Write a 150 word response to 2 of the following discussion posts.

1. In “Salvation,” Hughes uses the word “saved” in more than one way. How is being “saved” in the religious sense different than what he, as a child confused in the middle of a revival, experiences in front of the community of worshippers? Second, why is the word SEE so crucial to understanding the conflict in this story? Recall the difference between literal and figurative. 3. Why is the ending ironic; that is, what do we know, as readers, that Auntie Reed does not? Has Hughes been saved, or has his relationship to Jesus/God forever been altered? Is this a story about faith or public pressure?

2. In the poem of Dunbar, what do you think he means by “vile clay” — is he evoking this world, which is often profoundly distorted by racism, bigotry, and fear? And why would he prefer to wear a mask — is such a persona meant to protect a person’s vulnerable sense of self, dignity, and worth? That is, do most of us wear a series of masks everyday to shield ourselves from judgment too, especially in a  world marked by injustice and prejudice towards any sort of difference — whether it is Hispanic immigrant, working class African American, southern Anglo, etc?

3. In Mora’s “Fences,” the symbol of the fences is both multi-layered and varied. For instance, what/who do the fences separate, what does the cactus element seem to suggest, and what is ironic about the mother shouting at the small child as well as the tourists getting “brown” in the sun as they consume tropical drinks behind the fence? Is this a poem about tourists being colonizers, even if they don’t intend to be?