A Slaves Soul Runs Deep Essay -- essays papers

A Slaves Soul Runs DeepA Slaves Soul Runs DeepThe poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes is about a cosmos with a vast knowledge and understanding of rivers. The first two sentences of the poem are similar, as in both Hughes states, Ive known rivers. From this the reader gathers that this creation has been around rivers and probably lived around rivers. He talks about different experiences he has had on four different rivers. For example he says, I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young and this gives the impression that he was around long ago when the river was just starting to form. Another quote, I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went belt down to New Orleans shows a passage of clip from the first quote as this historically places him in a much more(prenominal) modern time frame. On an unobjective level I think that this is a poem about different rivers that Hughes feels attached to for some unexplained reason. However, based on a clo se reading I would argue through the explication approach that this poem can be seen in a different light. While some may argue otherwise, I believe that on an explicative level Hughes is creating a comparison between his soul and the rivers. In taking a closer look at many different aspects such as genre, my close reading interpretation, and outside research I have reached a conclusion. I have discovered that Hughes did a wonderful job of describing the slave experience as seen through his soul and the souls of all others who have experienced slavery.I believe that Hughes poem is oral. It seems to read as if he is passionately reciting to some fictional audience. It makes sense for his presentation to be oral as he is describing his history as well as the... ...eaks of Rivers. This understandably demonstrates how truly important the issue of slavery was to him and how his life had become symbolized by the poem.This poem at first seemed straightforward to me. As I read it more clo sely and thought about it more I began to put bits and pieces together. I think Hughes has done a wonderful job of describing the slave experience, from the beginning of his write up to the end, which is when he starts to arrive at that a brighter future might exist. The way it was written made me really think about what it was Hughes was trying to say. This poem made me realize that a great many people suffered as slaves. These people lived their whole lives in this capacity, most without hope of any change of status. I felt wish well I was putting together a jigsaw puzzle and it was a good feeling when I finally saw what I believe Hughes wanted me to see.