Question

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The question below refers to the selection "The Negro Speaks of Rivers.

is the long history of the black race. What

It could be said that the theme, or central idea, of

evidence from the poem supports this view?

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Answer 1

In the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", black poet Langston Hughes makes a short summary of black history.

• He refers to the Euphrates, indicating the black presence in the early Mesopotamian civilizations.
• He then, mentions the Nile, pointing out the large presence of black people in Ancient Egypt.
• After, he mentions the Mississippi, and evokes the Civil War, the Abraham Lincoln presidency, and the racial conflicts in the United States.