The Karen Speaks of Rivers

In the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, the theme of African Americans and their deeply integrated roots throughout history prominently connects the the poem from start to finish and fosters verisimilitude. Hughes demonstrates verisimilitude by describing civilizations of the past in which the African history has been a part of, thereby emphasizing the real, weary history of his people. Indeed, Hughes even states he has "known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins" to remind readers that the authentic history that African Americans have been a part of started from the beginning of civilization. Veins, like rivers, are not only twisted and longwinded, but have the ability to provide sustenance and support life. Yet ironically, African Americans have been subject to slavery since Euphrates and have not been given the chance to flourish and create an auspicious history. The word "ancient", meaning decrepit and primitive, is repeated twice in the passage to emphasize that the African people have been fighting for racial equality since the beginning. Their struggles through society have in turn produced weathered souls, much like how a river's environment may become weathered. Hughes once again fosters verisimilitude when he references Lincoln's first glance of slavery in the South, predicting that once again the river will flow with a golden glow into the sunset and mimic the transformation from enslaved to free souls. The journey that Hughes' takes reader throughout his poem mirrors the arduous struggles his people have gone through, demonstrating the weathered and fettered footprint African American history has imprinted upon the world.