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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. 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. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Rising Above the Hatred in Langston Hughes:
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"Article written by Belinda ~ Bar2969
Sometimes near the water something stirs within my soul and a feeling of serenity settles over me. Over eighty years ago, a majestic American River similarly inspired a young writer. That writer was Langston Hughes, and the poem inspired by his journey is titled "A Negro Speaks of Rivers." Although the times dictated racial discrimination, Langston Hughes masterfully instilled a growing sense of pride for his race by claiming that Negroes had been instrumental in civilizations all through history, and therefore could transcend those inequalities that ruled the times they lived in.
The year was 1921 and Hughes "often expressed his views on the frustrations of blacks" ("Hughes" 263) in the United States. Hughes penned his now famous poem at a time when segregation ruled the land, a time when racism prevailed, and Negroes were assigned to back seats and treated like second class citizens. Hughes was attempting to show the black man as human during a time when others saw them as less than human. Without ever speaking the words, Hughes sends a message that speaks volumes about the treatment of Negroes in this country. His style of writing evokes strong images that trace the longevity and significant history of Negroes from Africa to America.
In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Hughes uses four major rivers as a metaphor that refers to his race and the collective souls of all Negroes. The lyrical poem containing thirteen lines and five stanzas is a small masterpiece of rhythm and relies on alliteration. Hughes focuses on the role of Negroes in the shaping of civilization dating back to biblical times when the "dawns were young" (Line 5). The world’s earliest civilizations were found among the fertile soil of the Euphrates, the Congo, and the Nile rivers. Together these three rivers symbolize the ancient history of the Negro race at a time when they were free. Lastly Hughes mentions the mighty Mississippi River and when he writes, "when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans," (Line 8, 9) he is referring to the fact that it was in New Orleans that Lincoln first witnessed the slave auctions. The transformation of the river from "its muddy bosom" into "all golden in the sunset" (Line 10) is a metaphor for the freedom and the hope that Lincoln delivered to the black slaves.
With his skillful writing Hughes resurrects a sense of racial pride from the ashes of the Civil War and the slavery that ceased at the War’s end. He takes the high road knowing that his "soul has grown deep like the rivers" (Line 13), and rises above racial hatred to champion his people to voice his concerns for racial and social injustice. Langston Hughes gives strength and a sense of pride to his race during a time when they were made to feel less than worthy. This beautiful poem stirs the reader’s soul much like an old Negro spiritual song.
Article written by Belinda at Bar2969@aol.com. Do not use without permission.