Analysis of Illustration of "the Negro Speaks of Rivers," Poem by Langston Hughes

Analysis of illustration of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," poem by Langston Hughes.

American Literatuer II

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” by Langston Hughes, appeals to me in so many ways. Hughes amazingly combines significant events and geographical locations of black history in a mere thirteen lines. Within these same thirteen lines, he emotionally connects every African descendent with their great ancestors as far back as the beginnings of time; at least, this is how I feel when reading “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” I feel Hughes’s use of “I” allows me to personalize the poem to myself, as if I were saying, “I’ve known rivers,” which is repeated a few times throughout the poem.

To understand Hughes’s poem as well as how my illustration represents its meaning, any reader must first have a basic knowledge of the historical references made in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” First, the four rivers, presented in the same chronological order as they appear in black history, are very significant. The Euphrates, mentioned first, is one of the two major rivers in the Middle East credited for the beginning of civilization (Jones 79). This is where history begins. The next river, the Congo, is a major African river that attributed to that continent’s first civilizations (Jones 80). The third river, the Nile, is a very important river running through Egypt. It is vital in history, supplementing the Egyptians and the first “architects, “as the marvelous pyramids were constructed (Jones 80). The Mississippi River, the last river mentioned, is particularly significant to African American history. The Mississippi was used to transport slaves to New Orleans, where much of the U.S. slave exchange took place (Jones 80). According to Jones, Hughes’s reference to “Abe Lincoln” going down to New Orleans represents Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves (81).

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