Langston Hughes lived in early to mid-20th century America, a time filled with racism and oppression of African Americans. Hughes, who is a passionate poet, playwright, writer and scholar, speaks brilliantly in his works not only about the problems he faced, but also about his hopeful dreams of a better future. The harsh racial discrimination he encountered, coupled with the experience afforded him by his diverse heritage, shaped essentially every aspect of his life. Hughes's struggles are reflected in his very being and are seen publicly in his beliefs and literary activities. Specifically, in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Hughes uses poetry to protest racism by embracing the deep roots of African American ancestors. HughesSoul and soulfulness are both found in abundance in blues, jazz and religion and have always been vital to his African-American heritage. In his poem, Hughes writes, “I have known rivers / I have known rivers as old as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins / My soul has grown as deep as the rivers” (Hughes). First, he creates a seemingly ancient character, stating, “I have known rivers / I have known rivers as old as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (1-2). These lines recognize how the birth of the rivers predates humanity's existence, just as the culture of its people predates that of many of those who have persecuted them throughout time. Furthermore, the repetition of “I” in the poem is not only representative of the person, but is also representative of the collective African American experience (Rader). All of these experiences reside in the soul of the African American people, including Langston Hughes. Hughes connects his ancestors to the rivers and land they inhabited; this reflects the transcendentalist attitude towards nature and people's connection to nature within the oversoul. He draws inspiration from famed transcendentalist Walt Whitman and his poem “Song of Myself,” using the feelings the piece evokes in him to better represent interconnection and community within his work (Rader). This interconnectedness is represented in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Hughes' use of a series of rivers. Like a river system, the rich history of Africans and African Americans is interconnected. In all of these rivers, Hughes' ancestors fought to keep their traditions alive, and in all of them they not only survived, but thrived. “According to R. Baxter Miller, Hughes creates a kind of myth that speaks to the generative force of black persistence: 'Whether north or south, east or west, the rivers