back to college and get a degree, find a job, etc.
9. Denotation is what the word factually means and connotation is how we decipher the word.
-Sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing
-Sight is extremely important, we can see and observe others just by their demeanor.
10. The boy’s mistake was that he had a lot of faith in his aunt, he truly believed he was going to see Jesus and be saved.
11. Yes, the boy is old enough to judge his beliefs, the same way some kids choose to stop believing in Santa and the tooth fairy.

[Ebnay]

1)This is the author  Langston Hughes’s story.

2) Langston Hughes is 12 going on 13.

3) I haven’t experienced something like this before.

4)It is a meeting to bring sinners to Christ.

5)The boy says he sees Jesus because he was the last person seated now surrounded by the whole congregation, feeling pressured to conform to their expectations.

6)I  have been pressured to stay up with my friends and play games with them many times.

7)I define peer pressure as influence from a person that’s being pushed onto you. Your peers can be the people you surround yourself with.

8) Peer pressure is something that’s not entirely negative because peer pressure can be used as a tool for positive influences.

9)Denotation is the literal meaning of words while connotation deals with the implied meanings.

Sight, taste, hearing, smelling, touch

Sight is the easiest to appeal to in words.

I could see how the characters reacted to said smell. For example, when something smells bad they would look away from the smell and make a gesture.

10) The boy’s mistake was he took seeing Jesus in a literal sense.

11)I don’t think a young person could make the decision of having faith because when you are younger you are more vulnerable to the influence around you.

[ibrahim]

1. The author of “Salvation” is Langston Hughes.

2. Langston Hughes is twelve years old in his narrative.

3. I don’t have personal experience in a similar house of worship as described in Salvation.

4. On this particular day in his church, there is a revival meeting where young people are expected to experience salvation and see Jesus.

5. The boy says he sees Jesus because he feels pressured by the adults around him, especially his aunt, who expects him to have a religious experience during the revival meeting. He doesn’t want to disappoint her or appear faithless, so he pretends to see Jesus.

6. One example of feeling pressured to act a certain way might be agreeing with a group of friends even if you don’t truly agree with them, just to fit in or avoid conflict.

7. Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by members of one’s peer group to conform to certain behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs. Peers are individuals who are similar in age, social status, or interests.

8. Peer pressure is not inherently wrong; it can influence both positive and negative behaviors. For example, peers can encourage each other to study harder or volunteer for community service, but they can also pressure each other to engage in risky behaviors like substance abuse.

9. Connotation refers to the emotional or cultural associations that a word carries beyond its literal meaning. For example, the word “home” may denote a physical dwelling, but it connotes feelings of warmth, security, and belonging. Good writing often utilizes connotations to evoke specific emotions or imagery in the reader.

10. The boy’s mistake regarding what his aunt told him was misunderstanding the nature of salvation. He believed that he would physically see Jesus and experience a spiritual awakening, but when he didn’t, he felt ashamed and disappointed.

11. Whether a young person can make a decision about their faith at a young age is subjective and can vary based on individual experiences and beliefs. Some may argue that children can have genuine spiritual experiences and beliefs, while others may believe that such decisions require more maturity and life experience. In the case of Langston Hughes, he expresses doubt and disillusionment with his faith by the end of the narrative, indicating that his experiences during the revival meeting had a significant impact on his beliefs.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by ibrahim.