Analysis Of The Poem 'The Wise' By Countee Cullen

What differentiates a knowledgeable man from a wise one? It is the ability to keenly observe one’s environment and have good judgement. The poet, Countee Cullen, chose to name this poem “The Wise” in order to portray the subject, death, as a great state of being. Throughout the poem he praises the characteristic of these “Dead men” because they get to see the world grow without having to experience positive and negative feelings. They are not bound by emotions and therefore are only left to observe them. This leads them to have a complete understanding of both sides which in turn makes them wise.

The poem is set up so that every line rhymes with the lines in its own stanza, otherwise known as a monorhyme (AAA BBB CCC DDD), in order express his rational and relaxed emotions. It is important to note his state of mind when writing this literary piece because of the mention of

This shift is significant because now the reader learns exactly what the dead go through and how they handle their lack of feelings in order to be seen as this middle ground. “Dead men alone bear frost and rain, On throbless heart and heartless brain, And feel no stir of joy or pain,” the dead handle these feelings that affect humans drastically with much equanimity. They are not irritated by the cold, not blinded by joy, or prone to the sufferings of mankind It is this feeling of admiration that is noticed throughout the poem due to the poet’s longing to be in a state of nothingness. While most see the dead as some negative entity, Cullen appreciates their lack of being because of how much wisdom they gain from simply observing, and not feeling. It’s obvious why he names this poem “The Wise”, he does so to personify the “dead men,” and figuratively bring them to life. He wants to change the black and thinking people use when talking about death and have them see it as an inevitable freedom from the passions of