An Annotation of Incident by Countee Cullen Essay

An Annotation of Incident by Countee Cullen - Essay ExampleThe spring starts off with a nostalgic stanza a nostalgia that is filled with the hope of meeting new people and gaining unforgettable experiences in Baltimore. He tells of his sojourn in Baltimoreonce riding in darkened Baltimorewith an emphasis on the word old to perhaps inform his readers that Baltimore has changed a lot since the incident. Or perhaps to stress that old, racially prejudiced Baltimore is no more. Then he describes what he feels and thinks about while passing by old Baltimoreheart-filled, head-filled with glee (Nielsen 29). He uses the words heart and head to express the delight that he entangle and the hopeful thoughts that he has in seeing Baltimore. But instead of using the word happiness he says glee, perhaps to moderate the intensity of his feelings. This gleeful emotion intensify when he suddenly fulfills soulfulness from BaltimoreI saw a Baltimorean (Nielsen 29) a Baltimorean that would quickly change his views of and hopes for Baltimore. He describes their encounter- Keep looking reliable at me. His description of this encounter leaves the reader guessing will this be a friendly encounter or a hostile one? The author then gives important details about this crabby incident. The reader is informed that this story is a childhood memoryNow I was eight and in truth small (Lown & Steinbergh 106).... This revelation perhaps surprises the reader because of how vivid the author recounts the incident, as though it only happened recently. acute that the author was only eight years old when it happened heightens the essence of the story. It becomes a story about an unbiased child who, at a very young age, already has something to share to the world through poetry. later revealing his age at the time of the incident, the author describes the Baltimorean- and he was no whit bigger (Nielsen 29). This motion picture implies that in terms of stature, they are clearly equal. And seei ng that the Baltimorean seems harmless, the author shows amicabilityAnd so I smiled (Nielsen 29). However, right off afterward, he reveals how the Baltimorean responded to his friendly gesturebut he poked out His tongue/ and called me, Nigger (Nielsen 29). This revelation may have taken aback the reader, for the author starts off his poem with a cheerful tone, and then drastically changes the mode into something unpleasant. The final stanza portrays how the incident affected the authors perspective, not only of Baltimore, but the spotless state of affairs during that time. It describes how, at a very young age, this very important incident deface and opened the eyes of the author to reality. It shows how all positive expectations can be crushed by a single incident. The author equates this incident or, more particularly, the attitude of the Baltimorean toward him, to the entire BaltimoreI saw the whole of Baltimore (Lown & Steinbergh 106). He is implying that old Baltimore is a racially prejudiced place. He then tells the reader how long he stayed in Baltimore, that is, from May until