Figurative Language In Countee Cullen's Tableau And Incident

During the Harlem Renaissance, many African Americans struggled through a shifting period in time from slavery to equality. Some African Americans expressed their feelings at that time through poetry such as “Yet Do I Marvel” written by Countee Cullen and “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. In “Yet Do I Marvel” Cullen writes about how the struggles he is facing relate to God and how he is being punished. McKay’s poem is slightly different; he emphasizes the idea of dying an honorable death for his freedom. These two poems are classic examples of how some African Americans felt during the Harlem Renaissance.

This is where his love for poetry was birthed and gained an audience. He also participated in literary contests one of which he made a poem "I Have a Rendezvous with Life," that was inspired by Alan Seeger's "I Have a Rendezvous with Death." He continued his great work and produced his first three volumes: Color (1925), Copper Sun (1927), and The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1927). “He was certainly not the first Negro to attempt to write such verse but he was first to do so with such extensive education and with such a complete understanding of himself as a poet” (Early 2001). This was said in response to the fact that his writing was considered to be “white”. Nevertheless, this was the genesis of the Harlem Renaissance regime. As Clifton Johnson indicated, Alain Locke (1926) extended praises to him in Opportunity: "Ladies and Gentlemen! A genius! Posterity will laugh at us if we do not proclaim him now. Color transcends all of the limiting qualifications that might be brought forward if it were merely a work of talent." In 1947, an incredible collection of Cullen's poetry, On These I Stand: An Anthology of the Best Poems of Countee Cullen was published. His work paid off after death when public schools were named after him and Harlem's 135th Street Branch library now being called the Countee Cullen Library. Also, literary scholars are referring to Cullen's life and writings as the years go by and in 2012 a biography of Cullen was published, And Bid Him Sing, by Charles

The Harlem Renaissance was a turning point for the United States as a whole, but more importantly African American Culture. African Americans in the United States became more prominent and involved in society. Culturally and artistically African Americans began to thrive as they began to fully express themselves and become more involved in American society. Countee Cullen, an African American, was apart of the artistic movement. Through his writing Cullen exemplified the struggle and hardships African Americans faced and created a call for equality. Cullen wrote the poem “Tableau” to demonstrate the varying views of racism. In “Tableau” Countee Cullen communicates a desire to end racial injustice through the use

Countee 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 distinctly demonstrated in his poem, “Fruit of the Flower”. In “Fruit of the Flower”, Cullen conveys the message that African-Americans should be treated as equal to white Americans. The song, “Team”, written and vocalized by Lorde, a modern pop

When someone receives power, they are forever changed. It is up to them to decide whether they are going to use this change for good or bad. This is an ongoing theme in the book, The Count of Monte Cristo. This book is about Edmond Dantes, a young man of about 18 to 20 years of age who had just returned from the Isle of Elba aboard the Pharaon. His captain had died during this trip leaving Edmond to take his place. While Edmond was overwhelmed with excitement, for he had just received a great opportunity, Danglars, the ships accountant, was only left with hate for Edmond. After receiving the unpredictable news of becoming captain, Dantes rushed home and saw that his father was pale and thin. He then found out that Caderousse, Edmond and his father’s

One poem that clearly captures the effect of racial discrimination is Incident by Countee Cullen. Cullen’s poem is short, but he manages to capture just enough of his emotion to convey his message.The poem describes a time when the poet visited Baltimore as a young boy and a man taunted him by sticking out his tongue and using a racial slur. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact emotions that Countee Cullen felt before and during this interaction. Still, it is clear that the incident had such a detrimental impact that it completely shook Cullen from his blissful mood and instead left him in a detached shock of sorts. While Cullen uses phrases in line two, “Heart-filled, head-filled with glee”, to show how he felt before the encounter, there

Power may be seen as the most beautiful and awesome thing to many humans, but in reality, power is a curse that ruins lives. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes takes on the identity of The Count of Monte Cristo, and begins to feel and compare himself to God throughout the book. As the book progresses, he soon learns he is wrong to compare himself to God and acknowledges the fact that he is only human. Also, in Viva la Vida, the song portrays the life of King Louis XVI, and how his life changed when all his power and glory of being king went away. It not only describes the way others who he used to rule saw him then, but also how his glorious life was torn away from him. Power is a force in life that can control someone and tear them apart.

Countee Cullen not only went to Harvard, but was popular with both black and white audiences. This stood out to me, and I am curious to know how he accomplished this. “His works later in life were criticised for being out of touch with the reality of black life” (Meyer 944). Why did critics think this? What did they mean by being out of touch?

Countee Cullen (1903-1946) was an influential African American poet largely remembered for his contribution to the Harlem Renaissance, a period from the early 1900’s to the mid 1930’s in which black culture thrived. Artists such as Langston Hughes and Louis Armstrong were integral in the creative revitalization and, while Cullen is perhaps lesser known, his work is no less enduring (Harlem).

The metaphors as the stylistic device are mostly used by authors who want to achieve the whole element if vivid description. In the cask of Ant amontillado Edgar Allan Pore successfully manages to pull out the instance of a metaphor "He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication" (208).The author uses the metaphor to make the direct comparison between "two filmy orbs" with the eyes of fortunate. Hence the use of the metaphor and the words that preceded it helps us to understand the way in which healthy is not in control of his actions because he is drunk. In the poem of Robert Henrik to the virgins, the element of the metaphor has achieved the intended purpose when he asserts that "time can be compared to a flying creature (2).The complete utilization is obtained when the resembles the flower to a maiden (4) hence the author is asserting using metaphors that so as the flower withers with time does the first ages. The comparison of the son with lamp is used to due to their purpose

And when we look deeper and take a deeper analysis of the literary elements such as the speaker, figurative language, and tone in both poems, it reveals the

The poetic devices I have chosen are, mood and structure. I will be analyzing how both of these poems have used these devices.

Racial injustice was a very prominent problem in the 1920’s and continued to be for a long time. Two poems by Countee Cullen titled “Tableau” and “Incident” attempt to change the view on racial issues. The poem “Tableau” tells about two boys who were of different races. These two boys stunned the town by showing them their friendship. Another poem “Incident” is about a young boy who was excited to go on a trip to Baltimore. This trip was ruined because all he could remember was a boy around his age calling him a mean racial slur. Both of these poems tried to change racial views at the time by using figurative language, tone, and theme.

The poem “Tableau” talks about a black and white boy and how they are a symbol for equality and unity. A tableau is basically a portrait and a representation of something. I believe Cullen chose this as the title because this poem is a representation of how blacks and whites both fought for equality and to be united. Cullen starts the story off by talking about how people are staring at these two boys one being black and one being white. Not only are they just staring but it says they are indignant and how dare they walk together. So this is obviously in a time period where racial interaction was not common or excepted, yet they continued to hold arms.

In Over the Hills and Far Away, William Ernest Henley analyzes the feelings of a moribund man toward death and the phases in which he accepts its looming presence. In order to weave this bittersweet tale, Henley incorporates many literary techniques. Henley uses figurative language, imagery, and symbolism to add meaning to the text and to strength the solemn tone of the poem. William Ernest Henley incorporates figurative language into his poem to add meaning to the text. For example, when he writes: