Countee Cullen's "For a Lady I Know": Race and Class

Introduction

Countee Cullen, a prominent poet of his time and a standout figure of the Harlem Renaissance, illuminates the deeply controversial issues of racism toward African Americans and societal class inequality in "For a Lady I Know." His short poem — only two stanzas — is terse yet powerful, illustrating the inequalities African Americans face alongside the ignorance and sense of superiority that wealthy white people often displayed toward them. It is not often that such a brief work can convey so much information and elicit so many feelings in a single reading, but "For a Lady I Know" certainly does.

Countee Cullen: A Life Shrouded in Mystery

As popular as he was, Countee Cullen's life is shrouded in mystery. He was born Cullen Porter in 1903, but the location of his birth remains debated even today. New York City and Baltimore have become the two most commonly accepted birthplaces among scholars. However, Cullen listed Louisville, Kentucky as his birthplace on his university transcript, only later to claim that New York City was, in fact, where he was born.

At some point before 1918, Countee was adopted — though the arrangement was never legally recognized — by Frederick Cullen, a Black activist minister. Frederick had a large impact on Countee, as the two traveled together frequently. Countee eventually developed conflicting feelings toward his adoptive father, largely due to his own inclinations toward paganism, which stood in contrast to Frederick's extremely conservative Christian upbringing. It has also been suggested that Frederick may have been homosexual, which could have influenced the often effeminate Countee. It is reported that Frederick had been dressed in women's clothing by his own mother even at an age well beyond what might be considered acceptable, a circumstance that may have been formative for Cullen's adoptive father.

Rise to Prominence During the Harlem Renaissance

High school proved to be the breeding ground for Countee's creativity. He was soon catapulted to the forefront of 1920s poetry as an honors student at DeWitt Clinton High School, which he attended from 1918 to 1921. DeWitt was the first place Cullen began to display his literary talents: he worked on the school newspaper and literary magazine and won a citywide poetry competition with "I Have a Rendezvous with Life." In 1921 he graduated from DeWitt and enrolled at New York University, where he wrote the majority of the poems in his first three volumes — Color, Copper Sun, and The Ballad of the Brown Girl. After graduating from NYU in 1925, Cullen attended Harvard for two years, earning a master's degree in English and French.

Ironically, he enjoyed his greatest success and critical praise between his high school years and his Harvard graduation. During that period, Cullen was the most revered Black poet in America. He embodied the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance: born into poverty and disadvantage, he persevered through hardship and attained the highest levels of education, respect, and fame. It seemed only fitting that he married Yolande Du Bois in 1928 — the daughter of the equally celebrated W. E. B. Du Bois. However, the two did not get along well, and their marriage ended in a tumultuous divorce in 1930. Cullen published relatively little from the 1930s until his death in 1946 from high blood pressure and uremic poisoning. After his death, his reputation was somewhat overshadowed by other Harlem Renaissance figures such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and his work went out of print. Decades later, however, there was a resurgence of interest in his writing, and it is now once again highly regarded.

The First Stanza: Class Privilege and Entitlement

"For a Lady I Know" is a social commentary on racism toward African Americans and on the attitudes of the wealthy toward the poor. The first stanza speaks to wealthy white people's sense of superiority and entitlement: "She even thinks that up in heaven her class lies late and snores." Growing up as a lower-class African American, Cullen was obviously exposed to people like the one depicted in this poem, and he must have been deeply troubled by them. Cullen conveys an idea that was as relevant when he wrote it as it is today. It is often true that the wealthy seem concerned only with themselves and their own comfort. Therefore, the lady in the poem imagines that "up in heaven her class lies late and snores" because that is what she believes she deserves in her self-righteous worldview.

Conclusion

"For a Lady I Know" is a fairly short poem, and certainly not long enough for one to expect it to carry such a clear and important message. Countee Cullen spoke out against wealthy racists at a time when it was virtually unheard of for poor African Americans to do so. He had the courage and integrity to expose the injustices occurring in America — and he did so artistically. Growing up, he faced many hardships, including the informal adoption that reshaped his early life, yet he persevered, earning a master's degree from Harvard. Cullen achieved fame and nationwide recognition for his poetry at a time when African Americans were neither celebrated nor respected. The message of "For a Lady I Know" will hopefully become less directly applicable to society over time, but it will certainly always remain important.