Countee Cullen Poems

As American literature started it was hard for an American to be recognized as a writer. Their works were not considered as good poems not matter how good they were. Time past by and more American poets were being recognized for their poetry and books. But later on, racism was not against Americans. Racism was between Americans and Afro-Americans. White people would not read black's poetry they were not even recognized as poets.

One of the first Afro-American poets to be "famous" was Countee Cullen. Countee Cullen's poetry was extremely motivated by race. He produced poetry that celebrates his African American Heritage, exaggerates black heroism, and reveals the reality of being black in the world. Many of his works talk about racism and the way a black person looks at the world.

Three of his famous works were The incident, Saturday's child, and Simon the Cyrenian speaks. Resembling to all of his poems, in "The Incident" and "Simon the Cyrenian speaks", Cullen talks about racism. The poem "The Incident" deals with the effect racism has on a young black child vacationing in Baltimore. The child is mistreated by a white child and disturbed in his innocence so much that after spending seven months that is all he can remember. In the poem "Simon the Cyrenian" Cullen talks about the racism Simon suffers. He has to carry Christ cross for the only reason of being black. He talks about the great cause that Jesus died and that no man follows.

Cullen uses rhyme in these three poems. Although he uses it in a different format the three of them has it. In the poem "Saturday's child" and "Simon the Cyrenian speaks" Cullen uses rhymes every two stanzas, and in the "Incident" Cullen uses rhyme every other stanza.

These three poems are very similar to each other; they all talk about racism and poverty in a black person.