During his career Langston Hughes suggested that many African American people are ashamed

of their cultural identity. In his poem ‘A Negro Speaks of Rivers’ he attempts to challenge this view.
Hughes uses simile and repetition of the central image to express the strength and permanence of
African American culture.

In his poem ‘A Negro Speaks of Rivers’, Hughes (an African American author) effectively
uses simile to challenge the reader to accept the strength and permanence of the African
American culture rather than be ashamed of it. He writes that his “soul has grown deep like the
rivers”, a simile comparing his soul, which is, like his culture, the most permanent part of him, to a
river. Rivers have connotations of power in that these great bodies of water flow relentlessly to the
sea, eroding obstacles in their path, and Hughes effectively links these qualities to the African
American race, illustrating their strength in enduring all of the hardships of slavery and oppression
thrust upon them. In fact, it is this painful past which has ‘deepened’ their culture, and their
ancestors’ struggle gives the present day reader motivation to move forward to their ‘sea’: the
ultimate goal of racial equality. To develop this image, Hughes describes “rivers older than the flow
of human blood in human veins”, which illustrates the permanence of the rivers, and of the African
American people, throughout history. He makes a further link between the people and the river by
comparing the flow of water to the flow of culture through blood as it is passed through the
generations, in order to strongly portray the permanence of the people. According to Hughes,
there is nothing about the African American culture to be ashamed of, and by using a river to
symbolise the strength and depth of this culture, eh challenges an African American audience to
embrace their identity – so that they too can be proud of who they are.

Hughes’ use of repetition of the central image of a river further convinces readers to take
pride, rather than shame, from the African American culture. He begins the poem be introducing
the central image “I’ve known rivers”, which immediately establishes the speaker as an authority
on his people, encouraging his audience to take notice. This image is then repeated and
expanded on as he writes that he has “known rivers ancient as the world”, a simile further
emphasising the great age and therefore river-like permanence of the African American culture.
The repeated structure is similar to the structure of jazz music, where a riff is repeated and
improvised on, which Hughes aims to highlight due it being developed by the African American
people. This is a significant contribution to the arts world, reinforcing their fundamental place in the
development of modern civilisation. Hughes goes on to mention how they “raised the pyramids”,
describing a further contribution to early society, despite their being oppressed. This is something
which Hughes takes great pride in, and for this reason, challenges the reader to take a pride in
their history – essentially challenging the reader to take a positive view on African American
culture. Throughout history they have been of significant importance the establishment and
development of civilisation, and therefore have proved themselves to be deserving of a respected
place in society.