Image Chef

     I chose to do an image chef relating to Langston Hughes' poem, "The Negro," as my final blog post. Langston wrote a lot of his poems about black culture and for black people. He showed a lot of pride in being a black man. For this reason, using Africa as the image for the image chef seemed to make sense. The full poem reads:

I am a Negro:
Black as the night is black,
Black like the depths of my Africa.

I’ve been a slave:
Caesar told me to keep his door-steps clean.
I brushed the boots of Washington.

I’ve been a worker:
Under my hand the pyramids arose.
I made mortar for the Woolworth Building.

I’ve been a singer:
All the way from Africa to Georgia
I carried my sorrow songs.
I made ragtime.

I’ve been a victim:
The Belgians cut off my hands in the Congo.
They lynch me still in Mississippi.
I am a Negro:
Black as the night is black,
Black like the depths of my Africa.

     Hughes' pride in his culture caused him to write poetry that would become the voice of his people and inspire black poets for decades to come. he is still one of the most celebrated black poets of all time. Although I might not particularly enjoy his poetry, I still must give credit where credit is due. He pioneered a genre of poetry and became one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, whilst being an inspiration to his people through troubling times. That's the legacy of Langston Hughes.