Uncle Jim by Countee Cullen

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Uncle Jimby Countee Cullen
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Thesis

• The speaker is a young man who is surrounded by
  prejudices and does not agree with them.
• It is a lyrical poem.
• The poet uses visual imagery to enhance the
  message of the story.
• The poet also uses metaphors and a simile to
  reveal details and traits of the characters in
  the poem.

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Stanza 1

• u / u / u / u /
• White folks is white, says uncle Jim a
• u / u / u /
• A platitude, I sneer b
• u / u / u / u /
• And then I tell him so is milk, c
• u u / u / u /
• And the froth upon his beer. b

• iambic tetra meter
• Iambic trimeter
• Quatrain
• Internal rhyme
• End rhyme
• Assonance
• Repitition
• Visual imagery
• Message Racism can go both ways, and neither is
  right. There is no excuse for prejudices.

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Stanza 2

• u / u / u / u /
• His heart walled up with bitterness, d
• u / u / u /
• He smokes his pungent pipe, e
• u / u / u / u /
• And nods at me as if to say, f
• u / u / u /
• Young fool, youll soon be ripe! e

• Iambic tetra/tri meter
• Quatrain
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Internal rhyme
• End rhyme
• Metaphor
• Visual / olfactory imagery
• Message Racism is set in the hearts and minds of
  people. People against racism are ridiculed.

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Stanza 3

• u / u / u / u /
• I have a friend who eats his heart g
• u / u / u /
• Always with grief of mine, h
• u / u / u / u /
• Who drinks my joy as tipplers drain i
• u / u / u /
• Deep goblets filled with wine. h

• Iambic tetra/tri meter
• Quatrain
• Assonance
• End rhyme
• Alliteration
• Simile
• Metaphor
• Meaning He has a friend who feels as strongly
  against racism as he does. We are not alone.

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Stanza 4

• Iambic tetra/tri meter
• Quatrain
• Alliteration
• Near rhyme
• End rhyme
• Allusion to a poem by John Keats called Ode on a
  Grecian Urn
• Visual imagery
• Meaning When the speaker is confronted by
  racism, instead of thinking hopefully to future
  peace and acceptance he thinks of the ingrained
  teachings of prejudices.

• u / u / u / u /
• I wonder why here at his side, j
• u / u / u /
• Face-in-the-grass with him, a
• u / u / u / u /
• My mind should stray the Grecian urn k
• u / u / u /
• To muse on uncle Jim. a

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Theme

• Overall the theme is about how prominent racism
  is in society.
• The poet captures this with visual imagery and an
  allusion
• Metaphors and a simile are also a deeper way to
  connect racism to the charcters of the poem.

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Nth hour Joseph Madre