(1902-1967)
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
In looking at this poem we must first turn to the following quote: “Nobody ever cried in my grandmother’s stories. They worked, or schemed, or fought. But no crying. When my grandmother died, I didn’t cry, either. Something about my grandmother’s stories taught me the uselessness of crying about anything.” – Langston Hughes
What does the river symbolize in this poem? Is it a way of alluding to the millions of tears without naming them as such? Think about the use of the word “I” in this poem and what it does to your overall reading? How would the poem sound of “they” or “we” was used in its place?
Hughes creates a geographical landscape through his mention of the Euphrates (Southwest Asia), Congo and Nile (Africa) and Mississippi (America), as if he is attempting to connect the hemispheres and thus recreate the journey of African American (which is exactly what the poem strives to do in some ways). The poem, like a river, is fluid, in constant motion. We must keep in mind that Hughes wrote this poem on a train while crossing the Mississippi, and the theme of motion is an important one. How does blood connect to the overall imagery of the river in this poem? In choosing ‘rivers’ as his main symbolic theme, what is the poet able to accomplish?
Think about the title of the poem- “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”- Why “The Negro,” what does this formulation help emphasize a general connectivity between African Americans?
‘The Weary Blues”
One word- jazz. This is not just a poem that has a beat, this is a poem that is SO influenced by jazz that it has literally become jazz. This poem is a sound-scape, you cannot read it silently, it demands to be read out loud. Blues and Jazz often acted as a form of criticism during the Harlem Renaissance, a way in which musicians could disguise their the complaints and protests through sound. This ‘disguised criticism’ or ‘disguised communication’ reminds us of the early slave songs which were created so that the slaves could manage to communicate to one another without the knowledge of their masters.
This poem contains both standard English and the vernacular (as mentioned in lecture) and it may be interesting to see what happens to the poem when you take the vernacular out. Read the poem without the jazz song… how does the poem change? What is lost? Now read JUST the singer’s verses… what happens?
Look at the last line of the singer’s verse (“And I wish that I had died”)and the last line of the poem(“he slept like a rock or a man that’s dead”) what do you notice? How does this poem function as an act of criticism or protest? Is it?
“The Same”
This poem is about exploitation, of both nature and Human nature. This was written during Hughes’s socialist phase and we can clearly read the socialist element into it. This is a political protest poem and it speaks of a general (un-racialized) exploitation of the working class. How did you all read this poem? How do the lists (“dollars..” etc) function in the poem?
“Negro”
Think about this poem in relation to “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” What are some similarities/differences? Think a little about the following: every line in this poem is in the past tense EXCEPT: “I am and Negro” and “They still lynch me in Mississippi.” What do you think Hughes is trying to accomplish in using those two lines? How does the poem subtly protest against the then present discriminatory violence enacted upon African Americans?
“I, Too”
Think about how “I, too” relates to segregation… look closely at the comma dividing the “I” from the too, a simple mark of punctuation which becomes a line of division, one that Hughes tries to focus on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CUKyVrhPgM
Think a little about empowerment and protest and how poetry can function as a means of revolt against the oppressive norm. How did you read this poem? What stood out and why?
“The Same”
This poem tells the tale of the driving of the Africans away from their native lands to locations where they are to be exploited, beaten, and worse as slaves. Hughes speaks of the injustice of such enslavement, pointing out that the exploiters accumulate wealth at the expense of African blood. Rather than continue to suffer such injustice, Hughes suggests a bold alternative – revolution – by the African slaves until every land is free from all the hardships and torment that comes with being Black in old America.
“I, Too”
To me this poem is showing the strength of the individual against the means of oppression. The “too” represents a mode of segregation because the individual is forced to declare their status as an American, it is not automatic. The comma in between the “I” and the “Too” represents the thought process of the individual in a time lapse. He is not only declaring to others his American stance, he is reaffirming the very declaration to himself. The comma shows his insecurity– although this moment of self-consciousness is limited to when he tries to title himself– the rest of the poem represents a new sense of awareness and understanding of the world around him. He can finally see “tomorrow”– a world free from the grips of segregation.
“I, Too”
I read this poem as the narrator’s reaction towards slavery, and how badly African-Americans were treated by the whites. Both the comma between “I” and “too”, and the fact that “too” and also be spelled “two”, emphasizes the separation between the white man and the black man. This is the problem the narrator wants to overcome, so that the black man can live life without thinking from the white-man’s eyes. So that the Negro can gain true self-consciousness. However, the narrator is still hopeful and optimistic for the future; this is apparent in the line “But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.”
“The Weary Blues”
The poem, in a way, sets the stage for the jazz song. It gives clues and foreshadows the mood and tone of the song. However, the absence of the song results in the removal of the emotions and attitude conveyed by the song. The singer’s lines supplies some of these emotions and the attitude. The last line of the singer’s verse and the one of the poem serve to protest the conditions that one had to endure, to the point where sleeping was not rest or desirable but an analogous act of dying.
I noticed when reading these works, that laughter has an important place in them. For example, in Hurston’s book on page 62 she explains, “The brother in black puts a laugh in every vacant place in his mind. His laugh has a hundred meanings. it may mean amusement, anger, grief, bewilderment, chagrin, curiosity, simple pleasure or any other of the known or undefined emotions.” She illuminates the necessity for, but also the characteristic place of, laughter among black people. She points out that their laughter is also a way to hide, or mask their true feelings. Like music is a type of rebellious freedom, laughter is a type of defense. In Langston’s poem “I, Too” he says, ” But I laugh and eat well and grow strong,” again referencing laughter as a source of power and pride and rebellion against oppression.
“Negro”
I found this poem’s usage of past and present tense sends a strong, yet subtle message about the everlasting oppression of Blacks throughout history and in (what was at the time) modern society. Throughout the poem, Hughes lists tasks and punishments that Blacks had to endure throughout history. These include cleaning Washington’s shoes, physical torture, singing “sorrow songs,” and building pyramids. Hughes says he has been a slave, worker, singer, and victim. In the second to last stanza, Hughes states that, “The lynch me still in Mississippi.” By putting emphasis on the “still” the reader can see that Black oppression has not ended. Hughes is “still a Negro” and a victim. The majority of the poem is written in past tense – most lines begin with “I’ve…”. The significance to this poem is the present tense ending, which states that oppression and discrimination is still evident in Hughes’ culture.
I feel inspired by Langston Hughes. He is a true cross-cultural communicator as he uses his literature to communicate his culture in a way that confronts the traditional form of literary communication (White European). His use of rhythm that is “off beat” by the standards set out by those educated in western European literary standards forces people to pay attention and truly discover the meaning of his work. I feel like people can get lost in traditional poetry because as you move from one poem to the next the rhythm and sound of the poem barely changes. Also, his work compels you to read it out loud which supports the oral tradition that is being lost in our modern culture. We depend so much on writing things down that we loose the dialogism that came from the oral tradition. Who knows maybe this is part of the reason that our cultures struggle to communicate peacefully and effectively.
The Negro speaks of rivers attempts to highlight the common history of persecution that binds the African American community together. The river(traditionally the means of transporting slaves) and a reference to slavery has plagued the black man throughout history. By emphasizing that his soul has grown as deep as the rivers Hughes attempts to portray the solidarity and understanding of the oppressed that has developed in the black consciousness. A history of persecution has created a unique solidarity in the black community not found in the white community while simultaneously instilling a greater sense of understanding concerning oppression.
“NEGRO”
In both “Negro” as well as “Negro Speaks of Rivers” there is an appeal to the idea that the Negro as a race of people witnessed and occupied so many lands around the Earth. From Africa (Congo, Nile, Euphrates) to America (Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia) Negroes have been either brought or stolen, dishonored and disposed of as cheap labor.
The appeal to “I am a Negro” in the present tense becomes an assertion of personal identity, an affirmation of what has been compiled to create the definition of a Negro. The term itself originates from the Spanish word for the color “black;” an association for a person or Black people for that matter, was never originally intended. With respect to the poem itself, the line “I am a Negro” is repeated only at the end. In a literal sense, this statement confines the rest of the poem to convey what the term Negro is comprised of( “been a slave, been a worker, been a victim, etc.”) The definition of and association with the term Negro has thus been manifested by the Western man to define these Black people as those who experienced the “slave, worker, and victim.” A sort of agency emanates from this poem as it reveals the injustices associated with the term Negro and the racism that has gradually become ingrained in the Western man. Hughes effectively argues that race is imaginary, manifested by fear and hatred to be guided by false justification that creates the ambiguity we refer to as racism.
It is interesting how the usage of punctuation between the I and the too was mention as a mark of segregation. I think this poem is an overt form of resistance against segregation; I took it as making a stance sort of like saying “Hey don’t forget about me, I am here too.” However, the usage of punctuation makes me wonder was that the genius and artistic way of reiterating this notion of inclusion or was it conciendental?
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” Langston Hughes speaks of the age old struggle of the African-American people. All the mentioned rivers are significant to African history. And although some of these rivers have painful symbolism, I think that the overall message of the poem is positive having the river’s “muddy bosom turn all golden.” This symbolizes the triumph of the African-Americans through adversity.
The poem “Dream Boogie”, introduces the context for the whole text, calling for the reader to “Listen to it closely”, to hear “The boogie-woogie rumble / Of a dream deferred” and be open to acknowledge the message of black music, of the desires and “dreams” that are often drowned in the noise of everyday life.
The difference between Langston Hughes’ and other poets of his movement is that while the other artists drew heavily from literary tradition behind them, Hughes’ drew mostly from his contextual surroundings and constantly sought to “Make it New!” I think it’s really important to note his deep usage of jazz rhythms and artists, particularly Dizzy Gillepsie, because it provides a context and analytical tool for understanding his poems. These poems were mostly drawn from his work, Montage of a Dream Deferred, and the poem I posted above, I just realized wasn’t one of our assigned poems, but it’s the first poem to appear in the series so I thought it deserved acknowledgment so that it might help others approach the poems more contextually.
I saw the “Negro speaks of rivers” as a window into the long suffering of the black race. Hughes is specifically referring to places of suffering throughout black history. By doing this he is empowering all black people, as if to point out that if they have been the bedrock of civilization for thousands of years, they are therefore a powerful and important people. Hughes is trying to avert people from being discouraged or oppressed and instead realize how much pride is in their race. The use of blood further connects black people to civilization. Just as ancient rivers have grown more powerful and larger throughout the existence of man, so does the black race.
The weary blues
It is interesting that jazz is described as veiled criticism, because I believe Hughes is criticizing jazz in this poem. He isn’t criticizing jazz as an art form or way of expression, but he is criticizing the common ideals and message that jazz songs have. Jazz is a very melancholy style that uses references to the singers life that involve pain and anguish. Though Hughes would never disagree that this is a perfectly viable source of expression, I believe Hughes is criticizing the thought that black people feel sorry for themselves. I see this poem as Hughes way to ask black people to feel more proud of their history of pain, rather than feel burdened by it. He directly connect the songs the man is singing to the songs slaves sang while they worked, therefore connecting the sadness of this “negro” to the sadness felt by the slave. The song of the black jazz player takes up most of the poem, and in the end of the poem Hughes has the man die, simultaneously comparing him to a rock. Hughes almost dehumanizes this jazz player, as if to point out that if one spends their own life feeling sorry for themselves, they cannot enjoy their life and achieve goals or dreams.
Langston Hugues does an exceptional job combining his words with sound (syncopation). Additionally, what I take from reading his poems is that he is trying to communicate the fact that the negro is a human being as well capable of attaining knowledge to the same capacity. In “I, Too” he is trying to emphasize that the negro also lives in this world and has the right to the same opportunities as any other human being.
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Langston Hughes uses the poetic tools of syncopation in order to portray a feeling of jazz and resistance. Just as jazz was a part of the subtly subversive movement of the Harlem Renaissance, song was a part of subtle subversion for slaves in the nineteenth century. Because it was not outwardly resisting white society, this knowledge that existed only between the slaves existed as a form of resistance that they could never be caught or punished for. This concept of poetry as music is one that opens the doors for subtle subversion.