Themes In 'Yet Do I Marvel' By Countee Cullen

“To struggle up a never- ending stair” a line that resonated with me while I was choosing a poem to recite in front of the class. ‘Yet Do I Marvel’ by Countee Cullen is a masterpiece within itself, the poem goes over the astonishment Cullen has regarding God’s power and much more if you don’t take the time to carefully read it. This poem is one of his famous poems during his career and was published in 1925, during a difficult time for blacks- especially black poets. The type of poem ‘Yet Do I Marvel’ is, is a sonnet consisting of 14 lines that take you through an array of emotions that I express during my performance. I was nervous and overthinking the way I could bring this poem to life since Cullen used a bit of an unorthodox way to deliver …show more content…
This is linked to being black by the speaker because no matter how many times Sisyphus tries to get back up to roll the boulder up the hill, he is set up for failure. During the time that the poem was written, Cullen observed the world around him and the environment for blacks. The world was not only unsatisfying but also setting them up for failure before they can get the opportunity to succeed. Cullen is questioning God in this regard because if he makes all the plans & the paths to life on earth…why are the circumstances for blacks so hard? And since they are so hard…could he not be able to change them? The lines 9-12 the speaker tells us that he does understand that if you question God you will be met with basic answers to why things are the way they are. No one will know the real answer but God. Also that individuals who take it upon themselves to question God, unfortunately, won’t care about the real reasoning behind his actions. “with petty cares to slightly understand…”- they are too simple minded to realize the greatness & how certain actions are needed for our path in life. Its to teach us lessons for us to question ourselves and not God. Lines 13 and 14 ends with a sort of confusing tone. After all, his questions the speaker, Cullen, is able to come to the conclusion that his doubts are just that and don’t need any justification. Because of the pigment of his skin, he is able to have a voice as a poet, to stand proud of his blackness during this time no matter how unsatisfying and hard the world is. They are still able to have a voice and it is Gods choice for them to understand their worth and pick themselves up- out of a horrendous situation (racism & segregation) and to keep working