it meets death. He declares that dying with honor gives purpose to undeserved death—if one does not "go quietly." In using the word "precious," the author shows how meaningful life is: to meet the foe head-on shows dedication to fight those who would harm or kill the black man.

If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed…
In vain…

The last lines urge his "kinsmen" to answer the call, to "meet the common foe!" He knows the odds of winning are slim— they are "far outnumbered." He hopes that for the thousand blows given by "the murderous, cowardly pack," he and his brothers will be able to deliver "one death-blow." Winning is not what McKay is concerned with, but the manner in which black men face death. His strident call reminds his brothers that even in face of certain destruction, they are called to fight back, even if "pressed to the wall," showing dignity and honor in dying—that the oppressors refuse to give them in life.

The mood of Langston Hughes' poem addresses the challenges facing black men in a quieter, persevering way. He, too, wants things to be different, but he directs the black man to take pride in his ancient history upon the earth—realizing that he is one with the rivers that have moved since dawn was young. A river may be redirected, but not controlled. It survives the wrath of man and nature. He gives us examples of these champions. The Euphrates River:

...is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia.

It has been "deified"..."exalt[ed] to the rank of a [god]." And though things around the river change, it remains steadfast; it is ancient.

The earliest references to the Euphrates come from cuneiform texts...and date to the mid-third millennium BCE.

The Congo River is found in Africa and "is the deepest river in the world," and the second largest river "by volume of discharge," second to the Amazon River, and it is "the ninth longest river."

The Nile River is "famous as the longest river in the world." It is also important in its...

...ability to produce extremely fertile soil, [enabling] cities and civilizations to spring up alongside [its] banks...

Lastly, the Mississippi is the "largest river system in North America…draining all or parts of 31 U.S. states…"

The images of these ever-moving waters demonstrate that they have remained in the face of war and disaster—powerful and deep. Hughes encourages the black man to gain inspiration from rivers that have survived, much the way the black race has, over many, many years: with a quiet strength and "depth."

Additional Sources:

http://www.enotes.com/topic/Claude_McKay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_River

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates

The themes of both Hughes' poem and McKay's are similar in that both poems reference the idea of immortality and living a worthwhile life. Below are some examples of those similarities:

• Immortality--Hughes' poem features a seemingly immortal speaker, someone who has experienced the "cradle of civilization" by bathing in the Euphrates, someone who has helped build the pyramids, and someone who was a contemporary of Lincoln. Similarly, the speaker in McKay's lines discusses the idea of dying nobly so that even his enemeies may

"honor [him] though dead!" (8).

McKay's speaker does not focus as much on the vast experiences of his race as does Hughes' persona, but both poets suggest that it is possible to be immortalized in others' minds either for one's wisdom or for one's brave actions.

• A worthwhile life--In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Hughes's refrain, "My soul has grown deep like rivers," promotes the idea that Africans (for Hughes, especially African-Americans) have experienced and contributed so much to the world, that readers should listen when "the negro" speaks. For Hughes, that type of life experience produces wisdom to be sought by others. McKay's theme of living a worthwhile life is similar to Hughes' but much more specific. McKay's speaker is not content with simply being an observer of the events around him; rather, he wants to induce change even if it means dying for that cause.

Langston Hughes' poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and Claude McKay's "If We Must Die" seem to have completely different themes and goals to me. McKay's poem clearly speaks of choosing an honorable death, or death while fighting against the foe, rather than being hunted down like an animal.

If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursèd lot.

While McKay faces the strong potential of meeting death because of being black ("accursèd lot"), he wants to choose how he dies. He wishes for purpose and honor in death:

If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain...

The next group of lines are like a rallying call to war, to enter into the fray with bravery and clear intent:

O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!

The end of the poem states that if death and the grave lie before them, they must not simply face their loss of life with resignation, but though pressed to the wall, they must fight back against "the murderous, cowardly pack…"

What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

However, Langston Hughes' poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" has a totally different sound and seeming intent. His poem harkens to the long history of the black man on the earth, to days when "dawns were young." This would infer to the beginning of time. Hughes mentions mighty rivers, the Euphrates, the Nile and the Mississippi; he alludes to the Congo and its river, that once lulled black men to sleep, but had become a place that has been raped by those who enslaved its people and battled to steal its natural resources. The history of the black man on this earth is connected to things that are timeless such as young dawns and the pyramids. And his history has marched forward to see its purpose and future aligned with the dreams and hopes of a great President who wanted to end the suffering of the slave: Abraham Lincoln.

In all of this, there is an image of beauty and even wealth: the Mississippi turned "all golden in the sunset." This is not a casual image, but one of beauty while despair and oppression may be all around. The main point seems to be that the black man has been around as long as these mighty rivers; rather than drying up, the rivers have grown deep, and the black man's history has also the commitment to survive as have the rivers. Hughes speaks for all his race, I believe, when he states:

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

The first poem speaks of fighting back in the face of death, while the second poem speaks of bonds formed over hundreds and hundreds of years—thousands of years—that have joined the black man to the rivers that do not disappear, but live on as a natural part of the earth.

The goals of the poems may be similar in general, by challenging blacks to see themselves with pride and self-worth, regardless of what happens around them. However, Hughes speaks of the Negro's ancient history and its resolve to survive over many years, while McKay speaks of the need to fight back in the raging battle. These two elements separate the themes and goals of the two writers.

Additional Source:

http://www.enotes.com/topic/Claude_McKay