https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz Made with a lightning strike of genius en-us 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC 2025-11-17 21:44:16 UTC hello@padlet.com CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887733 In the poem "From the Dark Tower" by Countee Cullen, African Americans are deemed less worthy than Caucasians. This poem shows that groups of people should not isolate themselves from others and make assumptions that are not true. They should talk and share their opinions in a respective way to avoid more isolation. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887733 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887735 "We shall not always plant while others reap" (Cullen 1). African Americans can't grow as individuals if Caucasians restrict them. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887735 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887736 "The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, 
White stars is no less lovely being dark" (Cullen 9-10) Even though Caucasians believe that African Americans are lesser than them, they are not. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887736 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887738 "Not everlastingly while others sleep
Shall we beguile their limbs with mellow flute," (Cullen 5-6). African American shouldn't have to do all the work for Caucasians, even when they are asleep and unable to appreciate it. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887738 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887739 The poem "From the Dark Tower" by Countee Cullen describes the disgruntled mindset of communities suffering from oppression. He uses different rhyme schemes and moods between stanzas to prove his point: A trapped situation breeds resentment and contempt. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887739 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887740 "We shall not always plant while others reap...We were not made to eternally weep." (Cullen 1, 8)
In the first stanza, Cullen describes resentment in the community and the urge to change.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887740 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887741 "The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, White stars is no less lovely being dark." (Cullen 9,10)
At the beginning of the second stanza, Cullen describes the communities disapproval of their treatment through an analogy between the stars and the night sky.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887741 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887742 "So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds, And wait, and tend our agonizing seed." (Cullen 13,14)
Despite filling the whole first stanza with reasons to demand equality, Cullen ends the poem with the eye-opening realization that their situation will never change.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887742 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887743 In the poem "From the Dark Tower," Countee Cullen depicts minorities who are exploited by society for the benefit of a more powerful group. This suggests that in order to achieve justice, oppressor must acknowledge their own faults and the worth of minority groups.

]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887743 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887744 "We shall not always plant while others reap" (Cullen, 1). This line emphasizes the injustice of reality: how minorities are taken advantage of by the "others," a larger, more powerful group who simply profit  from and strip the minorities of the benefits of their rightful earnings. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887744 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887746 "And there are buds that cannot bloom at all [i]n light, but crumple, piteous, and fall" (Cullen, 11-12). This shows that "light," which represents the oppressors, does have its own flaws and has the potential to harm others. However, light itself does not realize its devastating capability.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887746 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887747 "So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds, and wait, and tend our agonizing seeds" (Cullen, 13-14). This suggests that minorities are forced to hide their pain and wait for the majority's acknowledgement, which is the sole catalyst for justice. Therefore, this cycle is perpetuated by the inaction of both parties, especially the apathy of the oppressors.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887747 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887750 In the poem "From the Dark Tower", Countee Cullen displays the many struggles that African Americans go through to fit into the norms of society and how they are perceived less by others.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887750 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887751 "White stars is no less lovely being dark" (Cullen, 10)
This shows that everyone is equal, and someone white is just as amazing and interesting as someone who is black.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887751 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887752 "And there are buds that cannot bloom at all in light, but crumple, piteous, and fall" (Cullen 11 - 12)
This illustrates how under some circumstances (in the light) some may succeed and others may fail.

]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887752 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887754 In the poem "From the Dark Tower", by Countee Cullen, the author expresses the hardships of racially profiled African Americans in the early 1900s struggling with slavery through poetic devices. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887754 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887755 "White stars is no less lovely being dark" (Cullen 10). This piece of evidence supports the theme by showing that dark skin is just as beautiful as light skin and these people should be valued just as much as those with light skin. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887755 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887756 "We shall not plant while others reap" (Cullen 1). This supports the theme because in the early 1900s African-Americans were forced into labor while the white privileged men profited off the crops. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887756 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887757 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887757 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887758 In the poem "From the Dark Tower," Countee Cullen uses metaphors to make the reader empathize with the narrator. The author writes about how some people "plant" while others "harvest", this could connect to the past history of slavery. This suggests that some people manipulate others for their own gain.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887758 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887760 "We shall not always plant while others reap" (Cullen, 1). In the quote, the author uses "We" as a representation for salves and "Others" as a representation for the slave owners. ]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887760 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887761 In lines 5-6 Cullen writes "Not everlastingly while others sleep
Shall we beguile their limbs with mellow flute,". Paraphrased, the speaker is saying: While others are resting, we should not always comfort them. This is very similar to the past slavery mindset that slaves do the work, and the owners don't do anything.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887761 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887762 "So in the dark we hide the hearts that bleed, And wait, t]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887762 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887764  Phrases like "We shall not always plant while others reap" suggest that the victims of this suffering work meanwhile others profit from their labor.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887764 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887765 The phrase "is no less lovely being dark" suggests that although one group of people is different or looked down upon, it does not mean that it isn't just as beautiful in its own way]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887765 CatM https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887767 the phrase " And wait, and tend our agonizing seeds" shows how the people who are segregated are waiting for change.]]> 2017-10-30 18:48:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201887767 https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201944385 In the poem "From the Dark Tower," author Countee Cullen describes the struggles faced by people who are obviously oppressed, and their discontent with the status quo. It is simultaneously a social commentary that highlights the negative effects of segregation, and the racial divides pertinent to that era.]]> 2017-10-30 21:42:31 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201944385 https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201945609 "So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds" (Cullen, 13)
This represents that people who are being oppressed hide their pain they do not want to make it worse.

]]> 2017-10-30 21:50:01 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201945609 https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201946408 In the poem, "From The Dark Tower" Countee Cullen uses metaphors to express generations of suffering that has gone unnoticed.]]> 2017-10-30 21:55:14 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201946408 https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201947166 One clear example that illustrates the environmental oppression that these people face is line four of this poem; "Not always countenance, abject and mute, That lesser men should hold their brothers cheap"
This is a quintessential example of blatant oppression, just the description alone of men holding their brothers cheap suggests one group asserting perceived dominance over another.]]> 2017-10-30 21:56:30 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201947166 https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201950967 Another piece of evidence that represents these people's obvious distaste for the status quo is line 7 to 8 of this poem, "Not always bend to some more subtle brute; we were not made to eternally weep." This direct quote clearly illustrates ]]> 2017-10-30 22:07:42 UTC https://padlet.com/CatM/yr6w1w97qhmz/wish/201950967