"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes is an amazing epic poem
showing the depth of a person's soul. It actually gave me the chills while reading it. It is
an intimate and personal piece. When I looked up the history of Hughes I felt even more
inspired. He was an African American man who was born in Mississippi in 1902. He
wrote this poem while he was a senior in High School. That is amazing! He became
involved in many racial issues fighting for his culture. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" is
just one example of how tremendous of a man Langston Hughes really was. This poem
has deep historical and racial meaning.
The poem is written in first person, by Langston Hughes. Although I do not think
he is only speaking of himself, but on behalf of all African Americans. I think that he is
referring to his race and all of its generations. He is speaking to a general audience. I can
imagine that he is a handsome dark skinned man, wandering around lonely, just
searching for answers. The tone of the poem is very quiet and solemn. It does not change
throughout. The speaker does not change either. The language of the poem really makes
it interesting. For example, this poem relies on a lot of repetition. The three words in the
first line, "I've known rivers:" appears throughout the poem three times. Also the third
line, "My soul has grown deep like the rivers" repeats as the last line of the poem.
Secondly, word choice is also important. For example, "I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky
rivers." The "ancient dusky rivers" can be referring to one of many things. "Dusky"
meaning dark can refer to the color of the African people's skin. "Dusky" having more of
a grim connotation can refer to the past of African-Americans in a white society. Finally,
"dusky" meaning unclear could refer to the future of African-Americans in this society.
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