Singing sorrow songs on the banks of a mighty river
This line, heavy with alliteration, highlights one of the pillars of the culture of the enslaved in the antebellum United States: spirituals and song. Songs were how the enslaved often communicated with each other and raised each other’s spirits. This line also references a common motif in the work of Langston Hughes: the river (in this case, likely the Mississippi River, which was the main route along which slaves were transported, but which also served as an avenue for possible escape to the North.) Hughes often uses the river as a metaphor for the passing down of African American culture through storytelling and song. The river’s strength is a testament to the endurance of African American heritage.
And the dark-faced child, listening,
Knows that Aunt Sue’s stories are real stories.
These lines reveal that Aunt Sue is passing down family history and slave narratives instead of fictitious tales. The reader can infer from these lines that Aunt Sue’s stories involve her past and the histories of other enslaved African Americans.
Aunt Sue has a head full of stories.
Aunt Sue has a whole heart full of stories.
These lines affirm that the stories Aunt Sue tells come from her memory and are embellished by her emotions. She remembers the stories using her head, but she tells them using her heart, thus making them compelling to listeners.
