Langston Hughes Strengths

Strength of Expression Langston Hughes is one of the United States most notable African American authors. Having been one of the key influencers of the Harlem Renaissance, a time period in the early 20th century in which “[a] social and artistic explosion [occurred]” (History), his contributions helped to further not only a cultural movement in the black community, nationwide, but also a global understanding that black people were more than just laborers. In his writing style, particularly in poetry, Hughes used music, rhythm, and images which drew on his African-American literary heritage. He used jazz and blue styles for the structure and subjects of his poems. Hughes’ poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is an excellent example of how he eschewed European tradition when it came to his writing in order to reflect the cultural importance and history of black people. The author’s application of symbolism, imagery, and tone within his poem serve to reinforce within readers the understanding of the strength and resilience of black people. In the first

Hughes’ expression of the rivers the speaker has experienced is not negative. With use of words such as “ancient”, “growth”, and “deep”, the connotation Hughes employs is positive. The way the speaker describes the rivers they have experienced is nothing short of gracious. Rather than hate the history that made him, using his writing to present hateful opinions to the world, Hughes humbles readers by being thankful the experiences that shaped his culture, and thereby, him. The speaker says that they have known “Ancient, dusky rivers” (Hughes 2084). Dusky, meaning that the things that they have endured have not always been enjoyable, but that they have grown from those experiences, that their “soul has grown deep like the rivers” (2084), that they have taken the good with the bad, and let it aid their growth, not hinder