Heritage Poem and the Assimilation Process
Assimilation is a process that allows one group to merge into the custom and cultures of another. There are many ideas and opinions regarding the practice of assimilation and the different steps that occur during this Process. The Poem “Heritage” by Countée Cullen's, demonstrates this progression by looking at an African American born into the USA in a primarily white culture. It reflects the struggle of conforming to ones current culture while understanding the history and ancestry of their past in Africa. The following examines the struggle of this African American, by analyzing the poem’s stanzas and imagery to convey the steps throughout the assimilation theory.
During the Poems first lines of
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Cullen’s poem, the question is asked “What is Africa to me?” (Cullen, 1927: p1). The first stanza continues to describe scenes of Africa using imagery to describe the people such as “Strong bronzed men” and “Regal black women” (Cullen, 1927: p1). This is a reflection of the pride the African American has in his ancestry. However, in the beginning of the second stanza Cullen, uses play on words by intentionally using the word “lie” to illustrate both figuratively and literally the need for the African to hide his heritage and culture in order to blend in with the current Anglo Saxon dominant society “The modern individual, aware of his rich heritage yet stranded in a sterile, conformist culture” (Kirby, 1971: p14). Throughout the Poem, the Black person is challenged with figuring out how to properly assimilate into modern culture, while maintaining his African identity. In the process of assimilation, the first step one must go through is altering one’s lifestyle to blend in with the current dominant culture.
Cullen’s demonstrates this by noting Africa as only being remembered from a listless book “Africa? A book one thumbs listlessly, till slumber comes. Unremembered are her bats circling through the night, her cats crouching in the river reeds” (Cullen, 1927: p1). The person is unable to experience the origins and traditions of his ancestors as he is forced to conform to the majority culture “One important phase is cultural assimilation (acculturation) —the change of cultural patterns to match those of the host society” (Parrillo, 2014: p104). Once the person begins the assimilation process, He feels at a loss of what is right and wrong, struggling with his identity “Like a soul gone mad with pain I must match its weird refrain; Ever must I twist and squirm, writhing like a baited worm” (Cullen 1927: p1). The Negro in the poem struggles between acting like society expects him to in modern culture and remembering the ways and traditions of his origins “These poems hinge on questions of memory and how effectively memory can be used to define the self” (Nardi, 2014: p 253). If a person is able to successfully assimilate, they then forget their ethnic background and accept the customs and behaviors of the majority society “Once structural assimilation occurs, all other types of assimilation—including the end of an ethnic identity and residual ethnic prejudice—would follow (Parrillo, 2014 p 104). Complete assimilation is accomplished when person rejects the customs of their original origins and accepts the methods, ways, and traditions of the modern culture. They are essentially accepting a new
identity. Another essential aspect Cullen’s demonstrates of assimilation is through the religious struggles reflected by the black person through out the poem. Lines such as “Jesus of the twice-turned cheek, Lamb of God, although I speak with my mouth thus, in my heart do I play a double part” (Cullen, 1927, p2). “The poem is very much about his conversion to Christianity and ends with the line, "They and I are civilized” (Phillips, 2015: p 13.) While the person depicted in the poem has converted to Christianity, there is still clearly a struggle with trying to understand the Gods and religious customs from his ancestors in Africa. The blending of religious traditions is apparent as the person tries to follow the Anglo Saxon traditions of Christianity as well as maintain the heritage of the traditions and religious customs in Africa. In the end of the poem, Cullen again states the question “What is Africa to me?” (Cullen, 1927: p2). Clearly the answer is complicated for a person living in a minority group, as the conflicts between cultures and customs clash with identity “Many minority groups lose their visibility when they acculturate. They, however, may identify with and take pride in their heritage and maintain primary relationships within their own racial/ethnic and social-class grouping” (Parrillo, 2014: p109). Cullen’s uses the poem “Heritage” to accurately depict the struggles a minority group faces as they attempt to assimilate into a new culture and maintain their ancestral identity. Consequently, as a person is forced to accept the ways of the majority group, the character and heritage of the minority people is often lost and convoluted. This causes confusion and divergences, which can lead to prejudice attitudes and discrimination. In order to prevent this, one should strive to welcome other cultures and traditions in order to preserve their character and heritage.
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