What the Negro Speaks of Rivers was written before the author of the poetic collection, and even earlier than he anticipated traveling the world and leaving his hometown of Joplin in Missouri (Hughes, 2009). Langston Hughes. Between 1902 and 1967, Hughes separated from his nuclear family, enrolled at Columbia University after attending high school under the supervision of his mother, and published his work. In 1930, Hughes wrote and publicized poems such as The Dreamer, which carried on the theme of his work, metaphorically bringing out segregation and his views of life as an African American.
Countee Cullen wrote the first section of his poem exasperated by the purpose of his surroundings, in line with his existence. The publication Yet Do I Marvel is a reflection of the writer’s willingness to believe in the presence of a supreme God, despite his poor comprehension of his own defined mandate in the world. In fact, this sonnet first published in the mid-1920’s has been compared to works by Blake and Wordsworth, whose actions fell under the romantic genre. Similar to his predecessors, Cullen examines detail with precision and carefully constructs his central theme of injustice. His overall message can be considered as an appeal to God to help in the fight against socio-economic wrongs against the oppressed.
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In poetry, water is one of the elements writers refer to bring forth timelessness, revival, sustenance, and vitality (Friedrich, 1996). Hughes applied to water to define the serenity that many readers appreciate and relate to. Water is described to be strong enough to cut through rock over years of constant motion, ever capable of doing the impossible. It is also a universal symbol of purification and employed by poets such as Emily Dickinson and a unifying resource in culture.
References
Cullen, C. (1971). Yet Do I Marvel. The Black Poets. Ed. Dudley Randall. New York: Bantam, 100.
Friedrich, P. (1996). The culture in poetry and the poetry in culture. Culture/contexture: Explorations in anthropology and literary studies , 37-57.
Hughes, L. (2009). The Negro speaks of rivers. Disney Jump at the Sun Books.
