Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
This poem by Langston Hughes is in some way uplifting. He speaks a great deal about the black race in an open and yet obscure way, pinpointing there existence and involvement in History and culture. Also he uses the rivers as a reference indicating his people like rivers are as old as time and significant therefore stating they were not evolved but the ultimate race of creation. I suspect that during that time much racial tension influenced writers to talk in certain codes and use their words wisely to avoid criticism and ridicule. Being the time of the Harlem Renaissance writers and musicians greatly influenced the way people thought concerning situations, I would say mostly for the African American race due to the lack of equality that was imposed upon them. In all I felt the poem was very descriptive and greatly written for its definition of the subject at hand and the relevant usage of the words used.
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I agree with Mr. Griffin. This poem is very positive. I think it is very interesting how Hughes writes about the rivers and compares the rivers of the world to human veins. Hughes mentions different rivers in different parts of the world for example the Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, the Mississippi. It is definitely worth reading whenever you see it. It is also very interesting to realize that the rivers have been here for such a long time and that they are almost like the blood veins of the earth.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with griffin about this poem. Hughes creates a image of culture combine with a History of our ancestors. The resemble us blacks as people and through time we grown wide, long, and deep like rives. throughout the poem Hughes names some of the most important rivers to indicate us people. This poem to me was very uplifting as and greatly written.
ReplyDeleteHe's not even in our class! haha But in all seriousness Griffin points out a subject in the poem that I had to look twice at. Mentioning that evolution was a theme connected to the rivers and that creation was determined ultimate is interesting. Poets use codes for a lot of things, one of the reasons I hate poetry, but I don't see a very strong implication of that theme of evolution. I like that kind of take on it though. Good observation, guy not even in our class!
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