“cream of wheat” Lecture Notes
SUMMARY
Lucille Clifton’s “cream of wheat” is a contemplative free verse poem that begins with the speaker observing elderly Black men in a supermarket. These figures evoke historical and emotional memories, triggering a meditation on the fictional advertising icon of the “Cream of Wheat man.” The poem then shifts into a series of poignant questions about identity, representation, and humanity, ultimately confronting the disturbing reality that this cheerful servant figure is not real, yet carries powerful racial connotations.
ANALYSIS
• Structure and Style: The poem is written in free verse with sparse punctuation and a conversational tone. Clifton’s use of enjambment and lowercase letters reflects an unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness meditation.
• Perspective: The speaker is a thoughtful observer, using ordinary surroundings to launch a deeper inquiry into racial history and cultural symbolism.
• Tone: Quietly reflective, empathetic, and questioning. There’s a subtle undercurrent of sadness and critique.
The poem moves from external observation to internal questioning, creating a bridge between lived experience and the symbolic weight of racialized commercial imagery.
THEMES
• Racial Stereotypes and Representation: The poem interrogates how African Americans have been historically reduced to caricatures in advertising (e.g., the “Cream of Wheat” man, Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima), reflecting broader social dehumanization.
• Memory and History: The older Black men in the supermarket seem haunted by memories of segregation and limited opportunity, symbolizing generations shaped by racism.
• Visibility and Invisibility: Clifton explores how Black people—particularly older Black men—are often made invisible in public spaces or reduced to simplified images in media.
• Questioning Identity: The poem challenges the reader to consider the humanity behind stereotypes, even fictional ones, and to think about the cost of erasure.
SYMBOLS
• Cream of Wheat Man: A symbol of racial commodification and cheerful servitude. His smiling face on the cereal box masks a deeper history of exploitation and forced cheerfulness.
• Supermarket: Represents modern consumer culture and a place where past and present converge. It becomes a space for memory and reflection.
• Uncle Ben / Aunt Jemima: Referenced as parallel figures in advertising who also embody problematic racial tropes of servility and docility.
HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT
• The Cream of Wheat brand, like Uncle Ben’s rice or Aunt Jemima pancake mix, historically used racially stereotyped imagery to market food products to white consumers. These figures were typically modeled on Black domestic workers and slaves, idealized as loyal, happy, and non-threatening.
• Clifton wrote during the post-Civil Rights era, when African American poets and thinkers were re-examining the cultural legacy of racism and demanding fuller representations of Black identity.
• The poem reflects a broader effort in Black literature to reclaim voice, humanity, and history from dehumanizing media portrayals.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
• What is the significance of the speaker watching “old black men” in the supermarket? How does that set the tone for the poem?
• How does Clifton use questions in the poem to challenge the reader’s assumptions?
• What does the poem suggest about the impact of racialized advertising imagery on collective memory?
• How does the final linereshape the entire poem?
• In what ways does “cream of wheat” reflect the goals of African American poetry and cultural critique?