Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Negro Speaks of Rivers


The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Written by: Langston Hughes
Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis

Upper Elementary, Junior High, and High School Grades

"Like the steady and determined flow of a river, this poem carries readers along as Hughes draws a metaphorical connection between the waterways of the world and African-American culture. Moving from ancient times ("I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young" or "I looked upon the Nile and raised pyramids above") to the Mississippi River and its connection to slavery, the poem offers both a time line of the African-American experience and a comment on the perseverance of the African-American soul."

School Library Journal Review


Online Resources:
http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems/poem.html?id=173693

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