Langston Hughes wrote that African American poets should promote black pride through their art. His poems "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and "I, Too" both aim to achieve this goal, but differ in their approaches. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" uses metaphor and personification to connect the speaker's ancestry to grand ancient rivers, expressing pride through imagery. "I, Too" more directly asserts the speaker's presence and equality within America through direct statements, better achieving Hughes' stated aim of helping African Americans embrace their identity rather than desire to be white.