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Carolyn Lott
Tracy Willburn
English 335
29 October 2011
Human Potential in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Mohandas Gandhi once said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes
from an indomitable will”. Contemporary to Gandhi was a young poet named Langston Hughes.
As a poet of the Harlem Renaissance, he explored this idea – man’s “indomitable will” – in his
poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. The use of diction, symbolism, and allusion present the
idea of innate human strength.
The central idea of Hughes’s poem is supported by his word choice. “I’ve known rivers,”
Hughes declares in line one. The literal meaning of a river is: “a natural stream of water of fairly
large size” (Webster 1137). He then mentions four world famous rivers in lines five through
eight. It is clear that there is more to this word. These prominent rivers are known for their size
and natural power. The connotation of the word “rivers” is synonymous with strength, a strength
that is naturally in humankind. Hughes then proclaims he knows rivers “older than the / flow of
human blood in human veins” (2-3). The adjective “human” means to have the nature of people
(Webster 640). The word human brings with it a sense of experience and empathy which
together bring substance. Blood, on a literal level, is “the red fluid that circulates through the
heart, arteries, and veins of vertebrates” (Webster 143). On a figurative level, it is the common
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trait tying mankind is together. These two connotations of “human blood” combined support the
idea of a common strength found in humans.
Theme enhanced through diction continues in the poem. Hughes describes the rivers he
knows as “ancient” (12). When this word is defined it means very old, aged, or from a time long
past (Webster 49). Ancient brings with it a sense of veneration and respect. Not only is the power
men and women have old; it should be revered and esteemed. The final line of the poem reads,
“My soul has grown deep like the rivers” (Hughes). It is believed there are two parts of a human:
the physical body and the intangible spirit, or soul (Webster 1250). A soul is the essential
element to a human; it is the life force. It is this innate energy that gives mankind tenacity. To
grow, according to Webster, is: “to increase in size by a natural process of development”. The
implied meaning is maturation which is associated with learning from experiences. When
Hughes states that his “soul has grown deep like the rivers,” he is saying he has used his energy
or life force to cultivate knowledge which brings him strength, like the rivers. The meaning is
found more in the connotation rather than in the denotation of these words.
Symbolism also helps to reinforce the theme in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. A river, in
a literary sense, can represent many things. In this poem, there are three meanings. The first is
peace. Hughes describes the time he saw the Mississippi River as it being “all golden in the
sunset” (10). Such a recount brings calm to the senses; one can see the fluidity for which rivers
are known. This makes a river embody tranquility. No matter which obstacles it encounters, the
river never stops it flow. This constancy is like the peace that can be found in life: no matter how
turbulent or rough the waters the peace is always there keeping hope afloat. Tranquility is a trait
associated with strength.
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The second interpretation of the river symbol is independence. “I heard the singing of the
Mississippi when Abe Lincoln / went down to New Orleans,” Hughes states (8-9). It is what
makes the Midwest unique in terms of its geography. The source of this river is in Minnesota,
and it winds south to the Gulf of Mexico making it a truly American river, with the United States
being the ultimate symbol of freedom. There are many tributaries that flow into it, just as it is the
many peoples who make the United States independent. It carves its own way hundreds of miles
to the sea regardless of the land formations that impede it. Its flow allows many crops to be
grown in an area otherwise devoid of nutrients. This river was, and still is, the source of
economic independence to the entire Midwest region. The Mississippi enables commerce, goods
and services of all kinds, to flow effortlessly throughout the region. These facts combine to make
the river a symbol for autonomy, another aspect of strength.
The third way to read the river motif is as a representation of power itself. This developed
through actively strong verbs. The Euphrates is where humans have “bathed” for millennia (5).
The first civilizations were located there. It took great strength to tame the land and the rivers
enough to be able to bathe in them without fear of attack by the enemy, be it man or beast. Huts
have been “built” by the Congo (6). Although primitive, these buildings were the basis for
greater things to come. Pyramids have been “raised” above the Nile (7). The ingenuity behind
the design of the pyramid configuration itself, known to be the strongest in the world, shows the
genius of mankind. The labor force behind the actual construction of these structures is a literal
testament to the capabilities of humans. A grand building cannot stand without having a strong
foundation, just like the pyramids would not have come about without the “huts” on the Congo.
The Mississippi’s songs have been “heard” for centuries (8). Its songs have been sung by those
in powerful positions, loggers moving their timber down river for construction, plantation
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owners taking their cotton to market, the wealthy cruising on a steamboat. Its songs have also
been sung by those in power in a different sense of the word. For hundreds of years, those
forcibly brought from Africa, the people upon whose backs the wealth of the American South
was built, sang their spirituals as they were traded up and down the river. These active verbs
emphasize the strength of men theme.
Allusion to legendary rivers is the final mode used to support the central theme of the
poem. The first river referred to is the Euphrates, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were
young” (5). The Euphrates was the center of the first known civilization: Mesopotamia. This is
where man first “bathed” in the idea of community; this gathering shows the prowess of man.
The second river referenced is the Congo, “I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to
sleep” (6). The Congo River has prospered many people, including the Bantu and the Upemba.
Here huts were built and the sense of permanence began to blossom which “lulled [them] to
sleep” (6). Sleeping in peace is a sign that one trusts the aptitude of one’s village. This
permanence was solidified in the next river region: Egypt. “I looked upon the Nile and raised the
pyramids above it,” line seven reads. When mankind looked at the Nile, they were moved; this is
another demonstration of man’s capabilities. This is further proved by the centuries of physical
labor and strain it took to build the inspired pyramids. Another inspired civilization is associated
with the last river alluded to. “I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln / went
down to New Orleans” (8-9). The song the Mississippi was “singing” was of liberty. Abraham
Lincoln was the man who helped others to sing the song too. All of these rivers were the basis of
great civilizations which, throughout the centuries, have demonstrated the innate inner strength
of mankind.
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Diction, symbolism, and allusion create unity throughout “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”.
This unity is found the idea of inherent human tenacity. All have the ability to speak words filled
with great force and meaning. A spirit of peace can be cultivated, independence can mature,
power can be propagated, and a richness for life discovered. Each has a potential to be a force to
be reckoned with like the rivers mentioned – the promise to be dynamic like the Euphrates or
compelling like the Congo, virile like the Nile or mighty like the Mississippi. Mohandas Gandhi
called it the “indomitable will”. Call it what you will, Hughes’s message is clear: all men and
women must discover the unbreakable resolve found inside each of them.
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Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” American Literature, Vol. 2. Ed. William E.
Cain. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004. 684-85. Print.
Random House. Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Random
House, 1999. Print.