Countee Cullen’s Poem Incident Essay

Probably the most underrated African American poet of his period, Countee Cullen is a genuinely rebellious protester themed writer who is all about securing the rights and gravitas of black people and uses that very heat to fuel his poetry. In the metrical composition incidental, Cullen uses a mixture of rhetorical devices which he incorporates into his humorous Adonic syntax to tending emphasize to readers the effect of racialism had on children living in the archeozoic -mid 1900s, a big time of racism. Written in 1925, Cullen apply this poem as a way for him to vent his feelings and frustration and assert the ignorant all at the similar time. The poem talks about a young African American boy who is excited that he is visiting Baltimore and enchantment there he comes across other(prenominal) young boy that is his same days and size exactly he is albumen and consequently the young boy is affect by a powerful and vernacular racial slur. The poem is not as head a s Cullen makes it seems, it is in truth an ironic poem. The first hint of ridicule is fix early in the poem now I eight and very diminutive/And he was no whit larger (5-6). A reader would think that the racist bullying would come from some oneness big than the kid in the poem when in all actuality it was from someone his own size, and thats exactly what Cullen is trying to show, that racism came from all ages and happened between all spectrums of ages, a teenager and an adult, an adult and a child, anyone. The Spencer 2irony does not stop there, you see another glance of it in the last stanza, And he was no whit bigger(6). In the poem wit is spelled W.H.I.T but, the correct recite of wit is W.I.T and this is no spelling error, this is actually a small pun Cullen uses to champion emphasize his racial theme. Its as if Cullen takes the E despatch of white and if its put back its No white-bigger. Cullen utilize this play on speech communication to show the mental deception that was used by white people used to make themselves seem intellectually superior. not only is the content of this poem eccentric, but so is the structure. In the first stanza the syllables of separately line alternate 8 and 6, then for the rest of the poem alternates 8 and 7. This unique syllable structure gives the poem a rhythmic under tone of joy, which in cover when it mixed with the content and theme of racism brings out more of the poems irony which is one of the main expression focuses of this poem.Cullens inspirations of his life and passions are by all odds evident in this poem. First off the location of the poem was set in Baltimore, MD and although much of Cullens early biographical information is shady and unclear, Baltimore has tell to be one of Cullens realistic birth places which is hinted in the poem, Once move in old Baltimore(1). Another break connection is that Cullen lived in a time period where racism and segregation was a very popular idea so an inci dent such as the one in the poem occurring to Cullen is a very strong possibility.Cullens unique authorship stlye and complex syntax that is shown in his poem consequent is what made him one of the beaver writers of his time, and although the topic of the poem is still a touchy subject for most Incident is a poem that has been and will be a poem worth discipline for centuries.Works CitedCullen, Countee. Magills Survey of American Literature Pasadena Salem Press, 2007, print, V.2