Poem/Poet Analysis

1. The rivers are Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and the Mississippi. Langston Hughes is able to create two meanings for the theme of roots since on the one hand they refer to the deep roots like trees have as well as “roots” in the historical and familial sense. Through these images and details, it is clear that it addresses themes that are much larger than simply rivers or human veins—it is a statement on the whole of African American history as it has flourished along rivers, which gave life and allowed “human veins” and firm historical roots.

2. I believe this poem is about how blacks were treated unequally.This is during the Harlem Renaissnace, it shows how the blacks will overcome. They will be eating with white people soon. He will be inviting them to eat with him. This is obviously a peace of art that helped Harlem become the neighborhood it became in the 1930s.

3. Well quite frankly, the boy doesn't have a say so in anything because the white man never listens to him nor does he believe him! Blacks have fought for decades trying to be heard and trying to get rid of this degrading attitude. W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke would have objected to this poem simply because this poem has a lot of degrading words about black people which is totally not true and there lies the objection.

4. McKay is harder with his poems than Hughes. McKay uses harsh messages/words that put an aggressive tone into racism. It gives the audience a urge to stand up and do something about the hard struggles that they endure.Hughes is softspoken if you will ;he takes a more subtle approach in his message in writing. He would encourage them saying "we can do it" while McKay on the other hand would say something like, "Time to put an end to all this!"

5. He was saying how white people like to steal black peoples music, and say that its there own, and that it is originated from them! Using "black stories" and to keep us down. In addition, they added there own little piece of "white" in it if you will. Yes this still goes on today, but it has became somewhat of a normalicy to humans today and less of a public issue.

6. Because America is the problem! We claim how we are all free, and all have equal rights, but for a black man, you are not an African American, you are a black man living in America. It is very subtle, but whites do have somewhat of an upper hand and they create this illusion that everyone is treated equal, but in a deeper reality it is not so. Africa does have problems just like any other continent, but they are more warm hearted than America.