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-Hughes, Langston. "Let America Be America Again." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 25 Oct. 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
-Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 15 June 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
-"Langston Hughes." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
-"96.01.02: Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian." 96.01.02: Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

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In the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes the speaker seems to be one person at first, but soon we get the feeling that he is speaker for an entire community. In telling the story of this community from the dawn of civilization until the end of slavery in America ( really until the Harlem Renaissance, considering poet Langston Hughes was from that era), the speaker records a history for his community, puts it down in writing. The speaker of the poe states, "I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it." (Hughes, Lines 5-7) He uses his memory of the past to celebrate the present moment and to instill pride in his community. In addition, also speaks of a mystic union of blacks throughout the world, for it traces their history back to the creation of the world, giving them credit for spanning time and for founding the greatest civilizations that humanity has ever known. The idea to create this poem was received as he crossed the Mississippi River by train, feeling melancholy yet drawing pride from thoughts of the rivers that played a part in the history of his race. With this poem, Hughes, often called “the poet of his people,” plunges into the deep well of African American history, uniting it with global African history.

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Literary Terms in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

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Literary Terms in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

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Symbol-A person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself.
"My soul has grown deep like the rivers." (Hughes, Line 4)
The speaker comes to represent a community of individuals, and the rivers become a metaphor for the history, spirit, and wisdom of Africans and African-Americans.

Setting-Defined as the time and place of the action of a short story, novel, play, narrative poem or nonfiction narrative.
"I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." (Hughes, Lines 2-3)
When our speaker speaks of “rivers” we see some of the world’s biggest rivers slicing through continents like so many pieces of thread.

Free Verse-Poetry which is not written in a traditional meter but is still rhythmical.
"I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." (Hughes, Lines 2-3)
If we look closely, we can see how the poem is composed of three parts or three landscapes. There’s the “I’ve known rivers” section, the “my soul has grown deep as rivers” section,” and the world’s greatest rivers section. The first two sections are echoed at the end of the poem. The third section sits solidly in the middle of the poem and is not repeated.

Metaphor-A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
"I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." (Hughes, Lines 2-3)
This metaphor is used to continue to describe the depth of the speaker's knowledge.

Repetition-A technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity.
"I've known rivers:" (Hughes, Line 11)
The author uses the line "I've known rivers at the beginning of the poem and at the end to magnify the importance of this phrase.

Simile-A figure of speech that compares two things that are basically unlike yet have something in common with the use of "like" or "as."
"I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins." (Hughes, Line 2-3)
A simile is used to compare the narrators depth in wisdom and the ancient history of these rivers to the many years the world has been around.

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I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I’ve known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

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The poem "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes serves a powerful message how Hughes feels that America-which is supposed to be a land of dreams, equality and opportunity for all, no matter what race, religion or creed-has become a place where in fact that idea does not exist anymore. Instead, he characterizes America as a place where racism, greed, materialism and discrimination rule instead of opportunity and love. Hughes quotes, "America was never America to me." (Hughes, Line 6) He says America should go back to being the dream that the dreamers had, and be a great strong land of love. In "Let America Be America Again," Langston Hughes openly shares his thoughts on the American Dream. Hughes composed this poem in 1935 and it was published in the July 1936 issue of Esquire Magazine. Throughout the poem, Hughes contrasts his hopes for America with the reality of life for those outside of the socially and economically dominant racial, religious, and social groups. This poem exemplifies the ambivalence and alienation that many African Americans felt in the pre-Civil Rights era. In addition, it also encourages them to rise up and reclaim their land - because they deserve it as much as those people in power.

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Literary Terms in "Let America Be America Again"

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Literary Terms in "Let America Be America Again"

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Alliteration-The repetition of initial consonant sounds of several words in a group. It is often used in poetry to emphasize and to link words as well as to create pleasing, musical sounds.
"Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-" (Hughes, Line 6)
Here the alliteration is the repeated “d’s” of dream, dreamers, dreamed.

Symbol-A person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself.
"The steel of freedom does not stain." (Hughes, Line 71)
Freedom in this poem is symbolized as steel in the line “The steel of freedom does not stain.”

Metaphor-A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
"I am the worker sold to the machine." (Hughes, Line 34)
The machine is a metaphor for the American system that has let him down.

Imagery-The descriptive language used in literature to recreate sensory experiences relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell. Imagery enriches writing by making it more vivd, setting a tone, suggesting emotions and guiding the reader's reaction.
"I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars." (Hughes, Line 21)
From reading this line, the audience can picture an image in their head of the scenario.

Personification-When a nonhuman object is given human characteristics.
"The steel of freedom does not stain." (Hughes, Line 71)
America is symbolized and personified as a pioneer.

Rhyme-Words rhyme when the sounds of their accented vowels and all succeeding sounds are identical.
"Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free." (Hughes, Lines 2-4)
Line one rhymes with line three; line two rhymes with line four.

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Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”) Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean— Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That’s made America the land it has become. O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home— For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore, And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came To build a “homeland of the free.” The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we’ve dreamed And all the songs we’ve sung And all the hopes we’ve held And all the flags we’ve hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay— Except the dream that’s almost dead today. O, let America be America again— The land that never has been yet— And yet must be—the land where every man is free. The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME— Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose— The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath— America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain— All, all the stretch of these great green states— And make America again!

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Langston Hughes was an American poet, novelist, and playwright. His poems were based on African-American themes, making him a primary contributor to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He published his first poem in 1921, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". He attended Columbia University, but left after one year to travel. His poetry was later promoted by Vachel Lindsay, and Hughes published his first book in 1926. He went on to write countless works of poetry, prose and plays, as well as a popular column for the Chicago Defender.

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By: Jae In Lee
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