Summary Of The Negro Speaks Of Rivers By Langston Hughes

Although, some readers of “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” may interpret that the meaning of this poem is that any person and their lineage, due to the beginning of the poem starting at the Euphrates which not in Africa. This claim does hold merit, but you have to look at the deeper meaning of the poem and understand what was going on at the time Hughes wrote it. Moreover, in the title “The Negro Speaks” he is alluding to the “Negro” people and their voice. So, yes you could interpret the poem as speaking to people and their origins as a whole, but Hughes is mainly referring to the Negro

Langston Hughes was known for his poems of black activity in America since the 1920’s to the 1960’s, which was the time of the Harlem Renaissance. “My writing has been largely concerned with the depicting of Negro life in America.” Throughout Langston’s life he has seen and experienced racism. He used these experiences to give him ideas of things he could write about. Back then white people were the majority in Harlem, but then once the blacks started to come they dispersed. “We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too.” Langston knew that blacks should express themselves no matter what color they are and not be ashamed of it. Some white people may like that they are expressing themselves, on the other hand, some white people may not accept that the

The poem ?The Negro Speaks of Rivers? by Langston Hughes contains many symbolic meanings about the identity of African Americans. Throughout the poem Hughes uses metaphorical statements to suggest to the reader what the soul of the African American has been through. The symbols of the old rivers from which the African American ideal has risen can be interpreted in many different ways. They represent the birth and growth of the African American culture, and some of the most significant moments of their past. The words written in this poem represent the pride and knowledge of a group of outstanding people.

Langston Hughes was a successful African-American poet of the Harlem renaissance in the 20th century. Hughes' had a simple and cultured writing style. "Harlem" is filled with rhythm, jazz, blues, imagery, and evokes vivid images within the mind. The poem focuses on what could happen to deferred dreams. Hughes' aim is to make it clear that if you postpone your dreams you might not get another chance to attain it--so take those dreams and run. Each question associates with negative effects of deferred dreams. The imagery from the poem causes the reader to be pulled in by the writer's words.

Langston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (“Langston Hughes” 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (“Langston Hughes” 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’ heartfelt concern for his people’s struggle evokes the reader’s emotion. His appreciation for black music and culture is evident in his work as well. Langston Hughes is a complex poet whose profound works provide insight into all aspects of black

Langston Hughes uses both Harlem and The Negro Speaks of Rivers to evoke responses from his readers. Both of these poems are profound in and of themselves when simply read given the political and racial tensions at the time, but when read and digested, they can speak to any race, creed, or color. The use of figurative language in both of these poems is what makes them so easy to identify with. He uses blood, deep rivers, rotten meat, and other nouns to allow the reader to process what each of his or her own rotten meat or deep river is. Interestingly enough, when read passionately, the reader could get lost in his or her own story, but it is of upmost importance to remember that Hughes is chronicling the story of African American plight in such a way that allows anyone to identify with it. It is through this identification that allows anyone to develop pride and sensitivity for Hughes and his people.

In Langston Hughes' poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", he examines some of the roles that blacks have played throughout history. Ultimately, the poem asserts that in every one of these aspects the black people have been exploited and made to suffer, mostly at the hands of white people. The poem is written entirely in first person, so there is a very personal tone, even though the speaker symbolizes the entire black race. The examples of each role cited in the poem are very specific, but they allude to greater indignities, relying on the readers' general knowledge of world history. To convey the injustice that has taken place, Hughes utilizes the symbolism of the

The Negro speaks of Rivers, expands on the idea that African Americans came from all over the place, they have many homes. They were told that they do not belong in America so they need to move back to Africa. But when they did go, they had been gone for too long, the culture and the people had changed from what they knew from old ancestors. Hughes states, “I’ve known rivers; Ancient, dusky rivers”(lines 8-9) Their past family members told them about what life used to be like, before America. These people only knew what was taught through songs or tales from their ancestors. In an article called Culture and Leisure, Lee says,”Slave culture finds its roots both in the ideas, beliefs, and customs brought from Africa” This is proof that Slaves only knew their culture from Africa, they were never able to learn any knowledge from America. Overall these slaves did not have the best of times, they did not know anything or understand anything, only what was told by grandma.

The author effectively employs similes throughout the poem, bringing to light the central theme - the spirituality of the rivers. The two times this literary device is used in this poem are when he talks about how he has “known rivers ancient as the world [...] / [m]y soul has grown deep like the rivers.” (lines 2 & 4). Hughes uses a simile in the first line to highlight how African Americans have earned their rightful place in the world, equal to any other social group.

The poems “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” by Langston Hughes and “the mississippi river empties into the gulf” by Lucille Clifton both use rivers to explain their deeper points. Hughes’ poem talks about how a man remembers and carries all his life life experiences throughout his life. Clifton’s poem explains how people go through life they carry their past with them. Both poems use the rivers as symbolism to which the rivers carry the same water as like people carry their pasts. Although, the water may change it is still the same water.

One of his earliest poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, was written in 1921, long before Hughes would actually travel the world. However, without knowing the authors background and history, one might think it was written by a wise man of old age. Having only lived in various places in the United States, Hughes wrote this poem of an African American man who has seen the world, full with things many people never get to see, that nourished his soul and formed bonds with humans' deepest roots. The four rivers the narrator is mentioning, the Euphrates, the Congo river, the Nile and the Mississippi river, are all of great importance not only in the lives of all human beings, but slaves in particular.

Langston Hughes in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is speaking about the path that African Americans had to take to get to where they are and how he too has faced and seen many things in his lifetime. He uses repetition in his statement “I’ve known rivers”, which he uses three times throughout the short poem. Reminding the reader to pay attention to the long journey they overcame. He first speaks on how the struggles of African Americans began in ancient times. Referencing them going back before the beginning of man, “…older than the flow of human blood in human veins”. He then uses a simile to draw himself into the struggle; “My soul has grown deep like the rivers”. Boldly stating that he has seen and been through so much in his life that his

In Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” used rivers to describe African American people and I agree he described them to be equal, using metaphors, similes, and allusions. Langston Hughes wrote this poem in 1921 when racial issues between Caucasian and African American people were a significant problem. The poem is written in “free verse” and uses anaphora to give the reader the effect that he is the one telling the poem. The poem gives the reader the understanding that African American people have been around for as long as Caucasian people and are equally intelligent. The rivers give us a great meaning to the history of African American people and the narrator has known their struggle. There is a feeling of death towards the end of the poem. This gives the reader the impression that we are still struggling to be equal and it has withered him until his death.

Readers might make several analyses about the symbols used all through these poems. In the poem 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'’ Hughes uses metaphorical statements to propose to the reader what the soul of the African American went through. The use of the old rivers, where the African American ideal has come from, can be read in many different ways. They can signify the birth or growth of the African American culture, and some of the most important moments of their past.

     Langston Hughes’s writing showcases a variety of themes and moods, and his distinguished career led his biographer, Arnold Rampersad, to describe him as “perhaps the most representative black American writer.” Many of his poems illustrate his role as a spokesman for African American society and the working poor. In others, he relates his ideas on the importance of heritage and the past. Hughes accomplishes this with a straightforward, easily understandable writing style that clearly conveys his thoughts and opinions, although he has frequently been criticized for the slightly negative tone to his works.