An Analysis of The Negro Speaks of Rivers Essay - 952 Words

The 1920s and 1930s were the years of the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance. This period of the Roaring Twenties is said to have begun around the end of the war and lasted well until the Great Depression. Partially due to the migration of more and more African Americans into the north of the United States, the national literature, arts and music movement developed into something, until then, completely new and literary modernism spread further (Perkins and Perkins 212). The 1920s were a time of immense change, with women becoming eligible to vote, alcoholic beverages become prohibited to sell, and later on the crash of the stock market (Perkins and Perkins). With modernism and the invention of new things like the television, Americans†¦show more content†¦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 b y 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. The Euphrates is said to be the longest river in Southwest Asia as well as the worlds oldest river overall. As mentioned in the poem, the Euphrates is â€Å"ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins† (Hughes 222), at least figuratively speaking since the Euphrates is approximately 450.000 years old (Muhesen 95-105). This ancient river has been a place of human settlement since the very beginning, and its water has made life possible for those who settled down close to it. In a way, thisShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Negro Speaks Of Rivers796 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† - Langston Hughes â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† by Langston Hughes is a 10 line lyric poem in free verse. This poem is compiled of 5 stanzas with various line lengths. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† doesnt rhyme, however, the repetition of the word â€Å"rivers† insinuates transition. This essay focuses on the importance of the word â€Å"rivers† throughout the poem because it discusses the origins of humanity and the interplay between racism and equality. Hughes discusses theRead MoreAnalysis of Langston Hughes ´ The Negro Speaks of Rivers927 Words   |  4 PagesHughes has tried multiple times to reconnect with his father, but it never succeeded. Although Langston Hughes has a complicated relationship with his father it led him to write one of the most well-known novels that gave him recognition: Negro Speaks of Rivers. Langston Hughes was born February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Hughes’s father, James Nathaniel Hughes, left him and his mother and headed to Mexico. Hughes, his mother unable to provide for him, lived with his grandmother in LawrenceRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes Poem The Negro Speaks Of Rivers 1242 Words   |  5 PagesDaniel Lemaire Professor Merton Lee EN-101-12 28 October 2014 Essay 2 While reading Langston Hughes’ poem, â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† the theme of roots is predominant throughout the reading, this theme raises question to the whole meaning of the poem. Although the word â€Å"roots† itself is never in the actual text, it contains strong details of the poem promoting deep imagery and depiction of veins, tributaries, and the roots of the plants and trees. Hughes wanted to give the reader the illusionRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s The Negros Speaks Of Rivers 896 Words   |  4 PagesThrough his works such as â€Å"The Negros Speaks of Rivers,† â€Å"Harlem† and â€Å"I Too, Sing America,† Hughes is able to reveal and describe the lives of African Americans early in the 20th century. Langston Hughes reveals the theme of pride in â€Å"The Negros speaks of Rivers† through the hardships of his race and the endurance and strength of his race. He analyzes how the African American race has survived, yet being enslaved and were seen as property. He writes, â€Å"I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and olderRead MoreRichard Wrights Assessment for the Negro Writers Essay1373 Words   |  6 PagesRichard Wrights Assessment for the Negro Writers Introduction Richard Wright’s plead in the Blueprint for Negro Writing could be very well summarized in one of the famous words from Thomas Kempis, â€Å"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.† In this popular essay, Richard Wright denounced the Negro writers as he perceived them to be merely begging for the sympathy of the bourgeoisie instead of striving to present a lifeRead MoreExploring the Symbolism and Historical Allusions in Langston Hughes The Negro Speaks of Rivers1311 Words   |  5 PagesDear Professor X, In exploring the symbolism and historical allusions in Langston Hughess The Negro Speaks of Rivers, I hoped to trace the different elements that influenced Hughes and how he viewed himself within the world and society. In the process of examining the poem and beginning to create a structure, I had to not only look at the superficial meaning of what Hughes was saying, but also look for alternative meanings of what he said. Additionally, I had to tie in my knowledge of historyRead MoreLangston Hughes Essay797 Words   |  4 Pages Hughes background and personal beliefs were quite influential in his writing and it is reflected in his tremendous discontent for the white mans world. Three of his works that that display this feeling and similar theme include The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Porter, and Refugee in America. Langston Hughes was born and educated in the South during what can be classified as Jim Crow years. Although through most of his career he did not really live in the South, he did not forget all ofRead MoreReoccurring Themes in the Work of Langston Hughes Essay1649 Words   |  7 Pagesinsight into all aspects of black life in America, including oppression, struggle, music and culture. Hughes speaks about black oppression in a full range of representation. The blacks that Hughes focuses most of his writing on are the â€Å"most burdened and oppressed of the black underclass, and people who have the most reason to despair but show the least evidence of it† (Bloom, â€Å"Thematic Analysis of the ‘Weary Blues’† 14). He tells the story of their life and times to voice his displeasure with the oppressionRead MoreThe Negro Speaks Of Rivers1548 Words   |  7 Pageshim to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, both whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences. By the time Hughes was enrolled at Columbia University in New York, he had already launched his literary career with his poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† in the Crisis, edited by W.E.B. DuBois. He also committed himself to writing mainly about African Americans. Leaving Columbia in 1922, Hughes spent the next three years in a succession of menial jobs and traveling abroad. He returned in lateRead MoreThe Criticism Of John Crowe Ransom2127 Words   |  9 Pagesdoes admit that historical studies are indispensable he claims that it is merely instrumental and cannot an end itself. Even though he recognizes the importance of historical studies he argues that historical studies should be excluded from analysis. It is true that there is a lot to gain from analyzing and paying close attention to form, literary devices and techniques that are incorporated within a poem and a certain level of knowledge of the poem can be found solely within the poem. However