In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes uses language to convey his skepticism of religion. In “Salvation” Langston is reflecting his twelve year old self and his negative experience with religion. Hughes is faced with the pressure of his aunt and peers at church to be saved by Jesus waiting and hoping to see Jesus but is let down when nothing happens “I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me.” Twelve year old Langston Hughes loses hope in religion using language to show disillusionment having high expectations but was let down.
In the beginning, Hughes has this feeling of hope being saved by Jesus by believing in his aunt that Jesus comes into your life and you can hear and see him within you. For example “ My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life.” This example shows Hughes aunt’s use of a hyperbole to show the good in being saved, how Jesus can change you and help. She wants Hughes to believe in their…show more content… One example of this “She woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the holy ghost had come into my life, and I had seen Jesus.” Hughes use of irony here shows his feeling of hopelessness by crying in bed to himself after being let down but his aunt thinks the opposite that he’s been saved. In reality Hughes realizes that there’s not much left to believe in religion for him but he wants to please the people. Lastly in the end Hughes says “But I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I deceived everybody in that church, that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn't come to help me.” At this point Hughes use of repetition to show he comes to term with himself with religion realizing Jesus is not real anymore to him becoming skeptical of everything be believed
