The Negro
Langston Hughes
The first of the rivers mentioned in the poem.
The Euphrates
What literary device is used in the line, "My soul has grown deep like the rivers"?
simile
What country does the Eurphrates run through?
Iraq, Syria, Turkey
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
What does "dawns" mean in that part of the poem?
beginning of the day... metaphor for early civilization
The author is of this nationality
American
He built his hut and slept by this river...
The Congo
What does the Eurphrates River symbolize?
The beginning of civilization
What area of Africa is the Congo?
West Africa
I built my hut near the Congo... what is a "hut"?
home (african, primitive)
The author is from this part of New York.
Harlem
The pyramids rose next to this river.
The NILE
What does the Congo symbolize?
comfort, familiarity, safety, progress, etc,
The Nile River is located in what part of Africa
Egypt/Northern Africa
I've seen its muddy bosom turn golden in the sunset.
What is a "bosom"?
mother's breast which feeds
When the author uses "I" in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," which "I" is he talking about?
The collective of the black man
The slaves were freed along this river.
The Mississippi
What does the Nile River symbolize?
The great contributions of black men to civilization
The Mississippi River ends in what state of the USA?
Louisiana
It lulled me to sleep... what word meaning "a song sung for a baby to sleep" comes from the word "lull"?
lullaby
Describe the TONE of the author regarding the black man.
proud
Of the rivers in the poem, this river runs from south to north.
The NILE
What does the Mississippi symbolize?
slavery and freedom from slavery
What is the significance of the "river" over the course of human history?
life, feeding animals,
blah blah blah blah