Summary Of Heritage By Countee Cullen

Countee Cullen grew up in Harlem after a minister adopted him, and then went on to graduate from New York University with his bachelors and then to Harvard to obtain his Masters. Much of his poetry is drawn from traditional poetry that was taught in those institutions. So Countee Cullen felt that he had enough of both cultures to bridge the divide between the races of black and white. This can be seen in Countee Cullen’s “Heritage” where he first poses the question what Africa means to him. In this poem, he uses traditional style poetry that many are used to, while he also tries to connect with his African ancestry. Langston Hughes however, took a more non-traditional approach to his poetry with the inclusion of the rhythmic sounds of jazz.