Countee Cullen's Poetic Universality

Paper Summary:

The paper focuses on the diversity of cultural and race issues within the poetic works of Countee Cullen. The paper looks at the poems "Heritage" and "Yet Do I Marvel" and discusses how Cullen is able to convey a sense of awareness of his own cultural background without the monolithic view of race issues in his work. The paper highlights Cullen's broad sense of poetic universality across cultural and racial lines during the Harlem Renaissance.

From the Paper:

"For Countee Cullen, poetry was often deemed "raceless" due to the way that he interpreted human relationships within the big city. New York City was a massive "melting pot" of immigrants and people of differing races, which became manifest during the Harlem Renaissance. Cullen lived in this section of the city where African Americans were indeed marginalized, yet they were able to have greater freedoms that what was allowed at the time in the South. Cullen is aware of cultural roots going back to Africa in this urban milieu, which helps to dictate his ideas about the limitations of African American identity in the poem "Heritage"."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cullen, Countee. "Heritage." 2006. Poemhunter.com. 31 January, 2007. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/heritage/>
• ---. "Yet Do I Marvel." 2006. Poemhunter.com. 31 January, 2007. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/yet-do-i-marvel/>
• Ferguson, Blanche, E. Countee Cullen and Negro Renaissance. New York: Mead, 1966.
• Johnson, Clifton H. "Countee Cullen--Poet/Writer." 2006. Afrigeneas.com. 31 January, 2007. < http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum-writers/index.cgi?noframes;read=926>
• Wagner, Jean. Black Poets of the United States: From Paul Lawrence Dunbar to Langston Hughes. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1973.

More papers on Countee Cullen's Poetic Universality:

• Analytical Essay # 127963 : "War of Words: Linguistic Relativity Versus Linguistic Universality"
• Essay # 36921 : "The Transformation of Poetic Entry"

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