What is the message of yet do I marvel?
Countee Cullen's sonnet "Yet Do I Marvel," published in the anthology Color in 1925. The poem, which is reminiscent of William Wordsworth's and William Blake's Romantic sonnets, is concerned with racial identity and injustice. It also alludes to the Bible verse Jeremiah 17:5 (KJV). Cullen was a popular American poet who was known for his use of language bright with color and energy; he was considered by many to be the father of modern poetry. In addition to publishing several books of poems, essays, and criticism, he also edited two magazines, Poetry Review and Survey. Here, the speaker questions his own existence after witnessing a brutal lynching. He wonders whether other people wonder about him given that he lives in New York City, a place where racism was once widespread.