2.  1902-1967  Raised by his grandmother in Joplin, MO  Started writing at age 13

3. The Negro Speaks of Rivers I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers. I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

4. The Negro Speaks of Rivers cont. I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.(1921)

5. Critical Analysis: How do the elements of poem contribute to it’s meaning? I. Theme (Thesis) A. Speaker (Voice) B. Tone (Attitude) II. Evidence (How do the elements of a poem contribute to the theme/meaning of the poem) A. Diction, word choice (what kinds of words?) B. Imagery, similes, metaphors, personification C. Sound: Rhythm & rhyme, assonance & consonance D. Allusion/context (refers to something from the past) E. Setting: representative, traveling, F. Form: the way the poem is structure III. Conclusion

6.  Audience:  Thesis:

7. Ethos: who is the speaker and how does the speaker feel about the subject of the poem?  Tone : "The poet's or persona's attitude in style or expression toward the subject, e.g., loving, ironic, bitter, pitying, fanciful, solemn, etc. Tone can also refer to the overall mood of the poem itself, in the sense of a pervading atmosphere intended to influence the readers' emotional response and foster expectations of the conclusion." (Glossary of Poetic Terms )  Voice: the personality of the speaker, the person behind the poem

8. How does language effect meaning?  Diction, word choice  Figurative Language

9. How do the images effect the meaning?  Images  Simile  Metaphors  Personification

10. How does the sound of a poem effect meaning?  Rhythm:  Rhyme:  Consonance & Assonance:  Repetition:  Alliteration:

11. How does the context effect the meaning?  Historical context  Allusions (brief reference to an event, poem, person, place, art piece, artist, etc.)

12. How does setting effect the meaning?  Setting

13. How does the poem’s overall form effect the meaning?  Form  Lines/breaks/ white space  Stanzas  What kind of poem (rhyming, free verse)

14.  Conclusion: **Additional ways to analyze: How does this poem compare to the poem, “Harlem” (1951), in some of the categories mentioned in the outline. Consider theme, audience, diction, images, rhetorical nature, voice & tone, references, form, rhythm and so on. See poem, “Harem,” below:

15. Harlem BY LANGSTON HUGHESLANGSTON HUGHES What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run?

16. Harlem cont. Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?(1951)