Bernice Bob Her Hair

Bernice Bobs Her Hair is a short story portraying the self-conflict between being who you want to be and what society expects you to become. The main character, Bernice, is the epitome of the “respectable” woman that existed from the Victorian era. The women during that time wore conservative clothing that showed no amount of skin while buns held their hair high to show restraint and their mysterious poise, beauty, and grace (page 4, chapter 2, paragraph 2, line 6-7). During the industrial revolution, the stage of rebelling against all normality amongst the “cult of true womanhood” began and women engaged in promiscuous “dishonorable” ways as a type of rebellion to signify total independence from the male and their role as the perfect little homemaker.
Bernice, however, is in conflict with herself when coming across this culture clash of new woman versus old woman. Being raised to restrict displaying “masculine” and “harlot” features when in public- though they were known by men through inferences in conversation, but never publicly seen (page 4, chapter 2, paragraph 2, line 6-7)-Bernice found herself battling her subconscious desires in whether she wanted to accept the change of the idolized woman, or revert back into the polite quiet wife that seldom says or does anything. Her cousin, Marjorie, is the main character that sends Bernice into considering that her ways of living are out of style. Throughout the story, Marjorie is the main person that encourages Bernice to change her way of style and dress to fit into the new age of the “new woman” and insists this way of living is what will make her popular with the men- since a woman’s reputation is based on how many men cut in and dance with her in a single evening (page 3, paragraph 11, line 1). Being lead into thinking that she was out of style and not “popular” enough to fit in, she finds herself taking her cousin’s advice and embracing the life of a flapper. Although Bernice engages in flapper activity, she finds herself conflict with herself against the new her and the old. In one section, (page 11, chapter 4, line 8), Bernice asks Charley Paulson, a man who she thinks knows everything on women, whether or not she should bob her hair to complete her flapper look. To bob one’s hair is the ultimate deed a person could do to symbolize complete rebellion. Long hair shows beauty and grace, and short hair signifies masculinity and indifference. This constant insecurity and unsure attitude towards cutting her hair shows that Bernice is considering her new livelihood, but has yet to fully embrace it all. Her insecurity ends when she decides to finally bob her hair and show everyone who doubted her that she could be the new woman. Though she initially received negative feedback, she accepted her new womanhood and found herself embracing it fully when she decided to dress in a style that suited her current lifestyle. (Page 20, paragraph 1, line3-6). Her new way of life also came into light when she decided to get even with her cousin, which coaxed and manipulated her from the very beginning, by cutting off her two braids and making her hair into a bob. Since flappers are free and independent, Bernice found herself letting lose of all her restraints to find her innermost self as the new woman; one her cousin was even too afraid to become

MLK questions

2. The quote “Five score years ago” is an allusion to the sixteenth United States President, Abraham Lincoln, and his Gettysburg Address. This introduction was an appropriate and strong way for King to introduce his speech because, (A) his “I have a dream” speech was given in front of the Lincoln memorial in honor of his fight for justice, equality, and peace un a nation that stands divided by skin color. (B) Lincoln’s fight for overall harmony serves as a stepping-stone for Dr. King’s uphill battle with racial acceptance and civil-rights. Dr. King faces the same challenges with battling a government that denies freedom to a group of certain individuals because of the color of their skin, just as Lincoln did before King’s time, and it is referring to King finishing the battle Lincoln started before his assignation. (C) It was a powerful speech that captivated millions of Americans during Lincoln’s time and remembered by most as a legendary introduction by a legendary man.

3. In King’s speech, his allusion to the Declaration of Independence was:

“Unalienable rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In King’s speech, his allusion to the Bible was:

“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

4. An example of alliteration:


5. An example of a metaphor:

“Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked insufficient funds”

6. An example of a simile is:

“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”

7. The figure of speech within the sentence in the second paragraph is metaphorical.

With this sentence making reference to slavery, it serves as an appeal to pathos to many in King’s audience because many can relate to such horrors in their modern-day era of racial segregation. With segregation being as emotionally, physically, and mentally destructive as slavery, many African-Americans can communicate with the lasting effects of the different mediums of brutality and relay similar instances to their own lives where they were “bound” and “crippled” by an incident because of their fight for freedom. With King making reference to one of the darkest times in American history, emotional attachment to the Negro's past and how things have not changed since the time when they were in chains is established because it reflects on the struggle for equality and freedom that has yet to come.

The inference King was making about the progress of African-Americans to enter mainstream of American life was that not much has changed in the way African-American are respected in society since the liberation of slaves a hundred years prior. King infers that the same brutality and injustice done unto his ancestors has yet to be addressed; but instead has taken into a new form of fashion masked as segregation.

8. Examples of anaphora are:

“We will not be satisfied”

“Let freedom ring”

9. The two possible effects upon King’s audience in repeating, “I have a dream” are:

The hope that King plans to make his dream a reality where blacks and whites can be together in harmony and all racial tension will wither away.

That, if not King, his successor will take the stand and make his dream come true to where is dream becomes reality and equality and justice is for all.

10. The image and dream I found most appealing and powerful in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech was the vision where he creates this utopia of harmony and peace within a racially divided nation. This image leads me to believe that maybe in time blacks and whites can sever the racially led boundaries that keep them apart and come together to unite as one nation of American people. I am a young Black woman and I, honestly, have some amount of prejudice against people of other nationalities because of my upbringing. Being a young woman in a world filled with the constant daggering of the “white is right” mindset soon begins to wear and tear on one’s willpower to stay neutral and unbiased in a world where everything is categorized. It begins to settle and simmer deep inside of the subconscious and make one feel inferior because they do not fit into a certain category classified as “right”. For Dr. King to in vision a world where I can lift my head and display it proudly while not being judged for the color of my skin really brings me to wish and pray for that vision to one-day become a reality.

11. King’s dream was an overall message of equality and acceptance for all. Although his message is a large dedication to blacks and their everlasting struggle for freedom, but he diversified to where he spoke to everyone in general about coming to term with a situation while finding a resolution. He was a man dedicated to having tranquility in a land that was once fueled on hatred and hostility. His message was to simply put the past behind you and take a step foreword towards a brighter future where there is no color line to separate us all.

12. Specific acts stated in King’s speech against African-American were:

Police brutality

Lack of civil rights

Slavery

No/limited voting rights

13. The American dream is the ultimate portrayal of success. When you accomplish the American dream, you have immense wealth, social and economic status, family, good friends, and have respect from influential leaders that help guide the nation.

14. Towards the conclusion of King’s speech, he cites different states across the United States to symbolize that his message will spread and all the inequality that is occurring in the nation will be resolved. It also justifies the reasoning that segregation is not just occurring in the South, but in the North as well. Across the nation, Blacks are being mistreated and Dr. King cites these few states as an example to testify that change will come to every square inch of this nation.

15. If I were in the crows listening to King’s speech, I could honestly say I would have cried. For me to be a black woman and have the privilege to personally relate to the struggle for equality in a world where “white is right” with a powerful Black leader is an honor in itself. Despite being in the presence of one of Americas most prominent figures, the tears would have rolled down my face because of his message. Dr. King was so passionate and not passive about gaining his freedom where it was due, so I would think I should do the same. My ancestors literally fought to get me here so the least I could do was honor their struggle and gain the liberty they dreamt off while in chains.

16. Racism is where a certain group of people do not like another group of people and begins to discriminate against them because of what they are who what they look like.

17. Organizations such as the Klan used violence as a scare tactic to influence blacks to stay in their rightful “place” in mainstream society. With violence as their main weapon of mass destruction, Black individuals would think twice before doing anything that would become profitable in their corner because of what they see and hear about the Klan and their ghastly violent deeds. Each African-American would consider and weight out the options before conducting any acts of liberation for the safety of themselves and their families. Although much of the world gained sympathy for the African-American population because of the Klan’s mass murders, it still did not stop the hooded radicals from slaughtering thousands of Blacks while, ultimately, weakening their minds into questioning if freedom was worth all the blood shed.

18. The Black community withstood such violent acts without retaliating because they were following the morality of their peaceful leader, MLK. He stood for non-violence and peace, and was set on the idea that with no acts of violent retaliation, the war and quest for freedom would be accomplished because, eventually, their oppressors would tire out and give in.

19. I believe today’s skinheads are just as dangerous as the ones before them because they have that same mindset of supremacy. As a young black child, a skinhead will always be a skinhead, no matter what generation or lineage. If they stand for white supremacy and feel blacks are inferior to all, they are just as dangerous as the ones that wore the bed sheets and killed my ancestors.

20. King’s dream has been fulfilled since his assassination because the United States of America has its first Black president, Barack Obama. King’s dream of acceptance and overcoming the obstacles of racism has now become a reality that many, including myself, never thought would happen. For a black man to rise from despair in chains to becoming the head of the very nation that once confined him speaks in volumes. This monumental election as truly shown that America has come to accept that African-Americans are apart of this country and are here to stay and leave their mark on society as a whole. King’s message on peace and equality finally reached from the halls of the Lincoln memorial to the walls of the white house.
Although King’s dream has now become a reality, there is still much work to be done on restoring the nation’s ability to be “color-blind”. Many races are still feeling the tight tension of hatred and hostility and the threats on Obama’s life during his two-year campaign has shown that. There is still racism in America and still injustice within its boarders. Despite the fact that we have a Black president, the war for racial equality has yet to be won. We are still considered inferior and unworthy of being labeled “American”. No matter who are spokesperson is, we are still seen as a slave.

Letter

Dear whomever this may concern,

This is your aunt Florida, Flow for short dear; do not forget that sweet little part. I am writing you this letter to give my greeting from here on out. You do not know me, hell, you never even met me before I’m sure, but I am your aunt because my sister is the one having all these babies when I ain’t got not a one. I am sure you know Clarabelle. Yeah, whether you are her daughter, granddaughter, or further down the tadpole than that, she is the one who birthed you first, so that makes me an aunty.
Anyway, I want to tell you a bit about myself if you do not mind. I come from the greatest city in the world, Chicago, Illinois. It is a world of its own I tell you. Buildings as far as the eye can see are being built from the ground up by bare hands. Cars with headlights as big as my head run the street with loud squeaky horns that give me a headache. It is hundreds of people walking the sidewalks everyday to and from work. Funny thing is, the sidewalk cannot hold of them folks so some spill over into the streets. Best thing about it is the diversity of people you see walking everyday. Honey child, I saw this gorgeous Mexican man that came on one of them boats to Chicago walk down the street one day. He had on a nice suit and a top hat that made him look sharp. His mustache was nice and finely done so I knew he was a nice fellow; but you do not need to know all about that, you are just a child ya’ here?
Funny thing is, I would not be surprised if you are Mexican yourself. Clarabelle always did have a thing for men of other races. She was all high ho for interracial relationships. She met this one Chinese man on the subway one time- which was a life-threatening experience you here? Lights’ flashing as this little tube shaped “subway” carries people underground at speeds that go faster than a blink of an eye will kill you. Believe me. I was one of the first.- and was just shining like a polished nickel. I saw the whole thing, would have laughed, and taunted her, but I was focusing on keeping my balance on that so called “subway”. It felt more like a death trap to me than anything.
Other than the subways, I enjoyed city life. There were lots to do, believe me. Women would dress all uppity and conservative in the daytime, but when the lights when out, boy oh boy did the cat jump out of the bag. The trend was to cut your hair all-short and wear little beaded dresses that stopped near your knees. I had about six of those dresses in all a rainbow of colors. I used to wear these little heels with a buckle in the front to go with the outfit. Sometimes, this is sometimes mind you, I would wear my Sunday hat when I wanted to be frisky. Now, once we got all dressed up and ready to go, we hit the town and see it at night. By golly, I tell you that Chicago was jumping once the time ticked out. Lights were flashing and there was not once street corner that did not have a jazz club open and ready for swinging. Walk into that little club after paying your five cents, you see a whole heap of folks just dancing and having a good ol’ time. It was a diversity too, so you had your little variety box of men you wanted to tango with you. That was the nightlife and it was, in my opinion, the best part.
During the day, the town would be hectic and filled with the working-man trying to make a quick buck by doing some job in a suit. I worked as a hair stylist in the heart of Michigan Avenue so I saw everything up close in personal from my window. A few mannerist people would walk by looking all trifling like by being rude to everybody like their life was more important than everyone elses, but it was, overall, a bustling metropolis during the nine to five. I love Chicago dear, always will. If you live in Chicago and Clarabelle had not moved her dark behind all the way to New York to see that steel building, go on forth street and see if Jimmy’s is still open. I bet it is a spot waiting for you.

Your Aunt,

Florida

Flow for short; remember that sweet little part.

Rural V. Urban Questions and Adjectives.

1. Living in a hectic overly populated enviorment during the early 1900’s would have most definately installed a sense of fear and alienation in me upon first moving in. The transition from being in a small town that is comfortable, quiet, and where each person seems to know everyone and where everything is in the town, to settling in a big city filled with all varieties of people, different mannerists of personality, and new inventions that seem foreign would intimidate me or make me seem inferior. I would have had a feeling that I was not “civilized” enough to live in such an environment when I am used to being accepted upon my social class in a dormant area. Eventually, I would find myself becoming adapted to city life and using these new technological advances to my advantage. Instead of walking, I would find myself taking the train to work while not having a stare or a hungry malicious glare on me because I do not look like that particular person. City life could also help me shape my individuality. Due to the leniency during that era, I could allow myself to reshape my look into something completely unfamiliar. City life could help me discover who I truly was and grant me the opportunities to be more open while giving me a chance to explore new things that I never would have seen if I had stayed in my small-town home.
2. The people walking in the streets and on small paved sidewalks really stand out to me because it signals that city life certainly grew greatly populated than the average small town. For people to have to walk in streets because their local sidewalk could not accommodate them showed me that, more than likely, competition jobs and living spaces were in effect due to limited positions but mass amounts of people.
3. Riding a subway for the very first time during the early 1900’s era would have scared me near sudden cardiac arrest. Since the train would be underground and run on two metal poles that seem much too small to carry such a large load, my first thoughts would immediately come to the conclusion that either the ceiling would fall on top of me or the train would slide off the parallel poles and then I would die. My negative thoughts might actually keep me away from a subway for a while because, to this day, I hate being underground in cramped spaces.
4. Despite my personal dislike for city subways, majority of city people might come to respond quite positively towards a city’s advances. The commute from point (A) to point (B) would be much faster on the renovated public transportation, the view of the city would be much broader than before due to the new methods of exploration of a metropolis, and passengers have a chance to encounter new people from all walks of life. With new methods of seeing the city, not only does the average city explorer get the opportunity to see new heights and views of his town from a new and improved perspective, but also has the ability to meet the people he may have never encountered elsewhere. These methods help build strong friendships and understand amongst cultures; as well as promote diversity in interracial dating.


ADJECTIVES:

Metropolis
Diversity
Interracial
Expedition
Overly-Populated
Hectic
Mannerists

Langston Hughes Questions

The main point in Hughes’s narrative was that he lost his faith in Jesus, God, and the entire Christian religion because Jesus did not come and save him from damnation when he was specifically told from an adult- in his mind where adults have the experience and the background knowledge to know what they are talking about- that gave him an impression that it has happened before due to personal experience. The change that results from the experience is doubt in Christianity as a whole and its idol/icon Jesus from his naivety and ignorance in believing something just because he was taught to believe it during adolescence.

The feelings of guilt and shame is what made Hughes finally go up and become “saved” by the preacher- also, the intense heat and cramped space, since Hughes did mention his uncomfortable feeling due to the environment numerous of time throughout the writing. During paragraph ten, Langston Hughes admitted that he was feeling a sense of guilt because he was allowing the time to pass by quickly and night was fall swiftly on his own accord. He did not want to keep the congregation up all night because of his selfish desires to se Jesus and have him save him himself, so he ended the long service and stood to be saved.

The title immediately draws the readers into a religious aspect, or way of thinking. Salvation is commonly used as a synonym for deliverance in many religions. The title may embed an image of the infamous cross that Jesus had died on to save his followers from sin (I.E. Salvation: Deliverance from sin and evil; future sin and damnation). Others may get the image of another religious figure that idolizes peace and love, world order and understanding. These revolve around the main ideology of salvation. With peace and love, there is harmony. With harmony, there is order and understanding. Chaos ridden world results in the ultimate symbol of salvation, being saved from sin and damnation. The first two sentences revolve around the main point and goal of salvation, to save ones soul from evil and harm, but contradicts its ultimate stance as well. By Hughes admitting he was saved, he is telling his readers he is apart of a religious community and follows the rules and guidelines of being a saviors child. By contradicting himself by being technical, he resorts back into his logical way of thinking by not becoming biased based on his religious belief. The title and the first two sentences both portray “Salvation” in both the connotation and the annotation. You can become saved by the lord when accepting his rules and allowing him to cleanse your soul from evil and future life in hell. You can also come into “salvation” by accepting the invitation of the lord’s messenger, but nor of the lord; thus making you “saved” but not brought into salvation. With Hughes, he is saying it is a two-way street. You can either accept the lord and become saved, or decline his offer and words of wisdom, but still follow his commands.

Hughes wrote “Salvation” as part of his autobiography two decades after the incident because he finally came to terms with himself and his belief in Christianity. He had believed in Jesus and God devotedly for thirteen years and had his beliefs snatched from him instantly by his aunt’s comment taken seriously. He thought that if Jesus really wanted to accept him in his kingdom of holiness, he would recruit him himself. Due to his non-arrival, Hughes was forced to believe that maybe Jesus was not real and if he was, he was not welcome into his kingdom-though a sinner like Westley could be admitted without punishment. Though it took a while for Hughes to come to terms with his belief in Jesus Christ, his purpose was not just to express his feelings prompted by a significant event. His purpose was to expose that he finally came to terms with himself, his uncertainty, and his religion through all the doubt and pain two years prior. Since he was still a child and raised on the Christian belief system, coming to terms with the idea that the man that is supposed to save you from all evil and hell might not be real can being traumatizing. The main goal Hughes set out to accomplish in writing “Salvation” was that he had finally came to accept that maybe there is no god and Jesus might not have ever been real to begin with; that everything his fundamental foundation was established on was a lie. His focus was not to criticize his aunt or the other individuals in the congregation; after all, his aunt was the one that got him excited and ready to meet his lord and savior, but mainly to add them as dramatic effect and/or climactic effect towards the ultimate end when he finally found that Jesus was not coming. Throughout the piece, the congregation would sing louder as each child rose to the podium and became “saved”; thus increasing the pressure and anxiety Hughes would feel as each moment neared to that meeting with Jesus. In fact, his focus was partially in favor of explaining childhood naivety or rites of passage between young adults. In the beginning of the passage, Hughes says he was saved before he was thirteen- almost thirteen in fact- and this indicates that the marking of being labeled as that “teen” would symbolize him as a step closer towards becoming a man. With this rite of passage nearing, it was almost time for him to make his own decisions and take manly responsibilities. Choosing to follow his given religion or not was one of those duties he had attended to during the incident. By him not meeting Jesus, he shows himself as hurt to the reader through the last paragraph as crying, not as a child but as a BIG boy (coming to the stereotype that men never show their emotions while hinting off to that whole ideology of becoming a man). He hints that he is somewhat a man, but not fully there yet because he shows his tears of disappointment, hurt, betrayal, and anger from not meeting Jesus; and this rite of passage in religion has shown him what was real and what was not.

What Hughes seems to assume about his readers in the familiarity with the service’s he describes is that most, if not all his readers, are black or of African-American decent. Since majority of African-Americans were raised in the church and used the church as an outlet from the civil injustice during that time, he was able to relate to them by describing a typical Christian church service being held in the black community to give a better understanding of the situation. Details such as the descriptions of some of the congregation members make these assumptions clear and precise. Jet-Black faces and braided hair of elderly women is an African-American person would see regularly in the church as well as the calloused hands of the elderly men who worked all day to make scraps to live by. Also, since singing and shouting is very common and important in African-American church communities, Hughes thought he could better tell his story by giving something his people could relate to during a regular church sermon. The descriptions also portray the church service as lively, loud, and vibrant. African-American churches are predominately filled with music only filled with deep feeling and emotion that it becomes lively and loud enough to become utterly intense and crowded.

The dialogue re-creates the pressure Hughes feels by the reenactment of being filled with that sense of shame and guilt by making everyone wait on him to become delivered and saved. By writing down the exact reenactment of the way he felt upon being next to last on the mourner’s bench, it gives Hughes a sense of being guilty and ashamed from making everyone in church wait until nightfall for his relgious arrival when he was just waiting for someone else of his own. His deliverance was the main concern of the congregation and by ignoring that purpose; he was washed with a wave of shame from not respecting the wishes of his elders and become saved not attending to his own person agenda and awaiting the arrival of Jesus.

Hughes chose narration to better explore the themes of this essay because he could better understand them from a first-person point of view rather than speak on someone else’s behalf. By writing from one’s own perspective, it gives the author more credibility in reference, knowledge, and experience due to their first hand encounter. With Hughes writing his essay in first person, he had every opportunity to look at his own experience from a different angle at any given moment when writing; creating a list of unasked questions, he never would have thought to ask if he wrote in third-person. Such as, “Why did I do that?” “Was that for dramatic effect?” “Was I really sad?” “Is my religion true?” and so forth and so on. Hughes could tell from experience the events from the past, reflect upon them, and categorize them accordingly to suit each theme he saw fit while best describing it to his literary capability to explore and annotate his memorable moments. Narration helps the author better direct and move along the piece while exploring each theme possible through the outlooks of different point-of-views.
In his narrative, Hughes inserts explanations about his behavior and jumps ahead in time by omitting events when describing his ceremony of “salvation” and the evening of the service. Hughes gives a detailed timeline of his emotions, thoughts, and feelings throughout the piece leading up to his turn to go up to the podium to be saved by the preacher and meet Jesus. He explains that he got tired of waiting around for his lord to come and save him, and went up to the preacher to save anymore of the congregation’s time he could waste further. All events are briefly depicted in the essay, but his thoughts about it immediately after are left out strategically; all leading up to scene where he describes himself crying in his bed, under his bed quilts like a child. He later explains his crying after he states that his aunt is lead under the impression that he was stricken by the Holy Ghost, but clarifies that he was saddened that his faith and belief in Jesus has dwindled because of his failure to meet Jesus in person. In contrast, however, Hughes expands time by drawing moments out when describing the revival. Literally half the essay is describing the anxiety and anticipation Hughes had felt upon awaiting for Jesus’ arrival, and the lessening number of “lambs” that had found their way to god in mixture with the repetitive phrase “It was getting late” had shown the reader time had indeed passed by quickly- or slowly, depending on how Hughes had felt during the revival. Each of these manipulations of the timeline relates to Hughes main objective by becoming symbolic of his religious growth. He had been established on the Christian religion since childhood in thoughts of believing in Jesus as his lord and savior, and now when he has the opportunity to finally meet Jesus, but is let down upon learning that he did not come to save him from damnation; his growing devotion had slowed to almost a complete stop. The expanding of time symbolizes the well-taught process of his religious upbringing. It too many years for him to become devoted to believing in Jesus and becoming a devoted follower unto his rules; each year being a new lesson as more knowledge on the sins, wrongs, and rights of the Christian religion are established and embedded within him. The jumping ahead in events symbolizes how fast his devotion could be lost after all that had been taught to him as a child. Because of one incident where he was led on false pretenses in thinking he’d actually meet Jesus in person, he was let down and immediately disregarding his teaching and came to the conclusion that there is no Jesus without giving it second thought.
Hughes uses transitions to signal sequence throughout the rest of the essay when describing the uproar of joyous celebration between the congregations when he finally decides to become saved with “suddenly”. He uses “that night” when describing the after effect of not meeting Jesus, “Finally” to show that he was nearing the end of the revival when it was just him and the boy, Westley, “Then” to show what had occurred after Westley had become saved, and “Now” to signal the current time in place in which he was standing during the revival.
The anylasis of the revival process is essential to the essay because the essay is centered on Hughes’ contradiction of becoming saved in a ceremony that marks a person’s new path to god. Without background knowledge on a revival, the reader would not know what the author was attending, why it was of such importance in the church community, and why it had affected him so emotionally to know that everything he once believed in had led him on falsehoods and accusations. With Hughes giving knowledge to his reader in describing what a revival was and how it worked, it would better help the reader identify how emotionally unstable Hughes must have felt after he had his religious morality undone while coming to terms with why Hughes had contradicted himself when speaking on his behalf as being a “saved” man. If background information were not given on Hughes’ revival, the play on words with “salvation” would have never been discovered without intensive research and how the focus of a revival had contradicted itself when in terms with Hughes.

Hughes’s language reveals his adult attitude in a sorrowful guilt manner that portrays him as an older version of himself looking back at one of the most tragic incidents in his life. The passage at the end of the essay really summarizes Hughes’s feelings completely as a sense of feeling betrayed guilty, hurt and saddened. Looking back on his childhood, Hughes has had time to reflect on things that had happened in the past and come to a conclusion with finality after many years of thought. His revival being one of them plays a role of importance since it marked the day he stopped idolizing Jesus. Feelings mixed between guilt for lying to his aunt and sadness for being let down by his god are all shown within the passage as the words “I cried” and “I didn’t believe” really stick out as marking a cause and effect relationship between being hurt from a cause and its result of non-believing. His overall attitude majority shows sorrow as it feels as if Hughes had lost something of his childhood he can never regain back.

The effect of using child-like sentence structure is to fit the theme of “being in the past”. Since the essay is a flashback of Hughes’s revival that happened to him two decades prior, Hughes wanted to set the tone and mood to fit the time for better understanding and comprehension of his feelings during that time and the effects they had on him before and after. The sentence structure of an adolescent child only adds onto the effect of setting the scene of being a twelve-year-old boy in anxious arrival of an icon.

Hughes expects to see Jesus in person while his aunt feels that her nephew, Hughes, has come to accept him in his heart as his lord and savior. Hughes wants to physically touch and talk to Jesus while his aunt feels that Hughes has come to realize that he is nothing without his savior and needs him to guide and walk him through his life with the word of his father. The significance in the story is that, when Hughes’s aunt had told him he would come to “see” Jesus; he took it literally and expected to actually come face to face with the son of god. By this misunderstanding, Hughes finds himself in a position where he no longer believes in the son of god and feels his years of devotion towards him were wasted because of it.