An Annotation of Incident by Countee Cullen Essay

An Annotation of Incident by Countee Cullen - Essay Example The author starts off with a nostalgic stanza; a nostalgia that is filled with the hope of meeting new people and gaining memorable experiences in Baltimore. He tells of his sojourn in Baltimore—‘once riding in old Baltimore’—with an emphasis on the word ‘old’ to perhaps inform his readers that Baltimore has changed a lot since the incident. Or perhaps to stress that ‘old’, racially prejudiced Baltimore is no more. Then he describes what he feels and thinks about while passing by ‘old’ Baltimore—‘heart-filled, head-filled with glee’ (Nielsen 29). He uses the words ‘heart’ and ‘head’ to express the delight that he felt and the hopeful thoughts that he has in seeing Baltimore. But instead of using the word ‘happiness’ he says ‘glee’, perhaps to moderate the intensity of his feelings. This gleeful emotion intensify when he suddenly encounters someone from Baltimore—‘I saw a Baltimorean’ (Nielsen 29); a Baltimorean that would quickly change his views of and hopes for Baltimore. He describes their encounter- ‘Keep looking straight at me’. His description of this encounter leaves the reader guessing: will this be a friendly encounter or a hostile one? The author then gives important details about this particular incident. The reader is informed that this story is a childhood memory—‘Now I was eight and very small’ (Lown & Steinbergh 106).... This revelation perhaps surprises the reader because of how vivid the author recounts the incident, as though it only happened recently. Knowing that the author was only eight years old when it happened heightens the essence of the story. It becomes a story about an innocent child who, at a very young age, already has something to share to the world through poetry. After revealing his age at the time of the incident, the author describes the ‘Baltimorean’- ‘and he was no whit bigger’ (Nielsen 29). This depiction implies that in terms of stature, they are clearly equal. And seeing that the ‘Baltimorean’ seems harmless, the author shows amicability—‘And so I smiled’ (Nielsen 29). However, immediately afterward, he reveals how the ‘Baltimorean’ responded to his friendly gesture—‘but he poked out His tongue/ and called me, ‘Nigger’’ (Nielsen 29). This revelation may have taken aback t he reader, for the author starts off his poem with a cheerful tone, and then drastically changes the mode into something unpleasant. The final stanza portrays how the incident affected the author’s perspective, not only of Baltimore, but the entire state of affairs during that time. It describes how, at a very young age, this very important incident scarred and opened the eyes of the author to reality. It shows how all positive expectations can be crushed by a single incident. The author equates this incident or, more particularly, the attitude of the Baltimorean toward him, to the entire Baltimore—‘I saw the whole of Baltimore’ (Lown & Steinbergh 106). He is implying that ‘old’ Baltimore is a racially prejudiced place. He then tells the reader how long he stayed in Baltimore, that is, ‘from May until

Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul - Essay Example Shrines, temples and any other stationary fixtures housing sacred deeds mark sacred sites. Temples can function as churches, synagogues, mosques or congregational meeting places. A site like altars contains holy objects and designated sacred spaces within a building. Sacred buildings may be used for congregational gatherings during the occasions for making sacred time. Examples of sacred building are prayer rugs, tallit’s and Torah scrolls, altars or objects, shrines, roadside memorials and other portable sacred spaces for prayer, sacrifice, etc. Architecture and art have led to the design of sacred places like altars that appear elevated within a building space. Designs of the altar may signify that the place is sacred like decorating them with the purple color, etc. The general design of sacred places and building distinctively identifies the area from other ordinary structures by having some prominent signs on them e.g. the signs of the cross on top of the roofs of any Catholic churches. Art and idolatry are interconnected like Iconoclasts (Jews, Muslims, Catholics and some Protestant churches) consider images and statues to be idolatrous, and these mostly are forbidden in their religious laws. Icons in some churches serve as focal points for encountering God. According to Tillich, history moves from powers of origin, with their legitimate unjust structures of traditional domination by prophetic criticism and kairos to fulfillment based on justice structures. The whole process being one of sacramental participation to end in culminating sacrament of theology. Secular history manifests autonomous movement parallel to that of ecclesia-movement of its Catholic sacred substance through independent yet prophetic principle to the fulfillment of both religious and its prophetic elements. There is a paradox at the coupling of art and sacred places. They seem naturally apt to one another, similar to present forms of sacred and art are both