The Work of Countee Cullen Essay - 1861 Words

Countee Cullens poetry was extremely motivated by race. He produced poetry that celebrates his African American Heritage, dramatizes black heroism, and reveals the reality of being black in a hostile world. In Harlem Wine, Cullen reveals how blacks overcome their pain and rebellious inclinations through the medium of music (Shields 907). James Weldon Johnson said that Cullen was always seeking to free himself and his art from these bonds (Shields 905). In Yet Do I Marvel, Cullen raises questions about the motivation God might have had in making a poet black in bidding him sing in a world that is fundamentally racist and that does not readily accept the creative work of African Americans (Shackleford 1013). Poems such as Heritage,†¦show more content†¦Christianity is also a major theme in Cullens literary work. In some of his greatest poems, he contrasts paganism with Christianity. He realizes his own pagan inclinations and cannot overcome them despite his commitment to a Chr istian worldview (Shackleford 1012). His poem Black Magdalen is about black magdalens that are people who hide their pain and wrap their wounds in pride. Unlike Mary Magdalene, they do not have Christ to defend them against the self righteous, judgmental chaste clean ladies, so they must fend for themselves. This poem, like many other Cullen works, demonstrates his sympathy and identification with the outcast and his criticism of judgmental and provincial Christians. Jean Wagner asserts that The Black Christ is a masterly reconstruction of the poets inner drama, the conflict between disbelief and faith. Wagner argues that the poem reflects Cullens own reconciliation with Christianity (Shackleford 1013-1016). Cullens chief problem has been that of reconciling a Christian upbringing with a pagan inclination; this became his pose (Early 170). The form is very definite in most of Cullens work. The Petrarchan form is suggested in the rhyme scheme of Yet Do I Marvel. The first two quatrai ns rhyme abab,cdcd in perfect accord with the Shakespearean scheme. The poem is also essentially divided into the octave, wherein the problem is stated, and the sestet, in which a resolution is attempted. The poem begins with theShow MoreRelatedFigurative Language In Countee Cullens Tableau And Incident745 Words   |  3 PagesCountee Cullen was an African American poet during the early 1900s. Countee became renowned during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, a time where black writers and artists were featured prominently. His most influential poems are â€Å"Tableau† and â€Å"Incident.† Both of the poems, by Countee Cullen, show how racism plays a large part in how people perceive each other. He demonstrates this by using figurative language, and tone that contribute to the theme of both of the poems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  In his poem TableauRead MoreAnalysis Of Fruit Of The Flower By Countee Cullen1192 Words   |  5 PagesCountee Cullen is one of the most well-known poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Born as Countee LeRoy Porter, Cullen was raised by his maternal grandmother for the first few years of his life. He later was adopted by the Cullen family to become Countee Cullen. With his adoptive family, Cullen lived in Harlem, New York, which later became the headquarters of the Harlem Renaissance. Being raised in the center of this all-black society influenced Cullen’s style of writing. The man’s writing style is distinctlyRead More Countee Cullen Essay559 Words   |  3 Pages Countee Cullen was a prominent American poet and was known as the â€Å"poster poet† of the 1920 artistic movement called the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance produced the first African American works of literature in the United States. There were many leading figures in the Harlem R enaissance such as James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman and Arna Bontemps. Cullen was simply an amazing young man who won many poetry contests throughout New York, published two notableRead MoreAnalysis Of Tableau And Incident By Countee Cullen726 Words   |  3 PagesAmerican artists such as Countee Cullen to illustrate the indifference of blacks and whites through poetry. Cullen wrote Tableau as well as Incident, which share a tone of power. The racial interaction between a black and white boy in the two poems both contradict and have similarities. Developing their separate themes comes with the comparison of the two races and how they treat one another. Countee Cullen uses figurative language and tone to formulate the themes of the two works of literacy. In theRead MoreThe Legacy Countee Cullen s Impact On The Era Of Segregation906 Words   |  4 PagesThe legacy Countee Cullen, constructed, has made one of the biggest impacts on the era of segregation. The message Cullen was capable of imposing through poetry to all races makes you believe he was destined to be the best. The struggles the African American, race was experiencing is exposed through Countee Cullen’s, work. He brought new respect and awareness to the black race; through poems like â€Å"Heritage†, â€Å"Fruit of The Flower,† and â€Å"Incident†. The fact Cullen was educated by whites yet, his ideasRead MoreA Brief Note On Depression And Its Effects On American Society1331 Words   |  6 Pagesprospered with many individuals communicating their contemplations on paper. While verse was a huge piece of the Renaissance, two prominent artists are Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Both of these writers have ballads of bounty, however there ar e two that emerge: I Too Sing America by Langston Hughes and Incident by Countee Cullens. Through these sonnets both artists depict an event of prejudice, however each happened in various eras. Langston Hughes sonnet, I Too Sing America, he says TheyRead MoreEssay on Journey to the Harlem Renaissance1282 Words   |  6 Pagesliterature and especially poetry. The main writers embodying the Harlem Renaissance were Claude McKay, Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Claude was born in Jamaica, in 1898. He got his education from his older brother, who â€Å"possessed a library of English novels, poetry and scientific texts.† (Callahan, 784) Claude was a little older when he created his first piece of literary work. He published a book called Songs of Jamaica. It was a â€Å"record of his impressions of black life in Jamaica.† (CallahanRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : A Golden Age Of African American Culture1576 Words   |  7 Pagesfiction.† Writers like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Countee Cullen were all poet who played enormous roles during the Harlem Renaissance. Countee Cullens poem â€Å"Incident† tackles the issue of racism head-on, and there s no question that it takes an important stand against racial prejudice. Since racism is still a huge ongoing issue to this day- (almost 100 years later), a modern day movie partial of the poem â€Å"Incident† by Count Cullens has potential to impact the world. This film title wouldRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of Countee Cullens Any Human to Another902 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of Countee Cullens â€Å"Any Human to Another† Countee Cullen was man who struggled to be called a â€Å"poet† instead of a â€Å"Negro poet.†Ã‚   His life during the Harlem Renaissance was filled with inequality and prejudice.   These facts have lead many analysts to perceive his poem â€Å"Any Human to Another† as a cry for racial equality.   However, Cullen’s manipulation of structure, imagery, and symbols in the poem reveals that his true theme is that all humans are individually uniqueRead MoreEssay on Comparing the Poetry of Lanston Hughes and Countee Cullen842 Words   |  4 PagesComparing the Poetry of Lanston Hughes and Countee Cullen Upon first glance the differences between Hughes and Cullen seem very clear. Hughes writes in rhythm, while Cullens writes in rhyme, but those are just the stylistic differences. Hughes and Cullen may write poems in a different style but they both write about similar themes. The time they wrote in was during the Harlem Renaissance, a time period when African Americans were discovering their heritage and trying to become accepted in the