Introduction to “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
”The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is a poem penned by Langston Hughes in 1920. It is one of the most famous pieces of work of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement that sought to promote African American culture and artistic works in the 1920s and 1930s.
It was in 1932 when Hughes wrote this poem and this was during his journey on a train to Mexico to meet his father. In this particular case, through Hughes’s poem, it is clear that the author has a rather deep understanding of history, heritage, and identity issues which are so important for the African American culture.
The poem consists on sequence of reflections and thoughts connected with rivers, which are significant as the embodiment of the essence of the black soul. Hughes takes the reader through the African American history from the beginnings of the civilizations along the Euphrates, Congo and Nile rivers and onwards to the Mississippi River in the era of slavery.
Thus, using the motif of rivers, Hughes links the individual and cultural memory of African American people and underlines their living history. The poem’s language is plain, but this only adds to the impact of the poem since it also has a rhythmic and lyrical quality to it which makes it more meaningful in the cultural context.
Themes in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Theme#1
Heritage and Ancestry
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
The theme of heritage and ancestry is dominant in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Hughes begins the poem with an assertion of the speaker’s connection with the rivers and refers to them as being old as the history of mankind.
This connection symbolizes the history of the African Americans and the heritage of the black race which dates back to the beginning of civilizations. The line “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” indicates that the speaker’s experience has been modified by this rich background.
Hughes employs rivers in his works to symbolize the spirit and accumulated experience of African people and stressed the need for respecting one’s origins.
Theme#2
Connection to Nature
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
The element of bonding with the natural environment is depicted in the poem through the use of images of rivers. Hughes connects black people to the natural environment, which is a clear indication of the individuals’ bond with nature.
The references to the Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi Rivers create the picture of the harmony with the nature. This tie is not just the physical one but also the spiritual and the cultural one.
Thus, Hughes’ focusing on great rivers as the setting for the African Americans reaffirms their presence as an essential part of the natural environment and history, and the balance of man and nature.
Theme#3
Suffering and Resilience
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
The theme of suffering and resilience has been brilliantly represented through the reference of Mississippi River. The name of the national hero of emancipation Abraham Lincoln and a complete reference to the conception of the ‘muddy bosom’ of the river alludes to the reminiscence of slavery and struggle for freedom.
The act of turning the ‘muddy bosom’ of the river, into a ‘golden’ sunset reflects hope and thus, survival, as a characteristic and essence of the African Americans. Hughes is able to display tortured persecuted black existence as well as express the triumph of a people who turn trials into triumphs and scars into ornaments.
Theme#4
Historical Continuity
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
The African roots and cultural heritage are prominent in the given poem: Hughes establishes the timeless nature of the rivers as they have seen the rise and the fall of empires as well as the course of human history.
By invoking ‘these ancient, dusky rivers’, Hughes not only draws a connection from the African Americans to these geographical features but at the same links the African Americans to the legacy of Africa in the history.
The use of the word dusky gives a black culture a deeper, extensive, and steady feel which highlights that the Africans culture and background has always been existent throughout the time. This theme emphasizes the continuity of the black people’s history as an integral part of American history.
Theme#5
Identity and Pride
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Identity and pride are significant theme in Hughes’s poem. The declaration of the speaker that their soul has grown deep like the rivers indicates a profound sense of self- identification and cultural consciousness .
This depth of soul originates from the knowledge of one’s heritage and the suffering of the black people. Besides, by comparing the soul’s depth to ancient and majestic rivers; the poet brings dignity and pride into a human soul that is black in origin.
The subject, theme, mood, tone and message of the poem are accumulation of African history and as a result, affirms the African cultural identity and fosters the culture’s appreciation.
See also: Themes in The Book Night
Theme#6
The Interconnectedness of Past and Present
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
Hughes’s poem presents profound reflections of continuity from the past to the present. Thus, Hughes links the modern suffering of African Americans to the great historical and ancient rivers such as Congo, Euphrates, and Nile.
The events characterized by the speaker in the present are indeed shaped, in one way or the other, by the past and the traditions of the people from whom they descended.
This theme captures the historical consciousness whose notion posits that history is ever ongoing, influencing the present subjectivities and realities. Hughes stresses historical cycles and the necessity to follow one’s lineage in order to comprehend the latter.
Poetic Devices used in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
1- Imagery
Hughes with the help of imagery employs evocative description that create the vision and the sound related to the rivers described in the poem. By maintaining the reference of Euphrates, Congo, Nile, Mississippi—the writer connects the reader to the historical and geographical areas of the world, with the sensory feelings associated with these places.
The images enhance the work in positioning the reader in different time and space periods, thus enriches their experience that indicates the deep bond between the speaker and the rivers.
2- Repetition
Repetition is widespread in Hughes’s poem. It functions substantially in the creation of the rhythmical pattern. A recurrent phrase “I’ve known rivers” serves the purpose of emphasizing the personal connection with the ancient rivers.
This repetition plays the historical sensation, the sharp focus on the cycle of individual existence and eternity of the rivers along with the burden of the described experiences’ feeling rests on the readers themselves. It also makes the poem more musical and has a lyrical and meditative quality to the poem.
3- Personification
In this poem, personification is applied whereby some aspects of the rivers are given the attributes of a human being. The term ‘muddy bosom’ indicates that the river is like a mother figure ‘golden in the sunset’ also exhibits the sentimental and caring relationship between the river and the speaker.
This kind of personification serves to emphasize the fact that the rivers are not simply the physical phenomena or geographical features, but the entities of significant age that contain histories within them, act as repositories of memory and embody the processes of life and evolution. In this respect, Hughes’ decision to endow rivers with the faculty of personhood endows them with feelings and meaning.
4- Symbolism
Symbolism is a important poetic device used in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers. “ In the poem, the rivers stand for the strength and timelessness of the soul of a black person. The images of the river can also be viewed as an indication of the African American people’s historical past, existence and roots. All the rivers described in the poem are symbolic and represent history and civilization in its various manifestations.
This is due to the fact that Euphrates represents the area of early civilized society, Congo gives the vibe of Africa, Nile has ancient pertinence and Mississippi was symbolic to the society due to slavery and freedom. Specifically, through representation of the rivers Hughes attempts to tie Black individuals’ experiences to the universal ones.
Summary of “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is a contemplation of self and history that employs the image of rivers to express the Black subject’s roots. The speaker reviews the connection with the great rivers of the world: the Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi – describing the history of African people starting from the dawn of civilization to the present.
With the help of the rich imagery and the verbal symbols, Hughes captures the strength, the depth, and the persistence of the African American soul, stressing the theme of the historical identity, reminiscence, and dignity. The poem is a free verse that speaks to the spirit of the black people and their history going back to the ancient times.
