Review:
Langston Hughes uses imagery and metaphors to describe "my people". He compares the night, sun, and stars to "my people". Charles Smith, as photographer, created pictures of people thoughtfully to reflect the imagery of the words in the poem. The line, "The night is beautiful", is shown with photos of a dark ebony man who at first is solemn and then is grinning. The imagery is stunning. Smith using sepia tones represents the many varied colors, sizes, and ages of African Americans to illustrate the beauty of Langston's words. There are filmstrips of photos repeated throughout the book like a refrain just like the repeated words of "my people" throughout the poem. This is a beautifully crafted poem that reflects the pride and love Langston Hughes had for his people. Smith's photographs complement the beauty of the poem thus making a wonderful picture book that should be shared with everyone.
Poem Introduction:
Read the poem aloud. Then reread the poem showing the pages from the book using a document camera and an LCD projector to project the images on a large screen. Discuss how the words are reflected in the photographs.
My People by Langston Hughes
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.
Follow up Activity:
Have students choose a poem that is meaningful to them and find or draw pictures that help illustrate the poem's meaning to them. If cameras and time are available, students may take pictures of objects or faces to complete the activity.
book cover image from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
