Unit 15 Salvation
Langston Hughes
Teaching Objectives
Part I
1）To have an acquaintance with the textrelated cultural background, including the
author, Christianity, Salvation, Sin, etc.;
2）To have a general undertanding of the
text;
3)To analyze the language features o f the
text
Teaching Objectives
Part II
4）A brief review
5) To analyze the text’s progression/organization
(deductive method) ;
6）To know about the “construction of meanings”;
7) To cultivate students’ awareness of perspectives
and cultural comparison/contrast;
Teaching Objectives
Part III
8) Presentation: To enhance students’ English
performance, help uplift their skills for public
speaking, and broaden their thinking.
9）Exercises: To mend, enhance, refine and
streamline.
10) Extra Materials: To broaden students’ scope of
knowledge and vision so as to help promote
their humanistic making and creativity.
Part I (2 sessions)
Session 1
1. Lead-up: Salvation: A brief introduction
1.1. About the Wtriter: Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes (1902-1967), was, still is, and
will always be a well-remembered modern
American black poet and writer for his poetic
talents and passion, his merry and rhythmical
style, his bold divergence form traditional poetry,
his compassion for the poor and the
underprivileged, and his depiction of the life of
black Americans.
Session 1
Dreams: One of the much sought-after poems in China by
Langston Hughes.
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow
(two stanzas from the poem.)
Session 1
1.2. About God and Jesus Christ
God: the Creator/the First Cause/ Our Maker
(creation); The Almighty/omnipotent, the Most
High, One above, Supreme being, the
Everlasting, Judge, Providence, etc.
Jesus: the man of sorrows, prince of peace,
beloved/only begotten son, the Carpenter’s son,
Christ, the Good/Great shepherd.
Session 1
1.3. About the Bible (Christianity)
1) The title of the text:
Salvation—savior--- Jesus/God
original sin: A Core Concept in
Christianity
2) The Bible:A cultural cornerstone
Session 1
1.4 About the Text：A guess
1.5 Text Study(the first 2 or 3 paragraphs
Words and expressions in focus)
Salvation：
Save from
Revival
Preach
Hardened
By leaps and bounds
Session 2
2.Text Study
2.1．Text Study and Language Points in Focus
fold, escort, mourner, rhythmical, sermon, leave out,
be left out in the cold, hold out, braid, prayer, altar,
deacon, swirl, congregation, mighty, wail, serenely, sob,
hold up, grin, take one’s name in vain, break into,
rejoice, quiet down, punctuate, ecstatic, bless, joyous
Session 2
2.2 An appreciation of the beauties and subtleties of
some words
• P1. Beginning of the story: Sin, revival, preaching,
hardened, fold (Metaphorical use: cross, lamb, shepherd,
take shelter/refuge, light, salt ), escort, etc.
• P2. inside, See(image), hear (the call, voice), feel
(tenderness, love, care, presence)
• P3. rhythmical sermon. Young lambs: need protection
and comfort. Aestheticization of religion. Allusion:
Ninety and nine safe in the fold.
Session 2
• P5. See (stubborn and lovely)
• P7---P12. congregation, serenely, waiting,
lying in the temple, “So I got up”
• P13. the congregation’s reaction: a big
irony
• P14. Quieted down：hush, ecstatic Amen；
Amen: a symbol, a call: “尊贵名，何等美。
地所望与天所愿。阿门!”
Session 2
• P15. Causes for Cry:
• 1) couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied: care
•
•
•
and consideration;
2) deceived everybody: honesty;
3) hadn’t seen Jesus: disappointment, emptiness
and honesty
4) didn’t believe in God any more”: rationalism,
sign of growing : An analysis
Session 2
2.3 Language features of the text :
brainstorming
APP. Language features of the Bible:
simple, Easily comprehensible, nontheoretical, imagistic, metaphorical,
rhythmical, incomplete sentences (in some
cases), mysterious
Session 2
2.4 Text Summary
(1 or 2 students to be invited)
* Your understanding of the author’s being
saved.
**A lovely stubborn boy,
A well-intended rivival,
A long waiting for Jesus,
A disillusion and an awakening.
(The end of session1-2)
Part II (Session 3) Teaching
Objectives
1）A brief review
2）To know about the “construction of meanings”;
3) To analyze the role of environmental elements
in English and Chinese writings;
4) To trace the text’s progression/organization
(deductive method) ;
5) And to cultivate our consciousness of
perspectives and cultural comparison/contrast.
A General Review :Session 3
1. A General Review
*Langston Hughes: Dreams : A Reading-aloud
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow (two stanzas from the peom)
Session 3
*Text Summary
*Why did the author cry ?
*how to interpret Salvation as in the text?
*In “Still I kept waiting to see Jesus”, which
word should be specially stressed? And what
does it convey?
*How to interpret “Ninety and nine safe in the
fold” ?
(To meaning construction )
Session 3
2. Construction of Meanings:
** light; lamb; fold: (symbols, images, icons)
** Zhu and Liang（朱光潜与梁宗岱）：“骏马秋风塞外，
杏花春雨江南” the sublime/masculine vs. the
beautiful/feminine: (typical images/icons in classical
Chinese peotry)
** Bian(卞之琳)：“山前一汪小水，变成明朝村中一树杏花”
与“小楼一夜听春雨，明朝深巷卖杏花”.
(to generalization)
Session 3
Generalization:
The word, especially the culturally loaded one, or the
one that is patient of several interpretations, doesn’t exit
there in isolation or for no reason. The construction of its
meaning is dependent to a certain degree on
previous/influential/typical texts regarding the word.
(light, lamb and fold must be understood metaphorically
and symbolically from the Christian perspecive as shown
in the Holy Scripture. )
(To environmental elements)
Session 3
3. About Environmental Elements in English
and Chinese Writing
• Hot ,late (P6, p11): environmental elements
Role
Chinese: (A description of the
environment/setting/scene is almost inseparable
in Chinese writings, especially in literary writings.)
English: (less frequent, and less important)
(to exemplifications)
Session 3
Examples:
Lu Xun’s short fictions: In Sendai, Hometown
Liu Bannong(刘半农) : Longing
Reasons: *Wang Guowei (王国维)：“一切景语，皆情语也。”
(Words for the view are also words for emotions and feelings )
（Meng: Things without will essentially point to things within.）
*中国人侧重自然，天人合一，较少重心理描写。
*西人更重事、重心理: 《浮生六记》(Six Chapters of A Floating Life)
*英国人译本：景物描写大多省去。
(To deductive method)
Session 3
4.The Organization/Progression of the Text:
Deductive method ( as opposed to inductive
method) :
In almost all functional writings and even in many
literary texts in English, the deductive method is
employed . It goes from a statement, hypothesis, or
general idea made at the very beginning to the narration,
description, manifestations, evidences, arguments, etc.
The train/stream of thought is “from the general to
particulars”. While induction follows the other way
around.
(to exemplifications)
Session 3
Exemplifications:
*The text: salvation: A brief discussion
*Pride and Prejuice: Opening chapter
*Hard Times: Opening chapter
(It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age
of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way… )
*A student asking for a program timetable
(To perspective analysis)
Session 3
5. Cultivation of Perspective and Comparison
1) Sin vs. crime, wrongdoing, offence, violation,etc
（罪、罪孽、罪愆)
Negro vs. black
save vs. rescue …(wife, spouse, love, beloved…)
6. 1) Questions and answers:
2) A quick glimpse of what’s to come
3) Assignment: A Bible Story to tell
(The end of session 3 )
Session 4
1. Broadened language and culture
1.1 Linguistic Features of the Bible
simple, Easily comprehensible yet vague,
non-theoretical, imagistic, metaphorical,
rhythmical, incomplete sentences (in some
cases), mysterious
Session 4
1.2 The Bible and the English Language:
Phrases and Allusions
Idioms：
1).types of persons: wise as Solomon,
greedy as Ahab, devout as Abraham,
Eloquent as Aaron; good Samaritans;
doubting Thomas,
Session 4
2) Bear one’s cross, the day of judgment,
Forbidden fruit is sweetest. No cross no crown.
eye for eye, tooth for tooth; clean hands, no
respecter of persons, let the dead bury the dead,
kill the fatted calf. It’s better to give than to take;
Judge not, ye be not judged. Man proposes;
God disposes, apple of one’s eyes, a lion in the
way, beat the air, hold out the olive branch;
tower of Babel, serpent, Judas kiss, the last
supper
Session 4
Allusions:
Noah’s Ark, the creation of the world, Eden,
Adam, Eve, bone of the bone and flesh of the
flesh, serpent, forbidden fruit, Adam’s apple, the
fall of man, original sin, the tree of life, Cain and
Abel, dove and olive leaf, Lamb of Passover,
scapegoat, the Jordan before Moses, the elect of
God, land of promise, David and Jonathan,
Satan, my cup runs over, twelve disciples, the
lost sheep, five loaves and two fishes, Judas,
thirty pieces of silver, prodigal son
Session 4
1.3. The Bible and the Chinese Language and
Literature
1）“自1823年马礼逊全译本《圣经》出版，到
1998年，《圣经》在中国共计发行3亿余册。”
2）朱自清：“近世基督教圣经的官话翻译，也增
富了我们的语言。”e.g. New wine in the old
bottle, the last supper, olive branch
3) 胡适、林语堂、鲁迅、郭沫若、郁达夫、冰心、
沈从文、巴金以及曹禺，皆受了圣经的积极影响：
文字、主题、风格等。
Session 4
1.4 The Bible and Movies
Road to Perdition
Matrix
Seven Deadly Sins
Session 4
1.5 Christian Festivals and Rituals
• Advent(基督降临) , Good Friday（受难节：复活
节前的星期五）, Ascension Day（耶稣升天）,
Whitsunday（圣灵降灵节：复活节后第七个星期
日）, Trinity（三一节，复活主日，也叫Trinity
Sunday）, Easter（复活节）, Hallowmas（诸圣
日11月1日）, Boxing Day（节礼日）.
• Names for Rituals：Benediction（赐福祈福，[饭
前/饭后]感恩祷告）, Intercession（代人祷告）,
prayer（祈祷）, service（礼拜式）
Session 4
2. Assignments
1). A reading of Part of Genesis
2). A reading of the Ten Commandments
Part III Session 5
1. Presentation: A Bible Story and Its
Implication/significance (3 students to
be invited to present the story to the class)
2. Exercises: Paraphrasing, grammar,
translation, etc.
3. Questions and Answers
Session 6
1. To offer a Christmas song：Lyrics
2. some “’d-better-know’s”
2.1The Holy Bible and Daily Life
1) Baptism: “I baptize you in the name of the Father,
and the son, and of the Holy spirit”
2) Swearing-in: American President
Giving testimony in the court
Cross one’s chest: football players
Accidents: Amen! Thus may the Lord do.
In God, we trust. (In notes)
Session 6
2.2 . The Ten Commandments: A brief analysis
2.3．The Seven Deadly Sins
Seven: about the figure
The Seven Deadly Sins:傲慢 (Pride)、暴怒(Wrath)、
懒惰(Sloth)、贪婪(Greed)、嫉妒(Envy)、饕餮(Gluttony)、
以及淫欲(Lust)。
3. Summary and Suggestions/requirements
Thanks!