Through the speaker's failed attempts at suicide and the discovery of continuing life, Hughes clearly conveys the message of perseverance. The poem first begins with the speaker going down to the river to think about his relationship gone bad. When he is unable to do so he attempts his first try of suicide- drowning in the river, which doesn’t goes as plan. Instead of drowning in the river the speaker resurfaces crying and hollering because of the cold water. The cold water prevented the speaker from accepting death and letting it catch hold. In stanza 3 however, the speaker goes on with his second attempt at suicide. Standing sixteen floors above the ground once again crying and hollering the speaker thinks about jumping from the elevator. But again he is stopped from accepting death. The height between the ground and the speaker sixteen floors up makes the speaker pause and refrain from plunging to his death. …show more content…
“I could’ve died for love— But for livin’ I was born.” After his failed suicide attempts the speaker acknowledges that he was meant to live his life despite of life’s continuous hardships. The speaker rediscovers his purpose in life and decides to