"For a Lady I Know"

      "For a Lady I Know" (354) by Countee Cullen uses irony and allusion to reflect on the absurdity of rascism. The lady in the poem is not named, but stands as the "poster woman" for rascism and ignorance. The poem is very short but the silliness of what is said is enough to make a statement. The entirety of the poem is as follows, "She even thinks that up in heaven her class lies late and snores, while poor black cherubs rise at seven to do celestial chores." The first literary device used is allusion. The words, "heaven" and "cherubs" allude to the Bible. Heaven is said to be the holiest place possible, accessible to people of divinity, goodness, piety, faith, and other values. Cherubs are angels. The allusion is critical in understanding the irony. If the reader does not grasp the great significance of the meaning of cherubs and heaven, he/she will not understand the major irony displayed in this poem.
      The importance of heaven and the cherubs is that both are divine. The lady in "For a Lady I Know" honestly believes that not only are there classes in heaven, but there is separation of wealthy and poor. The insanity of this belief is topped only by the belief that there is superiority of the white race in heaven. The irony of a woman thinking she will be able to enter heaven because of her status and have African American slaves ("poor black cherubs") work for her doing "celestial chores" while she sleeps is overwhelming. Heaven is supposed to be a beautiful, perfect place, and this ignorant woman sees nothing wrong with rascism taking place there.
      I really like this poem by Countee Cullen because it is short and blunt. As soon as I read it, I understood exactly what the meaning was and appreciated the straightforward, sarcastic tone. I am amused by the Biblical way Cullen decided to portray the message, because it was very efficient and clever. I think this poem is the perfect example that poetry can be one line and can be genius.