Same V Difference

Same V Difference

Yet Do I Marvel – Countee Cullen
I doubt not God is good, well-meaning, kind
And did He stoop to quibble could tell why
The little buried mole continues blind,
Why flesh that mirrors Him must someday die,
Make plain the reason tortured Tantalus
Is baited by the fickle fruit, declare
If merely brute caprice dooms Sisyphus
To struggle up a never-ending stair.
Inscrutable His ways are, and immune
To catechism by a mind too strewn
With petty cares to slightly understand
What awful brain compels His awful hand.
Yet do I marvel at this curious thing:
To make a poet black, and bid him sing!

The White House – Claude McKay
Your door is shut against my tightened face,
And I am sharp as steel with discontent;
But I possess the courage and the grace
To bear my anger proudly and unbent.
The pavement slabs burn loose beneath my feet,
A chafing savage, down the decent street;
And passion rends my vitals as I pass,
Where boldly shines your shuttered door of glass.
Oh, I must search for wisdom every hour,
Deep in my wrathful bosom sore and raw,
And find in it the superhuman power
To hold me to the letter of your law!
Oh, I must keep my heart inviolate
Against the potent poison of your hate.

African-American poetry has played a very important role in world history. In the last few centuries, stereotypes of black people in the USA and Canada were widely spread and accepted by the majorities. But in the meantime, black history month has efficiently and effectively helped to spread knowledge of black history and culture while many black artists had become (more) well-known, such as Louis Armstrong, Maya Angelou, Billie Holiday and Akua Lezli Hope etc. But also the writers of the two poems shown above.


In Countee Cullen’s poem, some unfamiliar words and names are used in the descriptions, such as Sisyphus, catechism etc. and the tense of the sentences are quite complex. In his poem, it gives the feeling that he is a wise man with broad knowledge and probably also has high skill in manipulating languages and words. In this case, it has become easier to see the implied meaning of this poem. The writer wants to show that he has greater ability and knowledge in many aspects than whites. However the poem by Claude McKay is much easier to read. The structure of the sentences is simpler and the meaning is quite obvious. His poem gives a new impression to the readers. Instead of using the regular form and follow the given rules, he creates his own way of writing a poem. The author ‘s idea can be understood as such that he as a black poet can do what the whites can do but also brave and creative enough to break all these and do everything in his own way and much better.


I personally believe that both ideas are right, while I prefer more of the first one, which is the idea that comes from Countee Cullen. I do agree that everyone should be equal and given same level of respects and social reputation, however there are always some people different. For instance, some people do have greater ability in certain aspects while the others don’t. These intelligences are inherited from their family genes that cannot be changed. The society should give these people enough space and encourage them to develop and improve their given intelligences. But some of the others are general and probably have no particular given intelligence. The society should also give encouragement and never put them into stereotypes or look at them through coloured glasses. Just like black people, they cannot decide what kind of skin colour they born with, and theoretically, skin colour doesn’t necessarily mean anything, it’s just the biological representation or a protection. I definitely believe that some black people do have the ability that many others can never reach. Therefore, I think we shouldn’t be too absolute. I would conclude that all people should be given the same rights, respects and social reputations while those who have greater ability or particular intelligence should also help and respect the others. And the other differences such as gender, race, skin colour etc. should not be named as an advantage.