Poem Analysis a Negro Speaks of Rivers free essay sample

David Peeters Poem Analysis Starting from the late 1700’s until the mid 1900’s was a difficult time for the African American community. People were dying for no specific reason, there were no jobs’ and the life conditions were very harsh. The Analyzing of two different poems A Black Man Talks of Reaping by Arna Bontemps and A Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes helps us better understand the difficulties in Harlem during the 19th century. The comparison of the similarities and differences between both creates a solid and experienced idea for the reader to understand. The fact that in one poem the author ‘speaks’ and the other one the author ‘talks’ can prove different experiences that these authors have lived trough. Both poems use specific examples and comparisons to give a global image of Harlem in the 1900’s. Both Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes are African Americans living in Harlem expressing their deepest feelings about Harlem and how their fellow African-American friends are being taken advantage of. We will write a custom essay sample on Poem Analysis a Negro Speaks of Rivers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Bontemps, in A Black Man Talks of Reaping, expresses all her thoughts more towards a person; although, Hughes, in A Negro Speaks of Rivers, expresses his thoughts and feelings more towards the nation and its people. Arna â€Å"talks† which could represent shyness, cowardice, or scared to address the people in general thinking that she may be severely endangered. On the other hand, Hughes â€Å"speaks† because he wants the whole nation to hear and feel what he is feeling. He is not scared to express his thoughts. As well, â€Å"speaks† is more formal than â€Å"talks†. In A Negro Speaks of Rivers, the poem is more fluid and calm like a river where as in A Black Man Talks of Reaping, the language is stronger and more harsh. Arna focuses more on criticizing the white community where as Hughes speaks about general experience. Another interesting comparison is the similarities and differences in both poets’ use of literary terms to help them insist on the idea or thought they are expressing. Bontemps uses â€Å"feed on bitter fruit† to foreshadow a possible great famine that could emerge due for the black community because they have a pittance amount salary which is barely enough to feed the family. She also uses the hyperbole â€Å"I scattered seed enough to plant the land in rows from Canada to Mexico† to insist on how hard her and her friends and family are working every day. Hughes is more about general experience and uses the metaphor â€Å"I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns where young† which is a symbol for civilization. This metaphor is present to show the reader how he has basically seen it all; he is experienced; he wants to tell the nation what he knows. Both poets resent strong emotions for this difficult period of time in Harlem and in the South of the United States which they express with different ways such as metaphors, comparisons, symbols, and hyperboles. These two talented African-American poets, Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes, have written the two analyzed poems to tell the nation that they are ready for change. Their use of various literary terms and the comparasion drawn between their use of â€Å"talk† and â€Å"speak† made us experience their thoughts and misery even more. Its flow and rhymes made it seem more realistic and alive. The analize of the different poems A Black Man Talks of Reaping by Arna Bontemps and A Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes helped us, in the present day, better understand the difficulties in Harlem during the 19th century.