The way expressing one’s identity through poetry

The way expressing one’s identity through poetry How does an author express their identity through the poem in a corrupted society in the Harlem Renaissance? Both “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I Look at the World” are written by Langton Hughes. They are the masterpieces that Langston Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance. There is a significant similarity between the two poems: Both poems have the theme of discrimination. For “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” he focuses more on his pride in African-American history. He uses Simile as one of the poetic devices to compare the Negro and rivers directly. River refers to sacred and deep one, and the author tries to say that the Negro is the same existence as rivers. Contrastingly, he focuses on segregation and his determination towards the event. For that reason, the words that the author uses in each poem are different, and the combination of the words makes different atmospheres in the poems. The audience would feel hopeful, proud, passionate, and confident through “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” In contrast, the reader sees terrifying, depressed, and uncomfortable through the beginning of “I Look at the World.” At the same time, he explains the history of African-Americans, but people can also see the hopeful and relieved as well. It is because he expresses his determination to fight against the oppression of society contemporary. The readers see the self-determination of the author and have hope for a better future without racism. To begin with, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," the general mood of this poem can be seen as positive. The author says, "I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins,"(Hughes line 2). This line illustrates the ancient origin of African Americans' history. Also, he says, "My soul has grown, deep like the rivers,"(line 4). He refers to whole African-Americans, and the river he mentions in the poem portrays the old history of black people. He says that their history is deep and mature, like the river. By using the poetic device, people can get the meaning of the poem. He uses allusion for putting more detail in the poem, such as "Euphrates," "Congo," "Nile," "Pyramids," "Mississippi," and "Abe Lincoln." The Euphrates is a cradle of civilization, and the Nile and the Pyramid show the achievement of African-Americans because the primary labour force building them was black people. Especially "Abe Lincoln" in the poem refers to the person who ended slavery and made African-American attains freedom from harsh discrimination. The author says, "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,"(line 8-9). The audience could see that AfricanAmericans get freedom by Abe Lincoln, and "the singing of Mississippi" means their happiness and hope for a better future. On the other hand, for the "I Look at the World," it seems that it has quite a similar mood with "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," but it contains a more negative atmosphere for explaining the history of African-Americans. The author says, "This fenced-off narrow space assigned to me, "(Hughes line 4-5). One may not understand the meaning or metaphor if one is not aware of the historical significance. And according to the background, African-American encountered segregation in the past. This "fenced-off narrow space" portrays the discrimination towards them. Furthermore, he illustrates, "I look then at the silly walls," (line 6). "Silly walls" can be interpreted as a people's view who discriminate African-Americans. At that time period, African-American could not get equal treatment by others, and segregation was one method of discrimination. The readers can see that the author tries to blame the reality of society at the time through these words, such as "fenced-off narrow space" and "silly walls." They arouse the feeling of tragic and depressed. After he illustrates the history they have experienced, he shows his firm determination to fight against this. He explains, "I look at my own body with eyes no longer blind," (lines 11-12). It can be seen that he sees his position and his colour. And the determination of himself can see through the line: "I see that my own hands can make the world that's in my mind," (line 13-14). It means that he will fight against racism. Lastly, his hopeful attitude towards the future is showed through the line: "Then let us hurry, comrades, the road to find," (line 15-16). "The road" in the line states freedom and the way that leads African-Americans to a better future. The better future means no racism, no discrimination, getting treatment equally, and soul. In conclusion, Langston Hughes reflects his identity by creating an emotional effect. He praises the soul and ancient history of African-Americans in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and illustrates the inequality of race in "I Look at the World." They attract the readers' sympathy by choosing words to back up the historical background. Writers reflect their identity on their work can be interpreted differently to readers by their word choices and mood. Works Cited Langston Huges, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” from Collected Poem, 1994. Langston Hughes, "I look at the world" from New Haven, 2009.