1. Uncle Jim by Countee Cullen

2. Thesis
The speaker is a young man who is surrounded by prejudices and does not agree with them.
It is a lyrical poem.
The poet uses visual imagery to enhance the message of the story.
The poet also uses metaphors and a simile to reveal details and traits of the characters in the poem.

3. Stanza 1 u / u / u / u / “White folks is white,” says uncle Jim; a
“A platitude,” I sneer; b
u / u / u / u /
And then I tell him so is milk, c
u u / u / u /
And the froth upon his beer. b
iambic tetra meter
Iambic trimeter
Quatrain
Internal rhyme
End rhyme
Assonance
Repitition
Visual imagery
Message: Racism can go both ways, and neither is right. There is no excuse for prejudices.

4. Stanza 2
u / u / u / u / His heart walled up with bitterness, d u / u / u / He smokes his pungent pipe, e u / u / u / u / And nods at me as if to say, f u / u / u / “Young fool, you’ll soon be ripe!” e
Iambic tetra/tri meter
Quatrain
Alliteration
Assonance
Internal rhyme
End rhyme
Metaphor
Visual / olfactory imagery
Message: Racism is set in the hearts and minds of people. People against racism are ridiculed.

5. Stanza 3
u / u / u / u / I have a friend who eats his heart g u / u / u / Always with grief of mine, h u / u / u / u / Who drinks my joy as tipplers drain i u / u / u / Deep goblets filled with wine. h
Iambic tetra/tri meter
Quatrain
Assonance
End rhyme
Alliteration
Simile
Metaphor
Meaning: He has a friend who feels as strongly against racism as he does. We are not alone.

6. Stanza 4
Iambic tetra/tri meter
Quatrain
Alliteration
Near rhyme
End rhyme
Allusion to a poem by John Keats called Ode on a Grecian Urn
Visual imagery
Meaning: When the speaker is confronted by racism, instead of thinking hopefully to future peace and acceptance he thinks of the ingrained teachings of prejudices.
u / u / u / u / I wonder why here at his side, j u / u / u / Face-in-the-grass with him, a u / u / u / u / My mind should stray the Grecian urn k u / u / u / To muse on uncle Jim. a

7. Theme Overall the theme is about how prominent racism is in society.
The poet captures this with visual imagery and an allusion
Metaphors and a simile are also a deeper way to connect racism to the charcters of the poem.

8. Nth hour Joseph Madre