The Negro Speaks of Rivers
E68789
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a seminal poem by Langston Hughes that meditates on African and African American history and identity through the enduring symbolism of ancient rivers.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literaryWork
ⓘ
poem ⓘ |
| author | Langston Hughes ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| editorOfFirstPublication | W. E. B. Du Bois ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1921 ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | The Crisis ⓘ |
| form | free verse ⓘ |
| genre |
African American poetry
ⓘ
lyric poetry ⓘ |
| hasCanonicalStatus | yes ⓘ |
| hasLineCount | 10–15 (approximate, depending on edition) ⓘ |
| hasSpeaker | collective Black voice ⓘ |
| includedIn | The Weary Blues ⓘ |
| influenced | subsequent African American poetry ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| meter | irregular ⓘ |
| movement | Harlem Renaissance ⓘ |
| notableFor |
meditation on African and African American identity
ⓘ
use of ancient rivers as central metaphor ⓘ |
| openingLine | I've known rivers: ⓘ |
| period | Harlem Renaissance ⓘ |
| publisherOfFirstPublication | The Crisis ⓘ |
| references |
Congo River
ⓘ
Euphrates ⓘ
surface form:
Euphrates River
Mississippi River ⓘ Nile ⓘ
surface form:
Nile River
|
| refrain | My soul has grown deep like the rivers. ⓘ |
| setting | mythic historical landscape ⓘ |
| subject |
African American history
ⓘ
African history ⓘ Black identity ⓘ collective memory ⓘ diaspora ⓘ freedom ⓘ heritage ⓘ slavery ⓘ time and eternity ⓘ |
| symbolism | rivers ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
deep roots of African civilization
ⓘ
endurance of Black people ⓘ |
| taughtIn |
African American literature courses
ⓘ
American literature courses ⓘ |
| theme |
collective Black experience
ⓘ
connection between past and present ⓘ historical continuity ⓘ spiritual resilience ⓘ |
| writer | Langston Hughes ⓘ |
| writtenByAtAge | 18 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"