Analysis of “Tableau” And “Incident” Poems By Countee Cullen

          Both poems “Tableau”(1348) and “Incident”(1348) were published in 1925 by Countee Cullen during the period of Harlem Renaissance. He played a significant role representing some of the main themes in that period by producing some of the most catching lyrics of that time. The two poems are the didactic and lyrical ballad, which means they are made to teach and tell a story. That structure has three stanzas and quatrains; the first one to show an extreme joy of the persona, the second one to show the sadness and disappointment and the third one is to combine these two feelings together to comes out as a conclusion and ending of the plot. The rhyme scheme of “Tableau” is ABAB, while for “Incident” is ABCB. Also, since the two poems divided into stanzas, the poetic structure would be stitchic. Although both poems tell the different story, they have the same theme that calls for acceptance and equality for that period.  

          In the first quatrain in “Tableau”, the persona sets an apathetic scene of two boys, black and white, walking “arm in arm”(I.   1.) in the street. They seem not to pay attention to their surrounding; they enjoy themselves day and night, where “The golden splendor”(I.   3.) refer to the day, and “The sable bride”(I.   4.) refer to as the night. So, this stanza explains the joy of these two lovers, whose filling with happiness, crossing the street. In the next quatrain, the poetic speaker described the people around these two whispering, staring and talking about them, and how they “dare”(I.   7.) to appear carelessly in that situation publically. All seem to be bothered by their “unison”(I.   8.) scene and the courage that they have to keep walking. Lastly, in the third quatrain, the poetic speaker explain how these two boys seem not to care about other people's thoughts about them; describing them as a  “lighting brilliant”(I.   11.) that will start the spark for new equality and more fair society. Therefore, when the community sees these two doing as they please in public, they would start to do the same with them, so that will eliminate the fear of being gay publically.

          “Incident” poem, in its first stanza, start describing a person that was going to “Baltimore”(I.   1.), and his heart fills with happiness and “glee”(I.   2.). Then he saw another person in that town, who kept on “looking straight”(I.   4.) at him. In this quatrain, the child seems filled with joy just like the two boys in the first quatrain of “tableau” poem.Then in the following stanza, the poetic speaker described the person explicitly. He’s an “eight”(I.   5.) years old child, and the other person were white and the same age as him by saying “he was no whit bigger”(I.   6.). When he realize that they are the same age; he “smiled”(I.   7.) to him, but that child polled “His tongue”(I.   8.) on him and called him “Nigger”(I.    8.), so here the eight years old child declaring that he is black. The child mood switched from happiness into disappointment since his expectation failed him when he thought that how will get embraced and welcomed by the white child. Furthermore, in the last stanza, the black boy said that he completed exploring Baltimore(I.   9.) and stayed there “From May until December”(I.   10.). He stated that from all that happened in between that period, this incident is the only memory that he “remember”(I.   12.). Therefore, the title of this poem is describing what that child experience in that particular place that stuck in his mind. Moreover, it clarifies the thoughts of that society at the time where the older people talk about racism freely around their children carelessly and building hate against another ethnicity without thinking of the outcomes of these words.

          “Tableau” and “Incident” both talks about the problems that the society suffer from at the period of Harlem Renaissance. The poetic speaker is calling for societal acceptance and equality for those who’s getting discriminated for having different skin colors and thoughts just like how being gay was not acceptable by society at that period. Cullen uses atmospheric condition in “Tableau” to show how their action would create a significant reaction toward the community opinions. And in “Incident” poem he demonstrated how the child is innocent and unaware of racial discrimination. He viewed black and white loving each other at a young age and on the following poem two children black and white building hate for each other, and that clarify how words could affect kids minds which affect future of a whole society.