The Shaping of African Identity in Langston Hughes' "The Negro Speaks of Rivers”

Abstract

The poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes is a very strong representation of the African American identity that builds on the cultural continuity and historical memory. The paper shares a review of the abundant use of metaphors of rivers in the poem as a symbol of the trauma and strength of the African diaspora. Following the speaker in his relations to ancient rivers, Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi, Hughes redefines the notion of Black identity as a dynamic and changing tradition that cuts across both time and space. This paper will examine how the symbolic use of these rivers by Hughes is cultural reclamation and spiritual renewal that deals with the theme of displacement, survival, and ancestral wisdom. Based on the postcolonial theory and the diasporic memory and the cultural renaissance of the Harlem renaissance, the paper posits that the poem of Hughes provides a historical continuum, which binds individual experience with a shared legacy. Through analyzing the imagery, tone, and structure in the poem, the present research points to the fact that the work of Hughes is not just a reflection of the past, but is more of a philosophical picture, linking the past to the present, and renewing the African American experience. Finally, this poem is an anthem to identity, personal and collective, that is a historical set of testimonies to cultural survival.