Name: Elsa 

Text: 

“When my grandmother was sick in the hospital, she was in a lot of pain. She had glaucoma, and due to a mistake at the hospital, she got an infection from the surgery. This is ultimately how she passed.

I never met her, but a story I’ve heard circulated many times is the night she met angels. One day in the hospital, she was in an extreme amount of pain. She thought she was going to die that night. She fell asleep, and woke up to the sound of two voices, and a very bright light. The two voices conversed about it “not being her time yet,” and a hand reached out and touched her back. Her pain immediately subsided, and she fell asleep. 

Although she passed away shortly after, she had enough time to spend with her family.”

Context:

I heard this from my father, who is her son. I think this story is not only a cool supernatural story but one of hope and healing. It was comforting to my dad to hear that she was protected, and hopefully still is by those angels who helped her.

Analysis:

This story is a legend. It can’t be disputed or proven as that is in the experience of the person experiencing it. This genre is often used to showcase a potential truth value that is unknown, and it is not as easily spread. It also highly depends which one is believed and not believed as it is socially negotiated. In Ireland they believe in fairies, but in the states they believe in Aliens. Objectively, the two are the same. In this case, Elsa’s family is from Pakistan. However, the idea of seeing an angel visit someone as they died/about to die/die and come back is quite common. I suppose the connotation of the word “angel” is an Abrahamic perspective of categorizing the being that visited her grandma. The legend of angels are socially non negotiable in America because of its inherent Christian ties. However, the idea of something visiting is quite universal.