Throughout Langston Hughes’ poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” the theme of roots is prominent and this theme gives rise to the ultimate meaning of the poem. The poem cites strong imagery related to veins, rivers, and the roots of trees and give the reader a sense of the importance of these objects. Furthermore, through Hughes’ use of language and images, he is able to create two meanings for the theme of roots. On one hand they refer to the deep roots like trees have as well as in the historical and familial sense. Through these images and powerful details, the reader understands the complexity of the poem and it becomes clear that the poem addresses themes that are much greater in magnitude than simply rivers or human veins: it is a statement
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Like rivers and veins, “roots run deep and twist irregularly through the medium in which they are planted.” The ancient rivers and surrounding areas the narrator illustrates are like the blood in veins, “or the roots under trees” because they provide nutrients and can support life. This is supported when the speaker discusses early civilizations that surrounded and thrived off the rivers, thus the theme of roots has a dualistic …show more content…
The speaker says, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young / I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled it me to sleep.” This makes the reader aware that the “ancient rivers” spoken of before are the “roots” both in terms of history as well as physically. The theme of rivers is continued in the following lines, when the speaker details looking along the Nile and then hearing singing in Mississippi and New Orleans. At this moment it is clear that these are locations of particular importance in African and African-American history. The speaker appears to be comparing survival with the rivers since, like veins and roots, the rivers provide nutrients necessary for survival and growth. Within all of these statements about rivers lies the theme of roots. These rivers are all in separate locations even though they are like individual trees with separate root systems, they can support and give life. Subsequently, this idea that the roots of African and African-American history are not only within the people, but that they are within the souls that “have grown deep like the rivers” they have thrived along for
Like rivers and veins, “roots run deep and twist irregularly through the medium in which they are planted.” The ancient rivers and surrounding areas the narrator illustrates are like the blood in veins, “or the roots under trees” because they provide nutrients and can support life. This is supported when the speaker discusses early civilizations that surrounded and thrived off the rivers, thus the theme of roots has a dualistic …show more content…
The speaker says, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young / I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled it me to sleep.” This makes the reader aware that the “ancient rivers” spoken of before are the “roots” both in terms of history as well as physically. The theme of rivers is continued in the following lines, when the speaker details looking along the Nile and then hearing singing in Mississippi and New Orleans. At this moment it is clear that these are locations of particular importance in African and African-American history. The speaker appears to be comparing survival with the rivers since, like veins and roots, the rivers provide nutrients necessary for survival and growth. Within all of these statements about rivers lies the theme of roots. These rivers are all in separate locations even though they are like individual trees with separate root systems, they can support and give life. Subsequently, this idea that the roots of African and African-American history are not only within the people, but that they are within the souls that “have grown deep like the rivers” they have thrived along for