Final answer:
Countee Cullen's 'Heritage' is a poem that questions the meaning of African descent for African American identity and reflects the Harlem Renaissance's tensions around race and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poem 'Heritage' by Countee Cullen is a critical examination of African American identity and its relation to African heritage. The poem is modeled on the Romantic ode and grapples with the meaning of African descent for African American identity, reflecting the tensions within the Harlem Renaissance.
Countee Cullen's work, particularly through his poems like 'Heritage,' uses classical forms to pose fundamental questions about race, identity, and culture, exemplifying the New Negro movement's call for respect and self-assertion amidst the racial challenges of the era. This movement aimed to redefine African American identity in a way that celebrated black life and history, as stressed by scholar Alain Locke and embodied by writers such as Langston Hughes.