Poem- "Lines to My Father" by Countee Cullen

[Ms. Knarr]

Lines to My Father By Countee Cullen 1903–1946

The many sow, but only the chosen reap;
Happy the wretched host if Day be brief,
That with the cool oblivion of sleep
A dawnless Night may soothe the smart of grief.


If from the soil our sweat enriches sprout
One meagre blossom for our hands to cull,
Accustomed indigence provokes a shout
Of praise that life becomes so bountiful.


Now ushered regally into your own,
Look where you will, as far as eye can see,
Your little seeds are to a fullness grown,
And golden fruit is ripe on every tree.


Yours is no fairy gift, no heritage
Without travail, to which weak wills aspire;
This is a merited and grief-earned wage
From One Who holds His servants worth their hire.


So has the shyest of your dreams come true,
Built not of sand, but of the solid rock,
Impregnable to all that may accrue
Of elemental rage: storm, stress, and shock.

[martinwawszkowicz]

1. I believe that this poem is a very powerful way of expressing how life was during slavery. Cullen is saying that you can not choose where you are born in life, like how she was born into slavery. This poem talks about how offspring will come out beautiful, but not in a life of slavery. It is hopeful though, that if you dream a strong dream then maybe it will lead to a good life without rage, storm, stress, and shock.

2. I enjoyed reading this piece. I could really see what kind of world the descendants of slaves live. They are born in this kind of life and cannot change anything about it. I felt it was miserable, the kind of lives that these slaves are born into. Overall, this was a good poem even though some parts of it were tough to understand.

3.
1. Was the author born into slavery?
2. Why are the words "One Who" capitalized in the line - "From One Who holds His servants worth their hire."
3. Do you think that any slaves had a solid rock dream come dream?
4. Do you think that slaves blame their parents for the situation that they are in?

[deannazaha]

1. I agree with what Martin says. I believe that the meaning of this poem does have to do with how one cannot choose where he or she is born in life. I think that Cullen is talking to God, saying how no one can choose where they are put in life. Although everyone hopes "sows" hope for a better life, only a few are privileged to have it. Through extreme hard work and sweat, one will hope that life will become better for the next generation. One's heritage cannot be chosen, but is simply just thrust upon you. In the last stanza says "so has the shyest of your dreams come true, built not of sand, but of the solid rock" which I feel means that when one is born into slavery, their dreams are not weak, but backed up strongly by the support and a strong hope that the future may be easier.

2. I liked this poem a lot because it figuratively described that one cannot pick the cards he is dealt with. It described how slavery was not something that someone would wish upon anybody else because it is simply that bad. Those that were slaves simply wished that the future of their descendants would be better and easier. I really enjoyed how it was written in a way that it can have a few different interpretations.

3. In response to Martin's fourth question, I believe that slaves indirectly blame their parents. They know that it is not their parents' fault, yet they probably curse the situation they were born into. They can't do anything about it, but they probably wish that they were born out of slavery. My question: Why might have Countee Cullen called his poem, "Lines to My Father"?

[martinwawszkowicz]

1. Deanna these are some great thoughts! I see exactly where you are coming from, and I like your interpretation of the last stanza of the poem. That the dreams are backed up strongly by the support and a strong hope towards the future.

2. In response to Deanna's question, I believe that this poem is named "Lines to My Father" because it is about the ancestry of the slaves and the type of heritage that they come from. The lines are like from a family tree going right to who their father was, and what kind of life they are born into.

My Question: Do you think that slaves were proud of who they were?

[karlpreisner]

1. I agree with Martin and Deanna. The poem is about how people cannot choose where they want to be born. The slaves especially recognize this and accept it. The figure that if they work hard, then hopefully their next generation will be blessed with a better life.
2. I found this poem hard to interpret. I wouldn't have been able to see some of the ideas if not for Martin's and Deanna's posts. It is a good thing to accept that no matter who you are, you have to be happy with what fate has given you.
3. To answer Martin's last question. I think the slaves were proud of who they were because they knew that no matter what happened to them, they knew they were still humans and they were proud for that. They were proud to be part of fate's misfortune because they filled the void so that other people could be born into a better life.
Q: Why is "Night" capitalized in line 4?