Literary Criticism: The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background of the Author
The setting of the poem
New Historicism
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Literary criticism takes various forms, including a historical analysis that employs historical facts to deduce the meaning of a literature piece. Historicism is a concept that dwells on history, focusing on historical underpinnings to arrive at meaning. This paper examines the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes and delineates the meaning by focusing on the various elements in the poem like setting, the background of the author, and the historical facts mentioned. The essay supports that historicism is indeed a practical literary analysis framework because it reveals the meaning inherent in Hughes’s poem through the author’s background, the setting of the poem, and new historicism.

Background of the Author

Historicism helps explore the poem and deriving its meaning by peeping into the author’s background and looking at the various occurrences in their lives that might influence their writing. Hughes lived in a shadow of dismemberment, and his experiences largely contributed to the events in the poem, “The Negros Speaks of Rivers.” Miler identified that Hughes’s work is an anti-lynch poem that reveals the atrocities perpetrated on the black population during the lifetime of Hughes. Miler reminds that “we must remember that Hughes never lived outside a context where lynching did not exist in the United States.” (24). According to Miller, Hughes engages a fearsome landscape because of the kinds of experience he gathered, including living under the shadow of attempted lynching in Illinois, facing the troubles of traveling by train through Texas, and hearing published and unpublished stories about white men violating against the black population.

Moreover, the background and experiences of Hughes further reveal the meaning of the poem through a historicism perspective because the poem reflects the concepts of Topophobia and Topophilia. The way a person connects to a place determines their experiences and their likelihood of remembering the site and associating with it in the future. Miler notes that “ Topophilia is a term that captures the affection a person connects to a place and includes high expectations of enjoyment that accompany travel, active engagement with an environment that created wonder for the participant” (25). Thus, in the poem, Hughes signifies to the audience his journey through time and the pleasurable experience he had in various places, just like Africa and the Americas. On the other hand, Topophobia reveals the fears and dangers associated with places, and Hughes also shows it by showing his desire to reconnect with the pleasurable intimate relationship with the rivers when he is oblivious of the possibility of violence that might occur there.

The setting of the poem

Historical analysis can also help reveal the poem’s meaning by examining the period, setting, and sequence of events. The poem’s setting can show significant features, such as cultural practices and interactions at the time or socio-political and economic environment. For example, the poet associates his story to Abraham Lincoln’s journey down the Mississippi River, and the connection reveals a central theme of slavery in the poem. Foner quoted Lincoln denouncing slavery, saying,” I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world—enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites” (4). Lincoln hated slavery and advocated for its abolishment since he believed it caused the real friends of freedom to doubt their sincerity in defending fundamental rights that transcend race and gender.

Furthermore, the period and setting of the poem expose the institution of slavery and how it shaped American history and gave the black population an identity. Hughes mentions Abraham Lincoln and the Mississippi river journey. The audience can immediately link the trip with Lincoln’s frustrations about slavery during the trip. Foner researched that “throughout the 1850s and for the first half of the Civil War, Lincoln believed that colonization—that is encouraging black people to emigrate to a new homeland in Africa and the Caribbean” (5). Hughes, therefore, aims to reveal in the poem the hostile social landscape at the time and the reality of slavery during the period. Moreover, the verse identifies the conflict between abolitionists and supporters of slavery and how Abraham Lincoln was significant to the abolitionist movement.

New Historicism

The third element that can help explore the poem’s meaning is one offshoot of historicism known as new historicism. The concept of new historicism can also help discern the poem’s purpose by criticizing how historical facts allude to meaning. For example, when the persona argues that they have known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins, they allude to possessing absolute knowledge. Besides, a critical thinker might argue that the persona has existed since the beginning of time, and in contrast, the information would be misleading. The idea of new historicism identifies that historical facts create a dialogue about meaning. Therefore, the persona only starts a conversation about ancient times but cannot disclose with certainty the exact date and time of the perceived knowledge.

Moreover, time and absolute knowledge deprive the persona of contributing verifiable factual information because new historicism bases arguments on verifiable deductions. The metaphorical language the author uses in the poem creates a challenging situation for a literary critic who aligns with the new historicism method because the persona argues he saw the river Nile and even helped build the pyramids on its shores. The literal interpretation of the message can create confusion and blur the intended meaning or purpose of the message. It is a fact that the builders of the pyramid are debated to date, and nobody knows when the Nile started flowing; therefore, as much as the poem is providing information about American American slavery and history, the poem fails to use factual information. It only creates a dialogue about the topic that leaves the audience with more questions about whether the events in the poem are real or fictional. Therefore, the new historicism perspective questions the integrity of the information and leaves the audience with a desire for more knowledge.

Conclusion

Historicism can delineate the meaning of a literary text by revealing the author’s background, the timeframe, the setting of the poem, and the historical facts outlined in the text. For example, Hughes’s poetry reveals the atrocities the black population faced during slavery. Besides, the author reveals the interconnectedness between American history and black identity. Hughes shows the poem features a fearsome landscape where the black population faced oppression with a lack of freedom and justice. Also, the poem discusses important life-changing events like the civil war and the figure of Abraham Lincoln, who was an embodiment of freedom to the oppressed slaves.

Works Cited

Foner, E. (2018). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery.The Chautauqua Journal, 2(1). Web.

Miller, W. J. (2004). Justice, Lynching, and American Riverscapes: Finding Reassurance in Langston Hughe’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” The Langston Hughes Review, 27(1), vi.

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Literary Criticism: The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

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