?Incident? By Countee Cullen Essay, Research Paper

“Incident”

Countee Cullen wrote the poem “Incident”. He was born May 30, 1903. Growing up he was a very bright kid who liked to wright poetry. Cullen was very good in school and always finished with honors. His love for poetry had its break through while attending New York university. His poems were published in American Literary Magazines before he graduated. He later became to be one of the great American Poets. The poem the “Incident was about A young boys experience while visiting Baltimore.

The poem goes on to say that the boy is walking a long enjoying the day. Then a guy walking by changes the whole mood of the poem by calling the boy a racist comment. The boy grows up and later in life is the one event that he remembers.

The poem was a twelve line poem. It had rhyme in it also following eight syllables every other line and six syllables the other lines.

When Cullen was explaining the little boys mood by saving it was a nice day. The young boy enjoying his vacation. The image that I got was a young boy enjoying his childhood with not a care in the world. Then the whole image changes when the little boy is smiling then you here the comment which introduces the other character who changes the whole mood of the poem.

The theme that Cullen wants you to get by reading this poem is that people are cruel to each other, a long with the hatred and prejudice people have towards each other.

The figurative language was foreshadowing which was very clever. After reading the title of the poem, Cullen begins this poem off with veery positive mood. You are waiting though when it is going to change because you realize that the poem is called the “Incident” and you get the feeling that something bad is going to happen.

The poem relates a lot to society when Cullen lived. It is sad to say that things haven’t changed from then today. I liked the poem very much because Cullen wrote the way he saw people acting towards each other.