Complete Reading of 'Heritage' , 'Incident', 'A Brown Girl Dead', and 'Karenge ya Marenge' by
Countee Cullen
The poems, 'Heritage' , 'Incident', 'A Brown Girl Dead', and 'Karenge ya Marenge' are written
by African-American poet Countee Cullen. Through this paper, I shall critically comment on
various aspects of these poems such as the rhyme scheme, tone, structure and themes of the
poems.
All four poems are meticulously structured and have a rhyme scheme.
In ‘Heritage’ the alternate lines of the poem rhyme. The tone of the poem seems to be conflicted.
The speaker of the poem seems to have a sense of ‘double consciousness’. The theme of the
poem could be considered as nostalgia and identity crisis, as the speaker seems to have a tough
time choosing between living as an American and living as his ancestors did in Africa.
In the poem ‘Incident’, alternate lines have the same metre. There is a particular rhyme scheme,
that is ‘abcb; defe; gehe’. The tone of the poem seems to be casual and yet slightly melancholic.
The speaker of the poem seems to be narrating an incident from his/her childhood that had a
major impact on him/her.
In the poem ‘A Brown Girl Dead’, the rhyme scheme used is ‘abab;cdcd’. The tone of the poem
is sad and melancholic. The theme of the poem is death, poverty and simplicity as the speaker
talks of how the mother of the deceased had to pawn her wedding ring just to be able to bear the
cost of her daughter’s funeral.
In the poem ‘Karenge Ya Marenge’, the poet has made use of the rhyme scheme,
‘abab:cdcd;ee:ff:gg’. The poem has a questioning tone to it. The theme of the poem is the
difference in response to a white man’s cry for freedom and a coloured man’s cry for freedom.
In the poem ‘Heritage’, in the first stanza, the speaker of the poem appears to be celebrating the
rich culture and heritage of Africa. The poet uses highly descriptive and vivid imageries such as
‘copper sun’ and ‘scarlet sea’ to show the colourful culture and biodiversity of Africa. The
speaker seems to dearly miss certain aspects of Africa like the singing of the birds which he/she
wishes to hear in America.
In the second stanza, the speaker of the poem misses his/her homeland even more. He/she is
reminded of the rainfall back home while still in America. His/her longing for their continent
causes him/her to be restless and feel lost between the two cultures.
In the concluding part of the poem, the speaker talks of the problems caused due to the
conversion of his/her faith to Christianity. He/she is caught between having been a Pagan in
Africa and now being a Christian in America. The speaker prays to the holy trinity and yet feels
like an alien in comparison to Jesus Christ as He is not black like him/her.
In the poem ‘Incident’, the first stanza is quite upbeat and seems to project the innocent
happiness of a child. The words ‘heart-filled’ and ‘head-filled’ bring about the repetition of the
word ‘filled’ for emphasis of the extent of glee experienced by the speaker of the poem.
The second stanza is more descriptive of the characters present in the poem. It speaks of the
speaker’s attempt to be friendly with a child similar in age, only to be severely shocked by an
unnatural response from the child. The child sticks out his tongue and calls the speaker a
‘nigger’.
In the third stanza, the speaker talks of how the impact of the child’s behaviour was so extensive
that in spite of looking around Baltimore for eight months, the only incident he/she remembers is
that of the child’s hostility and racist attitude.
In the poem ‘A Brown Girl Dead’, the first stanza shows various instances where the poet has
tried to make a stark contrast between black and white such as ‘white roses’, ‘White candles’ and
‘Dark Madonna’. The white roses placed on the breasts of the girl that has died are supposed to
be a symbol of purity when ironically, white is the colour of the oppressors of the
African-American community. ‘Dark Madonna’ is a reference to the unmarried girl who
happens to be dark skinned.
The second stanza portrays the socio-economic background of most of the African-American
people during the Harlem Renaissance. The mother of the dead girl is forced to pawn her
wedding ring in order to be able to pay for the white dress in which she is to be buried. The
second stanza also shows the girl’s desire to get married and be dressed as a bride which didn’t
materialise due to her unfortunate and untimely death.
In the first stanza of the poem, ‘Karenge Ya Marenge’, the poet questions what makes words
‘sublime or noble’. He asks whether it is the ethnicity and the colour of the skin that ‘mark a
lesser place for Gandhi’s cry than “Give me liberty or give me death!”’ where ‘Give me liberty
or give me death’ is a reference to Patrick Henry, an American, who used this slogan against the
British in the 18th century during America’s struggle for independence from their motherland.
In the second stanza the poet asks whether the Indian language is so weak, frail and crude that
people fighting for freedom around the world are incapable of hearing this battle cry but are able
to spring at the same words uttered in English.
Although Countee Cullen’s poems speak of various topics, they are centralised around the
conflicts faced by people of colour on an every-day basis.
‘Heritage’ describes the internal conflict that many African-Americans faced due to the vast
differences in the ways of living of the Americans and the Africans. They didn’t know whether
to continue having the culture and traditions they did in Africa or to switch to the culture and
traditions of America.
In ‘Incident’, Countee Cullen tries to show through the poem how one’s experiences during
childhood have a huge effect while still a child and upon growing up too. He writes how children
perceive racism, the effect it has on them and how it is an unforgettable experience to be
discriminated against.
While in the poem ‘A Brown Girl Dead’, the poet portrays the low economic status and the
hardships the African-American population had to face due to poverty during the Harlem
Renaissance, in ‘Karenge Ya Marenge’ he questions the audience whether being white and
speaking in English is the criteria for being heard by the people around the world.