Summary Of Incident By Countee Cullen

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The poem, “Incident” by Countee Cullen is about the author's first experience with racism as an eight-year-old boy riding the bus in Baltimore. The speaker was experiencing his first-time riding on a bus by himself. Cullen was very excited because when he was on the bus he was “Heart-filled, head filled with glee”( 2). This shows how the author is taking in such a simple experience. Children tend to be amused by the simplest thing like a ride on a bus. The author’s reaction to the bus ride shows youthful innocence since he was amazed by such a simple bus ride. However, since the author is innocent he would not realize that a bus ride for someone of his color is not really amazing. This poem took place in a time where African Americans were