The Negro Speaks of Rivers

E68789

literaryWork poem

"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.

Aliases (1)

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" ×1

Statements (49)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	literaryWork → poem →
author	Langston Hughes →
countryOfOrigin	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 River → Mississippi River → 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)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
The Weary Blues (""The Negro Speaks of Rivers"") →	containsPoem
Langston Hughes →	notableWork
Langston Hughes →	wrote