Question

In Countee Cullen's poem, "Incident," why is it that the only thing he can remember about his time in Baltimore is the incident on the train?

O A. It's a fond childhood memory
O B. It was a shocking and traumatizing event in his early life.
O C. He's young as he's writing the poem, so it's a recent event.
O D. It was funny to him, and the story stands out as an amusing anecdote..

Answer 1

O B. It was a shocking and traumatizing event in his early life.

Step-by-step explanation:

Countee Cullen's poem "Incident" is a short poem that reveals the one incident that has a huge impact on the poet's life. The four-line poem of three stanzas is packed with the most serious and derogatory discrimination that affects a whole race of people, the blacks.

In the poem, the speaker revealed how he was called the "n" word on one of his journeys in Baltimore. Though he was just eight years old and was "Heart-filled, head-filled with glee", the one comment by the Baltimorean kid who was "no whit bigger" than the poet left him with the "incident". This is a memory that will remain in his life forever. It was shocking and even traumatizing for the child in him to even comprehend what was happening.

Thus, the correct answer is option B.