Jhon Lopez Discussion 10

My research essay focuses on Langston Hughes’ “Salvation”. My thesis statement is “Throughout the narrative, Hughes uses verbal, dramatic, and situational irony”. Hughes’ use of irony is evident in the sarcastic and mocking tone he uses, this is an example of verbal irony. Dramatic irony is used by letting the readers know the outcome of the situation in the first sentence of the narrative, “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved”. And the religious revival is an example of situational irony because instead of strengthening Hughes’ connection with Christianity, he loses faith completely. I believe that a biography of Langston Hughes would be most appropriate for my essay. Using the BMCC database, I found an autobiography that discusses Hughes’ early life. The biography mentions that Carrie Hughes, Hughes’ mother, left him at a young age with his grandmother’s friend, Auntie Reed, and her husband. They were described as being devout Christians who constantly pressured Hughes to join the church, and the narrative “Salvation” explains the result of this. The incident in the religious revival event marked the beginning of his disbelief in religion.