The poem The Incident by Countee Cullen is a perfect example of lyrics. A lyric is a brief poem that expresses a writer's emotions and thoughts through short stanzas, and it certainly does that. As you read the poem, you can recognize three pairs of rhyming words: which gives you an ABCB rhyme scheme. Cullen uses the poetic speaker to discuss issues of racism and discrimination between blacks and whites in America. I chose to write about this particular poem because I think it is a poem that a large number of people can relate to in some way, or feel strongly about and the discrimination that people have experienced and continue to experience. Even though our country has progressed a lot over the years, we still have a long way to go; People of color and people from lower classes face discrimination on a daily basis and this needs to be recognized. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the first stanza, the speaker begins by describing the scene by saying, “Once riding into old Baltimore, / With my heart full, my head- filled with joy, / I saw a Baltimore dungeon looking me straight in the eye.” These lines allow you to assume that the speaker is talking about the city of Baltimore, or somewhere in the early 20th century when the poem was written. At that time, Baltimore was quite segregated, with separate neighborhoods for white and black neighborhoods. The speaker, however, paints the picture that he is happy in the moment. In the second line, he explains how he could have ridden his bicycle through the streets of old Baltimore, an activity that many children can enjoy. This stanza mainly describes how happy the speaker was at that moment. During the second stanza, he then describes himself and the other boy by saying, "Now I was eight years old and very small, / And he wasn't at all bigger." The way he describes himself and the other boy in these lines gives you no description of the races of the two. It wasn't until his next sentence, "And so I smiled, but he stuck out // His tongue and called me 'Nigger.' » which allows you to take care of the boys' shopping. From this line, you can assume that the speaker is an African American boy and the other person is a white boy. This is the most important stanza of the poem, which had an impact on the ending of the poem. The speaker was having a great time until the other boy made discriminatory comments, which ruined his entire time in Baltimore City. The lines after expressing the consequences of interacting with the white boy, “From May to December; / Of all the things that happened there / That’s all I remember.” The comment the boy made impacted how he remembered his entire time in Baltimore. He went from the first line describing how happy he was to walk the streets of Baltimore, to how much the boy had upset him; so much so that he didn't care to remember much of his time there. The tone of this poem was very sad and dark, in the beginning you have a happy child and at the end you have a sad child. The speaker does a great job of portraying the tone throughout the poem, so much so that you can imagine yourself there with him. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Many people can relate to the feelings expressed by the speaker,..