Sunday, November 4, 2007
Cullen Poems
I really enjoyed reading the Cullen poems. I think that they are very different from other poetry we have read this semester. The tone seems to be one of despair, almost as though the author doesn't care anymore - like he is giving up. For example, in Incident we see that the author is called a "Nigger" while in Boston and "Of all the things that happened there/ That's all that I remember." THe author seems to dewll on the nagative and in his poetry he pertrays an attitude of hopelessness. Many of the other texts we have read this semester speak of how the past can serve as an example for the future and how tha blacks can make thier lives better. I find that that idea is missing from this poetry all together.
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6 comments:
I wonder if Cullen uses his poetry to relfect on different aspects of his life, like the time he was called a "nigger." I also wonder if these are vivid moments in his life that he can't forget, so he decides to write about them. Maybe he gets closure or satisfaction when he write about these occurrences . I'm not too sure, it is just a thought.
This really is different poetry then what we've been reading, but it's a nice change once in a while. I didn't get the feeling of the author not caring anymore. I don't think he is giving up either. I think he is dwelling on the negative such as being called a "nigger" because it's an important topic. It shows how much a racial slur can hurt. It's shows that maybe individuals should be careful about what they say because words can be hurtful.
I think that Cullen is trying to make his audience think. Reread some of his poetry, there are some hidden messages in there.
The poem where I think lies the hidden messages is Tableau. You really don't know what he is talking about.He could be talking about homosexual themes or he could be talking about some of the race issues. I think he has some hidden meanings!
I liked the poems as well eventhough they are hard to understand once you get them they are good poems. He definitly talks about despair and hopelessness in his poems. Not only dealing with racism when he talks about relantionships too. His poems are definintly missing the way the balcks are going to progress in the future or how they are maybe he has no hope for blacks.
I don't know if Cullen is truly giving up or if his writing just focuses on real situations that blacks had to endure. Clearly his poems are negative as they show hurt, pain, and disappointment, but it seems like he is searching for answers. He uses the Bible as a guide and asks God for answers as to why things happened a certain way.
I think that is how he wants us to read it. It seems that he does not want to be a spokesperson for the race and would rather write as a normal, uncolored man.
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