Although a very short poem consisting of only twelve lines Countee Cullen’s “Incident” throws the reader into a tumultuous narrative that is ultimately about the loss of innocence of a young African American boy when he recognizes himself as the “other” or different. The poem is set up as a reflective narrative where the speaker is now a lot older and reminiscing the very moment that changed his perception of himself and would sculpt his future in America.
The narrative starts off as a very simple scene; a young boy, riding on a bus in Baltimore happy as a child should be. In the second line, the alliteration of “Heart-filled” and “head-filled” adds specific emphasis on which parts of him were full of joy solidifying that this moment on the
The narrative starts off as a very simple scene; a young boy, riding on a bus in Baltimore happy as a child should be. In the second line, the alliteration of “Heart-filled” and “head-filled” adds specific emphasis on which parts of him were full of joy solidifying that this moment on the