d of themselves, illustrating the artistic power of this transformation. In his poem “Negro,” Hughes outlines various historical aspects of Black identity. He relates, “I’ve been a slave: Caesar told me to keep his door-steps clean. I brushed the boots of Washington” (4 - 6). The simplicity and directness of these statements allows a certain poetic immediacy, making misunderstanding nearly impossible. Additionally, Hughes’ mention of Caesar and Washington contributes an informed intelligence to his writing, as does the specificity of “the Woolworth building” (9) and “the Belgians cut[ting] off [his] hands in the Congo” (15). Hughes’ narrator, as a Black representative, has also “been a worker: under [his] hands the pyramids arose” (8). This observation illustrates the productivity and power that the African-American has the capability to possess, while the acknowledgment that “they lynch [him] still in Mississippi” (16) speaks for the anti-Black resentment of this power. In his journey toward higher art, Hughes even makes mention of the institution of art as a facet of Negro identity: “I’ve been a singer: all the way from Africa to Georgia I carried my sorrow songs. I made ragtime” (10 - 13). Hughes combines these diverse elements of African-American identity -- slavery, workmanship, artistry, victimization -- to portray Blacks as many do not wish to see them: intelligent, hard-working, artistic, and unjustly oppressed. This poetic depiction both forces the African-American into a multi-dimensional state of being and exalts those qualities which have typically been considered negative or inconsequential. Hughes accomplishes these objectives while claiming his identity with beauty and poise: “I am a Negro: black as the night is black, black like the depths of my Africa” (17 - 19). In a similar vein, Hughes demonstrates ...
