Countee Cullen’s poetic form, racial concerns, and religious themes

Countee Cullen was a leading Harlem Renaissance poet. That tells us who we're discussing, but why are we discussing him? Keep reading for what distinguishes his poetry rather than trying to memorize the biographical details.

Cullen wanted to write about large human subjects such as love and death. His ideal was “lofty thoughts beautifully expressed.” Both halves matter: meaningful ideas and care in expressing them. He preferred controlled poetic forms, including sonnets and conventional rhyme. So picture someone working carefully within established forms, not someone whose main project is to throw out the rules.

The long sentence at the end of the first paragraph piles up poetic devices, allusions, religious imagery, and possible influences. Break it down. Cullen used European forms and references drawn from classical and Christian traditions. His university education and religious upbringing help explain those choices. We don't need a technical definition of every device to understand the basic picture.

Now we get reactions. Some critics admire his skill. The example of The Ballad of the Brown Girl shows what they like: his word choice and sound recreate the atmosphere of an older English ballad. Other critics object to his use of European forms for political or racial subjects. Uncle Jim and Incident supply examples of the material they have in mind.

One critic effectively tells Cullen to pick a lane: is he pursuing beauty or speaking about race? But why can't he do both? Cullen rejects that choice. He can care about poetic craft and write work that reflects his experience as an African American. He distinguishes that personal expression from writing with a solely political purpose. His identity is part of what he expresses, not something he must set aside to write carefully crafted poetry.

That distinction also keeps the speakers straight. The complaint about incompatible roles belongs to a critic. Cullen's answer is that the roles are compatible. Don't turn a criticism of his work into something he agrees with.

In the last paragraph, explicit references to race become less common. Has he stopped caring? We are immediately told no: he doesn't feel less passionately. Instead, religious questions become more prominent. The Black Christ connects death and resurrection with an African American figure; Heritage explores a tension between Christian traditions and African heritage. Race is still there, now included within broader questions about suffering and redemption. That's what “subsumed” means here.

The final quotation reinforces the point: Cullen's race consciousness grows as he gets older. A change in what his poems explicitly emphasize isn't the same as a loss of concern. The overall picture brings together his commitment to established poetic forms, his continuing racial concerns, and the greater religious focus of his later work.