Uncle Jim
by Countee Cullen
Thesis
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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.
Stanza 1
u
/
u
/
u
/ u /
“White folks is white,” says uncle Jim; a
u / u /
u
/
“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
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iambic tetra meter
Iambic trimeter
Quatrain
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Internal rhyme
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End rhyme
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Assonance
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Repitition
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Visual imagery
Message: Racism can
go both ways, and
neither is right.
There is no excuse
for prejudices.

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.
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

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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.
Stanza 4
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
• 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.
Theme
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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.
Nth hour Joseph Madre