Question

Can anyone break down the poem 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' by Langston Hughes for me? Like explain what he's trying to say or express in the poem?

Answer 1

Here's a start:
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/rivers.htm
Short analyses from different writers; it will be very helpful.

http://www.shmoop.com/negro-speaks-of-rivers/
It gives the background of what inspired Hughes to write the poem and then explains a bit of what the poem means. You can interpret the rest from there on.