Hughes and King

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at legendary 20th Century figures Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King, both of whom addressed the situation of being black. The paper compares King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech and Hughes' essay "Salvation".

From the Paper:

"Hughes evokes a powerful revival experience from his childhood. As a thirteen-year-old, he attended a revival at his aunt's church that went on for weeks. Throughout the course of the revival, many sinners were caught up in the religious fervor and passion as they professed to the presence of Jesus. Hughes' tone early in the essay suggests that he is hopeful that the other converted sinners in the church really did see Jesus and were sincerely saved. When his turn came, though, he was more skeptical and wished to see actual proof. Even though Hughes clearly reported the amazing passion of the preacher who "preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell," (91) he did not allow himself to be swept up in the passion. He believed and hoped Jesus would speak directly to him and explained that "I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting--but he didn't come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened" (91). His faith did not get the nudge he hoped for and he remained on the bench unsaved."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Miller, George. The Prentice Hall Reader, seventh edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1998.

More papers on Hughes and King:

• Analytical Essay # 122460 : "A Raisin in the Sun" and the American Dream"
• Analytical Essay # 141518 : "Langston Hughes and his Works"
• Analytical Essay # 142341 : "Critique of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath"

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